By the mind alone must this be understood: there is no multiplicity here whatsoever. From death to death goes one who sees difference here.

This verse reinforces and deepens the message of the previous one, emphasizing both the method and the realization.

Manasā eva idam āptavyam — by the mind alone must this be attained/understood. Knowledge of Brahman is not obtained through external rituals, pilgrimages, or accumulation of merits. It is a direct recognition that occurs in the purified mind. Manas here is not the scattered ordinary mind but the unified, concentrated mind, prepared by practice.

Na iha nānā asti kiṃcana — there is no multiplicity here whatsoever, not even the slightest. The declaration is absolute: the diversity we perceive is apparent, not real. It is not that there is “some unity” mixed with diversity; multiplicity simply does not exist at the ultimate level of reality.

Mṛtyoḥ sa mṛtyuṃ gacchati — from death to death goes. The repetition of this warning in consecutive verses underscores its importance. The perception of separation is not a minor philosophical error but the very cause of suffering and mortality.

Śaṅkara comments that before attaining this knowledge of unity, the mind must be purified by the scriptures and the teacher, understanding: “Brahman alone exists, nothing else.” When this is realized, ignorance — the cause of the perception of difference — is destroyed.

Yoga is precisely this purification of the mind. The practices of pratyāhāra (sensory withdrawal), dhāraṇā (concentration), and dhyāna (meditation) prepare the mind for this direct recognition. The goal is not to create something new but to remove what obscures the vision of what was always true.