The afflictions of the body do not touch the dweller in the body, nor the internal obstacles. Knowing this, the wise reach that supreme abode, resplendent, full of rays, illuminated by the sun.

This affirmation of the invulnerability of the śarīrin (dweller in the body, the Ātman) to duḥkha (suffering) is one of the most consoling in the text. Duṣṭa-vīryāṇi (afflictions, defects of energy) do not affect the witness (sākṣī) that remains unchangeable. The antarāyāḥ (internal obstacles) — doubts, distractions, lethargy — belong to the mind, not to the Self.

The distinction between śarīra (body, instrument) and śarīrin (the one who uses the body) is fundamental to yoga. The body may be sick, the mind confused, but the Ātman remains pure and intact. This is not denial but correct discrimination (viveka) between the eternal and the temporal.

Param dhāma (supreme abode) describes the destiny of the viduṣaḥ (knower, sage). It is aṃśumant (full of rays of light), vivasvant (brilliant, animated), bhāsvant (resplendent). These solar descriptions suggest a state of illuminated consciousness, not a geographical place.

The sun (sūrya) is a recurring metaphor for the Ātman in the Upaniṣads. Like the sun shines independently of clouds that temporarily obscure it, the Self shines independently of mental perturbations. Yoga is the process of dissipating these clouds to reveal the innate light.