BhG 8.23

syntax

he bharata-rṣabha (O best of the Bharatas!),
yatra tu (but in what) kāle (in time) prayātāḥ (departing) yoginaḥ (yogīs) anāvṛttim (to non-return) āvṛttim ca (and to return) yānti (they go),
tam kālam eva (just that time) vakṣyāmi (I will explain).

grammar

yatra	–	av. – where, in which place, when (correlative of: tatra);
kāle	–	kāla 7n.1 m. – in time;
tu	–	av. – but, then, or, and;
an-āvṛttim	–	an-ā-vṛtti 2n.1 f. – non-return, non-repetition (from: ā-√vṛt – to return, to reverse);
āvṛttim	–	ā-vṛtti 2n.1 f. – return, repetition (from: ā-√vṛt – to return, to reverse);
ca	–	av. – and;
eva	–	av. – certainly, just, merely;
yoginaḥ	–	yogin 1n.3 m. – yogīs, those egaged (from: √yuj – to yoke, to join, to engage, yoga – yoga, yoking, application, a means, one of the schools of Hindu philosophy);
prayātāḥ	–	prayāta (pra-√yā – to go, to depart) PP 1n.3 m. – departed, dead;
yānti	–	√yā (to go, to attain) Praes. P 1v.3 – they go, they attain;
tam	–	tat sn. 2n.1 m. – that;
kālam	–	kāla 2n.1 m. – time;
vakṣyāmi	–	√vac (to declare) Fut. P 3v.1 – I will declare;
bharata-rṣabha	–	bharata-rṣabha 8n.1 m.; TP: bharatāṇām ṛṣabha iti – O best of the Bharatas (from: √bhṛ – to hold or bharata – king Bharata, actor, in plural – the descendants of Bharata; ṛṣabha – bull, the best of any kind);

textual variants

āvṛttiṁ → pravṛttiṁ (activity);
prayātā → prayāṁtā / prayatā (giving / eager);
yānti → yāti (he goes);
bharata-rṣabha → puruṣa-rṣabha (O best of men);

Śāṃkara

prakṛtānāṃ yogināṃ praṇavāveśita-brahma-buddhīnāṃ kālāntara-mukti-bhājāṃ brahma-pratipattaya uttaro mārgo vaktavya iti yatra kāle ity ādi vivakṣitārtha-samarpaṇārtham ucyate, āvṛtti-mārgopanyāsaḥ itara-mārga-stuty-artham ucyate—

yatra kāle prayātā iti vyavahitena saṃbandhaḥ | yatra yasmin kāle tv anāvṛttim apunar-janma āvṛttiṃ tad-viparītāṃ caiva | yogina iti yoginaḥ karmiṇaś cocyante | karmiṇas tu guṇataḥ karma-yogena yoginām iti viśeṣaṇād yoginaḥ | yatra kāle prayātā mṛtā yogino’nāvṛttiṃ yānti, yatra kāle ca prayātāḥ āvṛttiṃ yānti, taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha

Rāmānuja

commentary under the verse BhG 8.24

Śrīdhara

tad evaṃ paramśvaropāsakās tat-padaṃ prāpya na nivartante | anye tv āvartanta ity uktam | tatra kena mārgeṇa gatā nāvartante | kena vā gatāś cāvartante | ity apekṣāyām āha yatreti | yatra yasmin kāle prayātā yogino ‚nāvṛttiṃ yānti yasmiṃś ca kāle prayātā āvṛttiṃ yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmīty anvayaḥ | atra ca raśmy-anusārī ataś cāyane ‚pi dakṣiṇe iti sūcita-nyāyenottarāyaādi-kāla-viśeṣa-maraṇaṃ ca tv avivakṣitatvāt kāla-śabdena kālābhimāninībhir ātivāhikībhir devatābhiḥ prāpyo mārga upalakṣyate | ato ‚yam arthaḥ yasmin kālābhimāni-devatopalakṣite mārge prayātā yogina upāsakāḥ karmiṇaś ca yathākramam anāvṛttim āvṛttiṃ ca yānti | taṃ kālābhimāni-devatopalakṣitaṃ mārgaṃ kathayiṣyāmīti | agni-jyotiṣoḥ kālābhimānitvābhāve ‚pi bhūyasām aharādi-śabdoktānāṃ kālābhimānitvāt tat-sāhacaryād āmra-vanam ity ādivat kāla-śabdenopalakṣaṇam aviruddham

