The chapter closes with Krishna's simplest and most direct instruction: let shastra be your compass. When you need to decide what to do and what not to do, turn to the wisdom that has been tested across ages. This is not a suggestion — it is the foundational principle that holds everything else together.
The word jnatva — 'having understood' — is crucial. Krishna does not ask for mechanical obedience. He says: first understand what the shastra prescribes, then act. Study, reflect, grasp the reasoning — and then follow. This is informed faith, not blind submission. A doctor prescribes medicine and explains why; the patient who understands the reason follows the treatment more faithfully.
With this shloka, the sixteenth chapter comes to a close. Its arc is complete: twenty-six divine qualities to cultivate, six demonic qualities to avoid, the three gates of hell to shut permanently, and shastra as the reliable guide for every decision. The map is drawn. Walking the path is up to each person.