लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः | छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः || २५ ||
labhante brahma-nirvāṇam ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
labhante—achieve; brahma-nirvāṇam—liberation in the Supreme; ṛṣayaḥ—the sages; kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ—who are cleansed of all impurities; chinna—having cut off; dvaidhāḥ—duality; yata-ātmānaḥ—self-controlled; sarva-bhūta—all living beings; hite—for the benefit; ratāḥ—engaged.
“The sages who have crossed over doubt, whose impurities are destroyed, who are self-controlled, and who are devoted to the welfare of all beings — they attain the peace of Brahman.”
Four qualities mark those who attain brahma-nirvana: purification from moral impurities, freedom from the duality of doubt and wavering, mastery over the mind and senses, and active dedication to the welfare of all beings. Significantly, the last quality — compassionate service — is not separate from liberation but is listed as one of its very prerequisites. Brahma-jnana naturally expresses itself as universal compassion.
If you find your spiritual practice becoming self-centred — focused only on your own peace and enlightenment — add the dimension of sarva-bhuta-hite: genuine care for the welfare of all beings. This outward orientation, far from being a distraction from liberation, is itself a vehicle for it.