अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् | यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः || ५ ||
anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
anta-kāle—at the time of death; ca—also; mām—Me; eva—certainly; smaran—remembering; muktvā—leaving aside; kalevaram—the body; yaḥ—whoever; prayāti—goes; saḥ—he; mat-bhāvam—My nature; yāti—attains; na—not; asti—there is; atra—here; saṁśayaḥ—doubt.
“And whoever, at the time of death, departs from the body remembering Me alone, attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.”
The moment of death is the ultimate test of one's entire spiritual life. The thought that arises at that critical juncture is not accidental—it is the culmination of one's habitual mental life. Therefore, one who has devoted the mind consistently to the Lord throughout life will naturally remember the Lord at death.
Treat every moment of coming back to awareness—waking from sleep, ending a distraction, completing a task—as a small rehearsal for the moment of death. Each return to the present, each moment of remembering the Divine, builds the neural and spiritual habit that will matter most at the last breath.