Bhashya
कस्मात् साधु शोभन कर्म नाकरव न कृतवानस्मि इति पश्चात्तापो भवति आसन्ने मरणकाले, तथा किं कस्मात् पाप प्रतिषिद्ध कर्म अकरव कृतवानस्मि इति च नरकपतनादिदु खभयात् तापो भवति ।ते एते साध्वकरणपापक्रिये एवमेन न तपत , यथा अविद्वांस तपत ।कस्मात्पुनर्विद्वांस न तपत इति, उच्यते—स य एवंविद्वान् एते साध्वसाधुनी तापहेतू इति आत्मान स्पृणुते प्रीणाति बलयति वा, परमात्मभावेन उभे पश्यतीत्यर्थ ।उभे पुण्यपापे हि यस्मात् एवम् एष विद्वान् एते आत्मनात्मरूपेणैव पुण्यपापे स्वेन विशेषरूपेण शून्ये कृत्वा आत्मान स्पृणुते एव ।क ? य एवं वेद यथोक्तमद्वैतमानन्द ब्रह्म वेद, तस्य आत्मभावेन दृष्टे पुण्यपापे निर्वीर्ये अतापके जन्मान्तरारम्भके न भवत ।इतीयम् एव यथोक्ता अस्या वल्ल्या ब्रह्मविद्योपनिषत्, सर्वाभ्य विद्याभ्य परमरहस्य दर्शितमित्यर्थ —पर श्रेय अस्या निषण्णमिति ॥
In plain words
Why does a person near death burn with the torment: 'Ah, I failed to do what was good,' and similarly burn with the terror of falling into hell: 'I have committed forbidden sins'? These two—the omission of good and the commission of evil—do not scorch the wise the way they scorch the ignorant. Why do the wise escape this burning? Because a man who knows realizes that both virtue and vice are merely the roots of torment, and he refreshes his spirit in the reality of the supreme Self, seeing them both through that supreme perspective. Indeed, this sage reduces both merit and demerit to nothingness by recognizing them in their true nature as mere projections, thus keeping his spirit whole. He who knows the non-dual, blissful Brahman in this way finds that for him, seen through the identity of the Self, merit and demerit lose all their potency; they can no longer burn him or drag him into another birth. This precisely is the secret wisdom of this section: the supreme good rests entirely within it.
Close to the Sanskrit
From what cause does the burning regret arise near the hour of death, 'I did not do good and pleasant actions,' and similarly from what cause does the burning arise from the fear of falling into hell, 'I have done forbidden sinful actions'? These two unperformed good and performed bad actions do not burn them thus, as they burn the ignorant. Why do the wise not burn, it is said: he who knowing thus regards both these as causes of burning through the supreme self-state, he pleases, gladdens, or strengthens the self. Both merits and demerits indeed, because this wise man makes both these empty in their special forms through his own self-form, indeed refreshes the self. Who? He who knows thus, knows the non-dual bliss Brahman as stated; for him, when both merit and demerit are seen through the self-state, they do not become impotent, non-burning, and productive of another birth. This indeed is the brahmavidya upanishad of this valli, meaning that the supreme secret has been shown among all sciences; the highest good is deposited in this.