एतैर्विमुक्तः कौन्तेय तमोद्वारैस्त्रिभिर्नरः | आचरत्यात्मनः श्रेयस्ततो याति परां गतिम् || २२ ||
etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamo-dvārais tribhir naraḥ ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
etaiḥ—by these; vimuktaḥ—freed; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; tamaḥ-dvāraiḥ—gates of ignorance; tribhiḥ—three; naraḥ—a person; ācarati—practices; ātmanaḥ—for the self; śreyaḥ—that which is good; tataḥ—thereafter; yāti—goes; parām—to the supreme; gatim—destination.
“O son of Kunti, one who is freed from these three gates of darkness practices what is good for the self and thereby reaches the supreme destination.”
Freedom from the three gates of hell—lust, anger, and greed—opens the path to the supreme abode. This freedom is not merely ethical restraint but a positive orientation toward the supreme good: the liberated person naturally 'practices what is good for the self' (ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyaḥ), which means pursuing the path of dharma and devotion that culminates in God-realization.
This verse pairs with the previous one to give both the 'what to avoid' and the 'what to pursue.' Reducing lust, anger, and greed creates space—but that space must be filled with positive practice: meditation, service, study, devotion. Freedom from negativity combined with engagement in positive practice is the complete prescription for reaching the supreme destination.