Verse 8.24

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्। तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः।।8.24।।

agnir jyotir ahaḥ śhuklaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam tatra prayātā gachchhanti brahma brahma-vido janāḥ

Meaning

Yo, fire, light, daytime, the bright fortnight, six months of the sun's northern journey—when that's over, peeps who know Brahman, they go to Brahman.

Commentary

Okay, so like, this UttaraMarga, or Devayana, is, like, the northern path, the path of light, you know? It's how yogis, like, totally reach Brahman. It's the path to, like, ultimate salvation, to Brahmaloka. The six months of the northern solstice? That's like, from mid-January to mid-July. It's, like, the *best* time to, like, *die*. It's, like, *totally* described in the Chhandogya Upanishad, the Kaushitaki Upanishad, and the Brahma Sutras. It's all about, like, this journey of light. The departed soul, like, *proceeds* along this path, and it's, like, *totally* known. They hit the path of the gods, then it's like, Agni (fire), Vayu (air), Varuna (rain), Indra (king of the gods), Prajapati (the Creator), and then, like, *Brahman*. It's a whole vibe, you know? Light to day, day to the waxing moon, waxing moon to the six months of the northern sun, then the year, then the sun. When you, like, *die*, you hit Vayu (air), then Vayu makes a space, like a wheel hole, and you, like, *ascend*. You hit the sun. From the moon to lightning, some non-human being leads you to Brahman. Time is, like, the path, the stages. Fire and light are the deities of time, daytime is the deity of the day, the bright fortnight is its deity, and the six months of the northern solstice is the deity of the northern path. It's the path of illumination, leading to liberation. The life force of liberated sages, those who know the Self, don't leave; they're absorbed into Brahman. Jivanmuktas, those who reach KaivalyaMoksha, like, *instant* salvation, have nowhere to go, they're one with Brahman. Each step is a plane, a state of consciousness, a level of purity, illumination. More purity, more divine light. It's all bright objects, illumination, knowledge. That's why it's the path of light. Bhishma, like, totally lay on a bed of arrows until the northern solstice, then he, like, *left* for the Lord's abode.