Bg. 8.5 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् । य: प्रयाति स मद्भ‍ावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशय: ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

Synonyms

anta-kāle — at the end of life ; ca — also ; mām — Me ; eva — certainly ; smaran — remembering ; muktvā — quitting ; kalevaram — the body ; yaḥ — he who ; prayāti — goes ; saḥ — he ; mat-bhāvam — My nature ; yāti — achieves ; 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.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

5. At the point of death, he who leaves the body while knowing Me in truth, attains a nature similar to Mine. Of this there is no doubt.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

5. At the point of death he who leaves the body remembering Me attains a nature like Mine. Of this there is no doubt.

Purport

In this verse the importance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is stressed. Anyone who quits his body in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is at once transferred to the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the purest of the pure. Therefore anyone who is constantly Kṛṣṇa conscious is also the purest of the pure. The word smaran (“remembering”) is important. Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa is not possible for the impure soul who has not practiced Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service. Therefore one should practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of life. If one wants to achieve success at the end of his life, the process of remembering Kṛṣṇa is essential. Therefore one should constantly, incessantly chant the mahā-mantra – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has advised that one be as tolerant as a tree ( taror api sahiṣṇunā ). There may be so many impediments for a person who is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Nonetheless, tolerating all these impediments, one should continue to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, so that at the end of one’s life one can have the full benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse answers the question “How are you to be known at the time of death?” Smaran means remembering Me, knowing Me in truth, not like knowing pots or cloth. The method of knowing or remembering the Lord is now explained in fourteen verses.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

This verse answers the question “How can one know you at the time of dying?” I , being known at that time by knowledge in the form of remembrance, bestow the result—your attainment of My nature (mad bhāvam). Mad bhāvam in this verse means “My nature.” He who remembers Me attains a nature like Mine, with eight qualities: he becomes sinless, ageless, deathless, without grief, without hunger, without thirst, blissful, and his desires are instantly fulfilled.

Surrender Unto Me

Krsna answers to the question of Arjuna: 'How can we know You at the time of death?' Krsna says "By remembering ", because remembering is devotional service. And one who knows Krsna as the adhidaiva, adhiyajna and adhibhuta, can thus remember Krsna at the time of death.