A metaphor · reflective in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Clear seeing is not destroyed; it is simply covered.”
As fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, and a womb by a membrane, so clear seeing is covered by desire.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyby smoke · is covered · fire · as · mirror · by dust · and · as · by a membrane/womb-covering · covered · womb/embryo · so · by that · this · is covered
Desire hides clear seeing just as smoke hides fire, dust hides a mirror, and a womb-covering hides an embryo.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Yoga" (The Yoga of Action).
Verse 38 sits in Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Yoga, "The Yoga of Action". The chapter has 43 verses in total.
A brother knows what a fair division of the family house would look like. Greed fogs that knowledge every time he meets the lawyer. The clarity is still there under the dust.
Did you like this verse?
Smoke over fire, dust on a mirror, a membrane over a womb: desire covers wisdom like these.
What this verse means
Desire hides clear seeing just as smoke hides fire, dust hides a mirror, and a womb-covering hides an embryo.
Context & commentary
Arjuna asked why people do wrong even against their will. Krishna has named desire as the enemy, and now he shows how it works: it covers wisdom and leaves it intact underneath, just as smoke, dust, and a womb-covering hide what is already there.
What it looks like today
A brother knows what a fair division of the family house would look like. Greed fogs that knowledge every time he meets the lawyer. The clarity is still there under the dust.
“The problem is not lack of intelligence. Something deeper is veiling what you already know.”
Explore related themes: kama (23 verses), rajas (21 verses), viveka (15 verses)