The Ātman is nirvikalpa, śuddha, and sat-cid-ānanda — without conceptual constructions, pure, and of the nature of existence, consciousness, and bliss. In chapter 17, where renunciation is the topic, this verse clarifies that what is renounced is the false notion of a limited, conditioned self. The sage does not renounce bliss or consciousness; he renounces only the superimposition that obscures them. Once that superimposition is seen through, fear and desire have no place to land.