In plain words
Some behold Ātma in the buddhi by the mind through Dhyāna; others through Sāṅkhya-yoga; still others through Karma-yoga.
Word for word
By dhyāna some see the Self in the self by the self; others by sāṅkhya-yoga, and still others by karma-yoga.
ध्यानेनाऽऽत्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मनाअन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam
अत्र आत्मदर्शने उपायविकल्पाः इमे ध्यानादयः उच्यन्ते —
ध्यानेन, ध्यानं नाम शब्दादिभ्यो विषयेभ्यः श्रोत्रादीनि करणानि मनसि उपसंहृत्य, मनश्च प्रत्यक्चेतयितरि, एकाग्रतया यत् चिन्तनं तत् ध्यानम् ; तथा, ध्यायतीव बकः, ध्यायतीव पृथिवी, ध्यायन्तीव पर्वताः इति उपमोपादानात् । तैलधारावत् सन्ततः अविच्छिन्नप्रत्ययो ध्यानम् ; तेन ध्यानेन आत्मनि बुद्धौ पश्यन्ति आत्मानं प्रत्यक्चेतनम् आत्मना स्वेनैव प्रत्यक्चेतनेन ध्यानसंस्कृतेन अन्तःकरणेन केचित् योगिनः । अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन, साङ्ख्यं नाम ‘इमे सत्त्वरजस्तमांसि गुणाः मया दृश्या अहं तेभ्योऽन्यः तद्व्यापारसाक्षिभूतः नित्यः गुणविलक्षणः आत्मा’ इति चिन्तनम् एषः साङ्ख्यो योगः, तेन ‘पश्यन्ति आत्मानमात्मना’ इति वर्तते । कर्मयोगेन, कर्मैव योगः, ईश्वरार्पणबुद्ध्या अनुष्ठीयमानं घटनरूपं योगार्थत्वात् योगः उच्यते गुणतः ; तेन सत्त्वशुद्धिज्ञानोत्पत्तिद्वारेण च अपरे ॥ २४ ॥
In plain words
Now, on the subject of actually realizing the Self, here are the different paths open to a seeker — starting with meditation, and a few others besides.
Let's start with meditation itself. What is it, really? It's this: pulling the senses back from sound and every other sense-object into the mind, and then drawing the mind itself inward until it rests in pure inward awareness — and the one-pointed thinking that comes out of that is meditation. It's the same idea behind saying a crane 'meditates' standing motionless, or the earth 'meditates' in its stillness, or mountains 'meditate' in their silence — an unbroken, single-pointed stream, like oil poured in one continuous ribbon, never breaking. Through that kind of meditation, some yogis actually see the Self — pure inward consciousness — using nothing but that same inward consciousness, refined and steadied by meditation itself, as their instrument. Others take a different route: the path of discrimination. Here, the practice is simply this recognition, held again and again: 'these three — sattva, rajas, tamas — are what I observe; I am not any of them. I only witness their movement; I am eternal, utterly unlike them. I am the Self.' That very discrimination is itself a complete discipline, and through it too, the promise of the verse — seeing the Self by the Self — is entirely fulfilled. And still others take the path of action: action itself, when done with the simple intention of offering it to the Divine, becomes a kind of yoga, not because action is naturally yoga, but because it serves that same end of union. Through this path, action gradually purifies the mind, and out of that purity, knowledge itself finally dawns — and by that gateway too, people arrive at the very same seeing.
Close to the Sanskrit
Here, regarding the realization of the Self, these alternative means, beginning with meditation, are now stated:
By meditation: meditation means — having withdrawn the sense-organs beginning with hearing from the sense-objects beginning with sound into the mind, and the mind into the inward-facing consciousness, the one-pointed contemplation that results — that is meditation; and so, from the use of comparisons such as 'the crane meditates, as it were', 'the earth meditates, as it were', 'the mountains meditate, as it were'. Like a stream of oil, a continuous, uninterrupted cognition is meditation; by that meditation, within the intellect, some yogis see the Self, the inward-facing consciousness, by the Self itself, that very inward-facing consciousness, through the inner instrument refined by meditation. Others, by the yoga of sāṅkhya: sāṅkhya means the contemplation — 'these, sattva, rajas, and tamas, are the guṇas; they are seen by me; I am other than them, the witness of their activity, eternal, distinguished in character from the guṇas — the Self'; this is the sāṅkhya-yoga; by that, the phrase 'they see the Self by the Self' is fulfilled. By karma-yoga: action itself is yoga; performed with the intention of offering to Īśvara, having the character of accomplishing its purpose, because it is a means to union, it is called yoga in a secondary sense; by that, through the gateway of the purification of sattva and the consequent arising of knowledge, still others [see the Self].