Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 3/Verse 38

Chapter 3/Verse 38

धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च ।
यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् ॥३- ३८॥

dhūmenāvriyate vahniryathādarśo malena ca ।
yatholbenāvṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam ॥3- 38॥

Just as a person conveying an oblation is enveloped with smoke, a mirror by dust, and just as an embryo is enveloped with a fetal membrane. Just so, by that [rajas], that covered [knowledge]. 


Word-for-word translations dhūmena (masculine, instrumental, singular) = with smoke

āvriyate (present tense, passive, 3rd person, singular) = one is enveloped

vahnis (masculine, nominative, singular) = a person conveying a oblation 

yathā = just as 

ādarśas (masculine, nominative, singular) = mirror

malena (neuter, instrumental, singular) = by dust

ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and

yathā = just as 

ulbena = by a fetal membrane  

āvṛtas (past passive participle, masculine, nominative, singular) = enveloped

garbhas (masculine, nominative, singular) = embryo

tathā = just so

tena (pronoun, 3rd person, instrumental, singular) = by that 

idam (neuter, nominative, singular) = that 

āvṛtam (past passive participle, neuter, nominative, singular) = covered [knowledge] (the adding of "knowledge" here will be understood in the next verse)