Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 11: The Vision of the Cosmic Form
Bhagavad Gita 11.29
यथा प्रदीप्तं ज्वलनं पतङ्गा
विशन्ति नाशाय समृद्धवेगाः ।
तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोका-
स्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः ॥
yathā pradīptaṃ jvalanaṃ pataṅgā viśanti nāśāya samṛddhavegāḥ | tathaiva nāśāya viśanti lokā- stavāpi vaktrāṇi samṛddhavegāḥ ||
As moths rush headlong into a blazing fire to their destruction, so these worlds are rushing headlong into your mouths to their destruction.
Modern context
A second image follows, harsher than the rivers: moths flying into a flame. Rivers flow by nature; moths are drawn by fascination to their own destruction. Many of the warriors on this field are like that, pulled toward the fire by pride, ambition and the glory of battle. The image is a warning about anything we are drawn to that will burn us.