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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 8.5
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् ।
य: प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशय: ॥ ५ ॥
anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
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.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Anyone who leaves the body remembering Kṛṣṇa alone immediately attains His nature, without doubt.
Prabhupāda explains that remembering Kṛṣṇa at death requires practice in devotional service from early life.
Keep chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and patiently tolerate difficulties to prepare to remember Him at death.
This verse stresses the importance of Krishna Consciousness — Whoever remembers the Supreme (Krishna) at the point of death will attain the Supreme destination (attains “My Nature”)
Krishna consciousness means being ‘Purest of the Pure’ — because of constant remembrance of the Supreme Lord who is the ‘Purest of the Pure’
Smaran (Remembrance)
It is not possible for an impure soul
Purify yourself by practicing remembrance
If not practiced, one cannot remember Krishna at the end of his life FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 8.5 continued…
How to practice remembrance — to be effective at the time of death (8.5 – 8.6)
Live in the mode of goodness
Life dedicated in service to Krishna and thus always thinking of Krishna
Constant and incessant chanting of the Holy Name (best process) – Srila Prabhupada mentions the full Hare Krishna maha-mantra three times in Texts 8.5 and 8.6 to stress the important of this process
Tolerate all impediments like a tree
Ref. Lord Chaitanya’s Shikshastakam Verse 3: “taror iva...”
One attains whatever one remembers at the time of death
Krishna recommends Arjuna to undeviatingly meditate on Him, dedicate his activities to Him and thus attain Him
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Remembrance
Remembering Krishna at death is connected with attaining Him.
Time & mortality
Consciousness at death is linked to one’s destination.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 8.5 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to bhakti & surrender?
Offer one act today with devotion.
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.