This Ātman is not obtained by instruction, nor by intellectual intelligence, nor by much study of the Scriptures. To whom He chooses, by him He is obtained; to him this Ātman reveals His own form.

This is one of the deepest verses on the nature of divine grace. The Ātman is not an object of knowledge that can be grasped through the intellect (medhā) or by accumulating erudition (śruti). It is Svyamprakāśa (self-luminous) and reveals itself to those who open to its grace. This does not invalidate study or practice, but places them in their correct place: they are means of purification, not instruments of capture. For the yogī, this verse is a reminder that final realization is a gift, a revelation, not a conquest.