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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 8.23
यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिन: ।
प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥ २३ ॥
yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim
āvṛttiṁ caiva yoginaḥ
prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ
vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha
O best of the Bhāratas, I shall now explain to you the different times at which, passing away from this world, the yogī does or does not come back.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
The Lord will explain the times of death when a yogī returns to this world or does not return.
Prabhupāda explains that pure devotees return happily to Godhead regardless of when they die, while other yogīs depend on suitable timing.
Follow the example of fully surrendered devotees by leaving everything in Kṛṣṇa’s hands.
Lord declares to explain... Process by which “Soul should leave the body to attain Supreme” – in the next few verses
To attain Krishna’s abode, yogis must pass from this world according to mystic formulas
Devotees need only remain fixed in devotion
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: mokṣa, dhāma.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 8.23 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to liberation & destiny?
Reflect on what you want to remember at life's end.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.