For Eternal Beginners
धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निः यथादर्शो मलेन च ।
यथा उल्बेन आवृतो गर्भः तथा तेन इदम् आवृतम् ॥ ३८ ॥
dhUmenAvriyate vahniH yathAdarzo malena ca |
yathA ulbena AvRto garbhaH tathA tena idam AvRtam || 38 ||
यथा [yathA] Just as वह्निः [vahniH] fire आव्रियते [Avriyate] is hidden धूमेन [dhUmena] by smoke, च [ca] and as आदर्शः [AdarzaH] a mirror मलेन [malena] is covered by dust, यथा [yathA] just as गर्भः [garbhaH] a womb आवृतो [AvRto] is concealed उल्बेन [ulbena] by the membrane surrounding the embryo, तथा [tathA] so also, इदम् [idam] all consciousness आवृतम् [AvRtam] is covered तेन [tena] by this thing called desire.
Like a fire covered by smoke, like a mirror covered by dust, like a womb concealed by a membrane surrounding the embryo, this ‘desire’, as described in the above Shlokas, surrounds all beings.
In the next Shloka, Lord Krishna describes the way in which desire conceals things.