He is difficult to see, hidden, penetrated into the heart, situated in the deepest cave, ancient. Through the yoga of the inner Self, considering God, the calmly courageous one abandons pleasure and pain.

This statement describes the nature of the Ātman as durdarśa (difficult to perceive) and gūḍha (hidden), not because it is inaccessible but because it requires a form of perception different from ordinary senses. It is situated in the guhā (cave of the heart), a recurring metaphor in the Upaniṣads indicating the innermost center of being.

The term dhīra (calmly courageous) is key — it describes the practitioner who neither seeks intense sensory experiences nor flees from suffering. The dhīra maintains equanimity before harṣa (joy) and śoka (sorrow), recognizing both as temporary states of the mind, not of the true Self.

The practice of adhyātma-yoga is the method to reveal what is hidden. It is not about physical postures but a discipline of deep introspection that allows transcending dualities. Yogādhigamena (through the realization of yoga) is the only path to “see” the invisible with the eyes of knowledge.

The duality of pleasure and pain (harṣa-śoka) represents all polarities of conditioned existence. When the dhīra abandons them (jahāti), not through negation but through transcendence, they access the puruṣa (supreme person) that is beyond change.