यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् | तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः || ६ ||
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
yam yam—whatever; vā—or; api—also; smaran—remembering; bhāvam—state of being; tyajati—leaves; ante—at the end; kalevaram—body; tam tam—that very; eva—certainly; eti—attains; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; sadā—always; tat-bhāva—that state; bhāvitaḥ—absorbed in.
“O son of Kunti, whatever state of being one remembers when leaving the body, that state one attains, having always been absorbed in its thought.”
This is the universal law of consciousness: the mind at death gravitates to whatever it has cultivated most deeply throughout life. The philosopher of science who has always loved truth will think of truth; the devoted lover of God will think of God. The entire life is a preparation for this final moment, and the final moment is the flower of that preparation.
What do you find your mind returning to when it has nothing else to do? That spontaneous resting-place is your dominant bhāva (state). Consciously cultivate the bhāva you wish to carry to the end: devotion, inquiry, service, or love. This is a life-practice, not a deathbed adjustment.