A declaration · devotional in mood · a little context helps
“The last remembered presence shapes the next state of being.”
Whoever remembers Me at the end and leaves the body attains My state; there is no doubt.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyat the end of life · and · Me · indeed · remembering · the body · who · goes forth · that one · My state · attains · not · is · here · doubt
A person who remembers Krishna at the moment of death and leaves the body reaches Krishna's state without doubt.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Akshara Brahma Yoga" (The Imperishable Absolute).
Verse 5 sits in Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita — Akshara Brahma Yoga, "The Imperishable Absolute". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
You are sitting beside a hospital bed, trying to stay steady while everything is slipping away. What the mind holds in that last, fragile moment may matter more than the words anyone says.
Did you like this verse?
Whoever remembers Krishna at the end and leaves the body reaches his state, he says, without doubt.
What this verse means
A person who remembers Krishna at the moment of death and leaves the body reaches Krishna's state without doubt.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is hearing Krishna describe the inner condition that shapes death itself. After explaining the body, the self, and the sacred act, Krishna now gives the decisive promise: remembrance at the final moment carries a person beyond bodily ending.
What it looks like today
You are sitting beside a hospital bed, trying to stay steady while everything is slipping away. What the mind holds in that last, fragile moment may matter more than the words anyone says.
“The final thought matters most, so the mind can be trained toward what is highest.”
Explore related themes: bhakti (69 verses)