स्वच्छमेवाऽवतिष्ठन्ते स्वच्छं कुर्वन्ति यान्ति हि । हेयोपादेयतापक्षरहिताः स्वात्मनि स्थिताः ॥ ३ ॥
svacchamēvā’vatiṣṭhantē svacchaṁ kurvanti yānti hi | hēyōpādēyatāpakṣarahitāḥ svātmani sthitāḥ || 3 ||
Translation
They stand clear, they act clearly, they go clearly, free of any leaning towards what is to be shunned or taken up, abiding in their own Self.
Word by word
- svaccham
- clear
- ēva
- indeed
- avatiṣṭhantē
- they stand
- kurvanti
- they act
- yānti
- they go
- hi
- truly
- hēya
- what is to be shunned
- upādēyatā
- or taken up
- pakṣa
- leaning
- rahitāḥ
- free of
- sva
- their own
- ātmani
- in the Self
- sthitāḥ
- abiding
Meaning
Svaccham, clear, is said three times of their standing, doing and going. The commentary explains: by seeing the unattached Self they stay untouched, they do the clear actions of scripture, and they keep to the right path. Note that this rules out a common fear about liberation, that one freed from choosing would do anything at all. Their conduct stays clean. It only stops being a struggle between a want and a prohibition.