Sadhibhutadhidaivam mam sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh, prayana-kale 'pi ca mam te vidur yukta-cetasah
Those who know Me as the governing principle of the material realm (adhibhuta), the divine realm (adhidaiva), and of all sacrifices (adhiyajna) — with minds united in Me — even at the time of death, they know Me. Those who understand God's presence in all three domains — material, divine, and sacrificial — remain conscious of God even in their final moment.
- •True knowledge of God encompasses all planes of existence
- •The mind united with God remains steady even at the moment of death
- •God pervades the material, divine, and sacrificial dimensions simultaneously
Adhiyajnah katham ko 'tra dehe 'smin madhusudana, prayana-kale ca katham jneyo 'si niyatatmabhih
O Madhusudana (Krishna), who is the lord of sacrifice (adhiyajna) and how does He dwell in the body? How are those of steadfast mind to know You at the time of death? Arjuna's final two questions — about the nature of divine presence in sacrifice and how to know God at death — set up the crucial teachings about dying consciously.
- •The way one dies determines the quality of what comes after
- •God dwells within the body as the inner witness and lord of sacrifice
- •Steadfastness of mind enables conscious union at death
Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram, tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitah
Whatever state of being one remembers when leaving the body at death, O son of Kunti, one attains that very state in the next existence, being always conditioned by that state of mind. This powerful verse reveals that the mind's content at the moment of death shapes the next birth — thus an entire life of practice is aimed at purifying the final thought.
- •The last thought at death determines the next birth
- •An entire lifetime of practice prepares the quality of the dying moment
- •Habitual mental states become the soul's trajectory after death