एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः ।आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvārais tribhir naraḥ |ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṃ gatim ||
- एतैः · etaiḥ
- from these
- विमुक्तः · vimuktaḥ
- freed
- कौन्तेय · kaunteya
- O son of Kunti
- तमोद्वारैः · tamodvāraiḥ
- from the gates of darkness
- त्रिभिः · tribhiḥ
- three
- नरः · naraḥ
- a person
- आचरति · ācarati
- practices, does
- आत्मनः · ātmanaḥ
- for the self
- श्रेयः · śreyaḥ
- what is truly good
- ततः · tataḥ
- then
- याति · yāti
- reaches
- पराम् · parām
- supreme
- गतिम् · gatim
- goal
“Freed from these three gates of darkness, O Kaunteya, a person pursues what is truly good for the self — and then reaches the highest goal.”
— Original plain-language translation
Freedom is not emptiness but redirection: released energy turns toward shreyas, the real good (first distinguished from the merely pleasant in 2.7's spirit). The path upward is open to whoever drops the trio. Hope returns after the warnings.
— Reader's notes (original)