Complete learning edition. The Sanskrit source remains separate from attributed word meanings, translation, explanation and commentary witnesses. Diagrams and memory aids are study tools, not replacements for the source text.
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः।कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत्।।16.21।।
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
The gates of hell are three: lust, wrath, and avarice; they destroy the Self, so avoid them.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.

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Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| tri-vidham | three types of |
| narakasya | to the hell |
| idam | this |
| dvāram | gates |
| nāśhanam | destruction |
| ātmanaḥ | self |
| kāmaḥ | lust |
| krodhaḥ | anger |
| tathā | and |
| lobhaḥ | greed |
| tasmāt | therefore |
| etat | these |
| trayam | three |
| tyajet | should abandon |
Lust, anger and greed,: these highway robbers will cause a man to fall into the dark abyss of hell, misery or grief. These are the three fountainheads of misery.
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 GambiranandaThis door to hell, which destroys the soul, is of three kinds:passion, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should forsake these three.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaDesire, wrath, and greed:these are the three gateways to Naraka, ruinous to the self. Therefore, one should abandon these three.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaLust, anger and greed,: these highway robbers will cause a man to fall into the dark abyss of hell, misery or grief. These are the three fountainheads of misery.
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
The gates of hell are three
- 2
they destroy the Self
- 3
tri-vidham: three types of

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Compare divine and destructive dispositions, their actions and consequences without converting the lists into weapons for judging others.
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- 1
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- 2
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- 3
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