Text 22
anvīkṣetātmano bandhaṁ
mokṣaṁ ca jñāna-niṣṭhayā
bandha indriya-vikṣepo
mokṣa eṣāṁ ca saṁyamaḥ
anvīkṣeta — one should see by careful study; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; bandham — the bondage; mokṣam — the liberation; ca — also; jñāna — in knowledge; niṣṭhayā — by steadiness; bandhaḥ — bondage; indriya — of the senses; vikṣepaḥ — deviation to sense gratification; mokṣaḥ — liberation; eṣām — of these senses; ca — and; saṁyamaḥ — complete control.
By steady knowledge a sage should clearly ascertain the nature of the soul’s bondage and liberation. Bondage occurs when the senses are deviated to sense gratification, and complete control of the senses constitutes liberation.
By carefully understanding one’s eternal nature, one will not again be bound up in the shackles of material energy, and by constant engagement in the service of the Absolute Truth, one is liberated. Then the flickering material senses can no longer drag one into the false consciousness of being a material enjoyer. Such steady sense control gives one relief from the harassment of material sense gratification.