Bhagavad-gītā 16.22
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः।आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम्।।16.22।।
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ ācharaty ātmanaḥ śhreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
These are the gates that lead to darkness; if one avoids them, they will ensure their own welfare and eventually attain liberation.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| etaiḥ | from this |
| vimuktaḥ | freed |
| kaunteya | Arjun, the son of Kunti |
| tamaḥ-dvāraiḥ | gates to darkness |
| tribhiḥ | three |
| naraḥ | a person |
| ācharati | endeavor |
| ātmanaḥ | soul |
| śhreyaḥ | welfare |
| tataḥ | thereby |
| yāti | attain |
| parām | supreme |
| gatim | goal |
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.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Compare divine and destructive dispositions, their actions and consequences without converting the lists into weapons for judging others.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaO son of Kunti, a person who is free from these three doors to darkness strives for the good of the soul; thereby, they attain the highest Goal.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaOne who has been released from these three gates of darkness, O Arjuna, works for the benefit of the self; thus, they reach the supreme state.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaWhen 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.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
These are the gates that lead to darkness
- 2
if one avoids them, they will ensure their own welfare and eventually attain liberation
- 3
etaiḥ: from this
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