Verse 16.22
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः | आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ||२२||
Transliteration (IAST)
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ | ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim ||22||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
A person who is freed from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kunti, practices what is good for the self and thus attains the supreme destination.
Commentary
Shankaracharya explains that liberation from kāma, krodha, and lobha naturally leads to right action (ātmanaḥ śreyaḥ) because these three are the root obstacles to dharmic living. Ramanuja notes the positive framing: the verse does not merely warn against evil but promises the supreme goal (parāṁ gatim) to those who overcome these tendencies. Freedom from the three gates is both the means and the beginning of the spiritual path.