तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः | गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः || १७ ||
tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ gacchanty apunar-āvṛttiṃ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣāḥ
tat-buddhayaḥ—those whose intelligence is fixed on the Supreme; tad-ātmānaḥ—those whose mind is engaged in the Supreme; tat-niṣṭhāḥ—those who are dedicated to the Supreme; tat-parāyaṇāḥ—those who are devoted to the Supreme; gacchanti—they go; apunar-āvṛttim—non-return; jñāna—by knowledge; nirdhūta—cleansed; kalmaṣāḥ—impurities.
“Those whose intellect, self, steadfastness, and supreme refuge are all in That (Brahman) — their impurities washed away by knowledge — they go to the state of no return.”
Four attributes describe the jnani (knower): his intellect is absorbed in Brahman, his very sense of self is identified with Brahman, his steadiness is grounded in Brahman, and his ultimate resort is Brahman alone. When these four are aligned, ignorance is completely dispelled. The 'state of no return' (apunar-avṛtti) is moksha — liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Ask yourself: where does my intellect habitually rest? Where does my deepest sense of identity rest? Gradually training these to rest in awareness itself — rather than in external achievements, roles, or relationships — is the inner revolution this verse describes.