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. Hover 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.
You know the right thing to say, but the message sits unopened while anger blurs your judgment. The clarity is still there; something is clouding it.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from searching for new answers to removing the obstruction already blocking clear judgment.
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
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna has asked why people do wrong even against their will. Krishna has named desire as the enemy, and now he shows how it works: it does not erase wisdom, it covers it, just as smoke, dust, and a womb-covering hide what is already there.
Why this verse still matters
You know the right thing to say, but the message sits unopened while anger blurs your judgment. The clarity is still there; something is clouding it.
“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)