tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ | tameva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī ||15.4||
…then, that end, into which those who have gone do not return again, is to be properly enquired into (with the attitude that) I surrender to that ādi-puruṣa alone, from whom the primeval creation has come forth.
Mere detachment is not enough. There is a lot of time we find ourselves detaching from one thing only to get attached to something else. Therefore firmness is required with reference to mokṣa-puruṣartha. That desire to be free must be converted to a desire to know, from a mumukṣu to a jijñāsu. This is a commitment - niścaya. Therefore this fact need to be properly enquired to - tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ, with the help of śāstra and teacher.
It is the end into which those who have gone do not return again - yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ. For this result I surrender to that brahman from whom the primeval creation has come forth - tameva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī, by letting the knowledge takes place.
Next Lord Krsna describes the adhikāri - one who qualified, who gains this end.
nirmānamohā jitasaṅgadoṣāḥ adhyātmanityā vinivṛttakāmāḥ | dvandvairvimuktāḥ sukhaduḥkhasañjñaiḥ gacchantyamūḍhāḥ padamavyayaṁ tat ||15.5||
Those who are free from the demand for respect and from non-objectivity, who have conquered the limitation of attachment, who are always focused on the self and from whom desires have completely gone, who are totally free from the opposites known as pleasure and suffering and are not deluded, go to (gain) that imperishable end.
nirmānamohā - those who are free from māna and moha. Māna is demanding respect from others. It includes one couldn’t bear suggestion and criticism. Even though we may have qualification that are worthy of respect, if we do not have an adequate sense of self-worth, we will seek it externally. This can be expressed in number of ways and one of them is demand for respect. When I know that my true nature is pūrnatvam - whole, what more respect do I need? When I know there is only one ātmā, who is to respect whom? Moha is attributing false value to things. We superimpose extra value upon objects and situations, which they do not have and eventually feel disappointed. By proper enquiry - vicāra, we can gain the capacity to see things as they are, this is called objectivity. Thus, those who have freed themselves from the demand for respect and from non-objectivity, are called nirmānamohā.
jitasaṅgadoṣāḥ - are those who have conquered the fault of association. Any object / person without which you feel uncomfortable and incomplete, is the one you have attachment. It can be conquered only by enquiry and growth. The use of word “jita - conquered” indicates that there is a battle to be fought, but it is a cognitive battle. We don’t really know all the things that we are attached to, only when we lose them. And we try to understand each one as an attachment which is purely a thought. Therefore those who master these by proper enquiry are called jitasaṅgadoṣāḥ.
Naturally they are vinivṛttakāmāḥ - those from whom all binding desires have gone. Even though desires may go away, but they leave some residue where subtle longing still remains. But here we are talking about the person who has outgrowth them totally. That is real giving up, sannyāsa. That is adhyātmanityā - one who is always committed to seeing the real nature of oneself. Otherwise, giving up things that I have not outgrown will leave a vacuum into which all sorts of new desires will rush in. This is a commitment with understanding through śravana, manana, and nididhyāsana.
People under discussion here are those who are totally free from pairs of opposite - dvandvairvimuktāḥ, free from pleasant and unpleasant situation - sukhaduḥkhasañjñaiḥ. In all situations, they enjoy the mind which is composed and capable of facing facts as they are. They are not deluded anymore - amūḍhāḥ, who own up the nature of imperishable - tat avyayaṁ padam gacchanti.
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