|| 8.5 ||
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्। यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः।।
anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
Word by Word
anta-kāle (at the end of life) ca (and) mām (Me) eva (certainly) smaran (remembering) muktvā (quitting) kalevaram (the body) yaḥ (whoever) prayāti (goes) saḥ (he) mad-bhāvam (My nature) yāti (attains) na (not) asti (there is) atra (here) saṁśayaḥ (doubt)
Translation
And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa gives the ultimate guarantee for liberation. He says that whoever, at the end of their life, quits their body while remembering Him alone, at once attains His own nature. “Of this there is no doubt.” This is the ‘secret exit’ from the cycle of birth and death.
The final thought determines the next destination. If the mind is locked onto Kṛṣṇa at the moment of death, the soul is instantly pulled into the spiritual dimension. It is like a final exam; if you pass that one moment, your entire life is considered a success. You attain ‘mad-bhāvam’, the state of eternal, blissful existence.
However, Kṛṣṇa isn’t suggesting that we can live a reckless life and then just ‘think of God’ at the last second. The mind is a creature of habit. What we love and think about most during our life is exactly what will surface at the moment of death. Therefore, to ensure that we pass the final test, we must practice remembering Him every day.