Shloka
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः |
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ||१६-२२||Transliteration
etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ .
ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||16-22||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
16.22. O son of Kunti ! A man, who has deserted these three gates of darkness, does what is good for his Self and thery reaches the highest goal.
Shri Purohit Swami
16.22 These are the gates which lead to darkness; if a man avoid them he will ensure his own welfare, and in the end will attain his liberation.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
16.21-22 Trividham etc. Etaih etc. Because the traid of desire etc., constitute the gate to the hell, therefore one should avoid that. What has been stated should not be neglected on the assumption that it is [based on] the human word. On the other hand, there is the authority of the eternal scripture on this subject. This is said [here] –
Sri Ramanuja
16.22 One who has been ‘released from these three’ - from desire, wrath and greed which constitute the gates of darkness causing erroneous knowledge of Myself -, he works for the good of the self. Gaining knowledge of Myself, he endevaours to be inclined towards Me. From there, he attains the supreme goal, which is Myself.
Sri Krsna now teaches that the main cause of this Kind of degeneration is lack of reverence for the Sastras:
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,
Swami Adidevananda
16.22 One who has been released from these threefold gates of darkness, O Arjuna, works for the good of the self. Hence he reaches the supreme state.
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.
Swami Sivananda
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.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
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 attains Selfrealisation.Tamodvara Gate to darkness leading to hell which is full of pain and delusion.