शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतेश्वरः । गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात् ॥
śarīraṃ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmateśvaraḥ | gṛhītvaitāni saṃyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt ||
Like wind carrying fragrance, the jīva takes its 6-sense apparatus from body to body through each birth and death.
Word by word (3)
- śarīraṃ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmateśvaraḥ
- — whenever the lord/ruler (īśvara — here = jīvātmā as ruler of the body) obtains (avāpnoti) a body OR departs from it (utkrāmate) — birth and death described
- gṛhītvaitāni saṃyāti
- — taking these (etāni — the 6-sense apparatus from V7) along (gṛhītvā), he goes (saṃyāti) — the jīva carries the subtle sense-instrument through births
- vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt
- — as the wind (vāyu) carries fragrances (gandhān) from their source/seat (āśayāt) — the simile: invisible carrier, real cargo
When the lord (the individual soul) obtains a body and when it departs from that body, it travels carrying these senses — just as the wind carries fragrances away from flowers.
A modern analogy
When you move houses, the house itself doesn't travel — but you carry your furniture, memories, and habits with you. Similarly, the physical body is left behind at death, but the 'furniture' of the subtle body — the conditioned senses and mind-impressions — travels with the jīva to the next birth.
V8 describes the transmigration mechanism: the jīva (as 'īśvara' of the body) carries the 6-sense apparatus (V7's manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi) from body to body. The simile of wind-and-fragrance is perfectly chosen: wind is invisible, the fragrance appears to arise in a new place (next flower, next life) with no obvious connection to the source. This is why rebirth is not directly perceptible — the connection is through the subtle body.
The use of 'īśvara' for the individual jīva is notable — the jīva is 'lord' of its body in the pragmatic sense. This reflects the Sāṃkhya-Yoga framework where puruṣa (individual) is the witness-master of the body-prakriti complex. The fragrance simile also appears in Ch.7 V9 (gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ — I am the fragrance of earth), creating a resonance: fragrance-as-consciousness, wind-as-ātman.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
When the Lord acquires a body, and when He leaves it, He takes these and goes, as the wind takes scents from their seats. [1]
When the Lord obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these and goes, as the wind takes the scents from their seats (the flowers). [4]
Whenever the ruler (of the bodily frame) obtains or quits a body, he goes taking these (with him) as the wind (takes) perfumes from their seats. [9]
Whenever the ruler (of the bodily frame) obtains or quits a body, he goes taking these (with him) as the wind (takes) perfumes from their seats. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
You have always existed. You will always exist. There was no time before you, and there will be no time without you.
Die and win heaven. Conquer and enjoy the earth. Either way you gain — so rise and fight.
Action arises from Brahman, Brahman from the Imperishable. The all-pervading ultimate is present in every act of yajna.
Four varnas arise by guna and karma — not by birth. Though creator, I remain the non-doer, imperishable.
That which Vedic knowers call the Imperishable — that Brahmacharins seek, ascetics enter — I will declare it briefly.
From all wombs all bodies arise — but the great Brahman is the womb and Krishna the seed-giving Father.