Desire covers wisdom; practice uncovers it.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च |यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् ||३-३८||
dhūmenāvriyate vahniryathādarśo malena ca . yatholbenāvṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam ||3-38||
Use this verse when desire clouds your judgment.
Meaning
As fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, and an embryo by the womb, so knowledge is covered by desire.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Desire covers wisdom in different degrees.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives three images of obscuration: smoke over fire, dust on a mirror, and an embryo hidden in the womb. Desire does not destroy knowledge; it covers it. Sometimes the covering is light and easy to clear. Sometimes it is deep and requires long practice. This verse is useful for helping people understand that self-control is a process of uncovering clarity.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna illustrates how desire obscures wisdom through three vivid images. As smoke veils fire, as dust dims a mirror, and as the womb's membrane encloses an embryo, so does kama cover our innate knowledge and discernment. Each image shows a covering of differing density — light, moderate, and nearly complete.
The analogies are exquisitely chosen. Smoke can be fanned away easily; dust requires deliberate cleaning; the amnion is so total that the embryo cannot remove it at all. Likewise, desire clouds the inner light in degrees, from a faint haze to total obscuration.
Crucially, the fire, the mirror, and the embryo are never destroyed — only hidden. Our wisdom, our pure awareness, is never lost; it is merely covered over by craving. This is profoundly hopeful: the light within remains intact, awaiting only the removal of the veil that desire has cast upon it.
In daily life
Do not despair when clarity is covered; begin cleaning the mirror.
A distracted mind may still have wisdom underneath, but needs rest, discipline, and honest reflection.
Try this today
Choose one cleaning practice: silence, journaling, prayer, or removing a trigger.
I clear the covering and return to wisdom.Reflect
Is my wisdom lightly covered or deeply buried?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘तथा तेन इदम् आवृतम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on desire, in other chapters
- Verse 7.20When desire narrows our vision, we chase gifts and forget the Giver — notice when devotion has shrunk to a means of getting.
- Verse 16.10Desire that is never questioned becomes insatiable, and an insatiable mind will mistake its delusions for ideals.
- Verse 4.19Act without selfish intent, and the fire of wisdom burns away action's power to bind — this is the mark of a true sage.
- Verse 6.40No sincere effort toward goodness is ever wasted — one who does good never comes to a bad end.
Swipe left for 3.39 · Unmanaged desire grows through indulgence.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 3.38
Who says Bhagavad Gita 3.38, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 3.38, in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga (Karma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 3.38 mean?
As fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, and an embryo by the womb, so knowledge is covered by desire. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 3.38 for daily life?
Do not despair when clarity is covered; begin cleaning the mirror. A distracted mind may still have wisdom underneath, but needs rest, discipline, and honest reflection.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 3.38 mean?
धूमेन आव्रियते वह्निः — as fire is enveloped by smoke; यथा आदर्शः मलेन च — and as a mirror by dust; यथा उल्बेन आवृतः गर्भः — as an embryo is covered by the amnion (womb); तथा तेन इदम् आवृतम् — so is this (wisdom) covered by that (desire).
Where does verse 3.38 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 38 of 43 in Chapter 3, Karma Yoga. The next verse is 3.39.