Chapter XVI · Śloka 22
एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः ।
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ |
ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṃ gatim ||
ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṃ gatim ||
A person freed from these three gates of darkness, O son of Kuntī, practises what is good for the self, and thereby attains the supreme goal.
Liberation from the triad opens the path; the verse is constructive, not merely prohibitive. The freed person 'practises what is good for the self' (ācarati ātmanaḥ śreyas) — a phrase that fuses ethics and self-interest, showing that virtue is the self's truest advantage.