Madhusūdana

saguṇa-brahmopāsakās tat-padaṃ prāpya na nivartante kintu krameṇa mucyante | tatra tal-loka-bhogāt prāg-anutpanna-samyag-darśanānāṃ tesāṃ mārgāpekṣā vidyate na tu samyag-darśinām iva tad-anapekṣety upāsakānāṃ tal-loka-prāptaye deva-yāna-mārga upadiśyate | pitṛ-yāna-mārgopanyāsas tu tasya stutaye yatreti |

prāṇotkramaṇānantaraṃ yatra yasmin kāle kālābhimāni-devatopalakṣite mārge prayātā yogino dhyāyinaḥ karmiṇaś cānāvṛttim āvṛttiṃ ca yānti | deva-yāne pathi prayātāś ca karmiṇa āvṛttiṃ yānti | yadyapi deva-yāne ‚pi pathi prayātāḥ punar āvartante ity uktaṃ ābrahma-bhuvanā lokāḥ punar āvartinaḥ ity atra, tathāpi pitṛ-yāne pathi gatā āvartanta eva na ke ‚pi tatra krama-mukti-bhājaḥ | deva-yāne pathi gatās tu yadyapi kecid āvartante pratīkopāsakās taḍil-loka-paryantaṃ gatā hiraṇyagarbha-paryantam amānava-puruṣa-nītā api pañcāgni-vidyādy-upāsakā atat-kratavo bhogānte nivartanta eva tathāpi daharādy-upāsakāḥ krameṇa mucyante | bhogānta iti na sarva evāvartante | ataeva pitṛ-yānaḥ panthā niyamenāvṛtti-phalatvān nikṛṣṭaḥ | ayaṃ tu deva-yānaḥ panthā anāvṛtti-phalatvād atipraśasta iti stutir upapadyate keṣāṃcid āvṛttāv apy anāvṛtti-phalatvasyānapāyāt |

taṃ deva-yānaṃ pitṛ-yānaṃ ca kālaṃ kālābhimāni-devatopalakṣitaṃ mārgaṃ vakṣyāmi | he bharatarṣabha ! atra kāla-śabdasya mukhyārthatve ‚gnir-jyotir-dhūma-śabdānām upapattir gati-sṛti-śabdayoś ceti tad-anurodhenaikasmin kāla-pada eva lakṣaṇāśritā kālābhimāni-devatānāṃ mārga-dvaye ‚pi bāhulyāt | agni-dhūmayos tad-itarayoḥ sator api agnihotra-śabdavad eka-deśenāpy upalakṣaṇaṃ kāla-śabdena | anyathā prātar agni-devatāyā abhāvāt tat-prakhyaṃ cānya-śāstram (ṃī.da 1.4.4) ity anena tasya nāma-dheyatayā na syāt | āmra-vanam iti ca laukiko dṛṣṭāntaḥ

Viśvanātha

nanu yaṃ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṃ mama iti tva-uktyā tvad-bhaktās tvāṃ prāptā na punar āvartanta ity uktam | na tatra tva-prāntau kaścin mārga-niyama ity uktaḥ |tvad-bhaktānāṃ ca guṇātītatvāt tan-mārgo ‚pi guṇātīta eva avasīyate, na tu sāttviko ‚rcir-ādiḥ | yas tu mārgo yogino jñāninaḥ karmiṇaś cāsti tam ahaṃ jijñāse ity apekṣāyām āha yatreti | prāṇotkramaṇānantaraṃ tatra kālopalakṣite mārge prayātā anāvṛttim āvṛttiṃ ca yānti taṃ kālaṃ mārgaṃ vakṣya ity anvayaḥ

Baladeva

sva-bhaktānām āvṛttiḥ sva-vimukhānāṃ tv āvṛttir uktā | sā sā ca kena pathā gatānāṃ bhaved ity apekṣāyām āha yatreti | yogino bhaktāḥ kāmya-karmiṇaś ca | atra kāla-śabdena kālābhimānino devatoktāḥ | agni-dhūmayoḥ kālatvābhāvāt kāla-śabdenoktis tu bhūyasā mahad-ādi-śabdānāṃ rātry-ādi-śabdānāṃ ca kāla-vācitvāt tathā cārcir-ādibhir dhūmādibhiś ca devaiḥ pālitaḥ panthāḥ kāla-śabdenokto bodhyaḥ