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BG 16.22 — 16.22 A man who is liberated from these three gates to darkness, O Arjuna, practises what is good for him and thus goes to the Supreme Goal.
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एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः |
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ||१६-२२||

etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ . ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||16-22||


16.22 A man who is liberated from these three gates to darkness, O Arjuna, practises what is good for him and thus goes to the Supreme Goal.

Word-by-word meanings

16.22 एतैः from these? विमुक्तः liberated? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? तमोद्वारैः gates to darkness? त्रिभिः (by) three? नरः the man? आचरति practises? आत्मनः for him? श्रेयः what is good? ततः and then? याति goes to? पराम् the Supreme? गतिम् Goal.Commentary When these gates to hell are abandoned? the path to salvation is made clear for the aspirant. He gets the company of sages? which leads to liberation. He gets spiritual instructions and practises them. He hears the scriptures? reflects? meditates and

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

16.22 O son of Kunti, narah, a person; who is vimuktah, free; etaih, from these; tribhih, three; tamo-dvaraih, doors to darkness, i.e., passion etc. which are doors to the darkness of hell consisting of sorrow and delusion; freed from three three which are such, acarati, strives for;-for what?-sreyah, the good; atmanah, of the soul: darred by which (doors) he could not strive earlier, and on the dispelling of which he strives. Tatah, thery, as a result of that striving; yati, he attains; the param, suprme; gatim, Goal, i.e. Liberation, as well. [Not only does he attain Liberation by renouncing the demoniacal alities, but he also secures happiness in this world.] The scripture is instrumental in this complete renunciation of the demoniacal alities and striving for what is good. Both can be undertaken on the authority of the scriptures, not otherwise. Hence,

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Swami Gambirananda

16.22 O son of Kunti, a person who is free from these three doors to darkness strives for the good of the soul. Thery he attains the highest Goal.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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