Shloka
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् |
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ||८-५||Transliteration
antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaram .
yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ ||8-5||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
8.5. Whosoever, at the time of death also remembering Me alone, sets forth by abandoning his body [behind], he attains My being. There is no doubt about it.
Shri Purohit Swami
8.5 Whosoever at the time of death thinks only of Me, and thinking thus leaves the body and goes forth, assuredly he will know Me.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
8.5 See Comment under 8.7
Sri Ramanuja
8.5 He who, at the last moment, while leaving the body, departs remembering Me alone, attains My being; he attains My condition. In whatever way he meditates on Me, he attains that very form, in the same manner as the royal sage Bharata attained the form of the deer remembered by him at death. Such is the meaning.
Sri Krsna further elucidates that it is the nature of one’s last thought that leads to the attainment of a similar form by the meditator:
Sri Shankaracharya
8.5 Ca, and ; anta-kale, at the time of death; yah, anyone who; prayati, departs; muktva, by giving up; the kalevaram, body; smaran, while thinking; mam eva, of Me alone, who am the supreme Lord Visnu; sah, he; yati, attains; madhavam, My state, the Reality that is Vishu, Asti, there is; na, no; samsayah, doubt; atra, about this, in this regard, as to whether he attains (Me) or not. ‘This rule does not apply in relation to me alone.’ ‘What then?’
Swami Adidevananda
8.5 And at the time of death, anyone who departs by giving up the body while thinking of Me alone, he attains My state. There is no doubt about this.
8.5 And whosoever, leaving the body, goes forth remembering Me alone, at the time of death, he attains My Being: there is no doubt about this.
8.5 Ca, and ; anta-kale, at the time of death; yah, anyone who; prayati, departs; muktva, by giving up; the kalevaram, body; smaran, while thinking; mam eva, of Me alone, who am the supreme Lord Visnu; sah, he; yati, attains; madhavam, My state, the Reality that is Vishu, Asti, there is; na, no; samsayah, doubt; atra, about this, in this regard, as to whether he attains (Me) or not. ‘This rule does not apply in relation to me alone.’ ‘What then?’
Swami Gambirananda
8.5 And at the time of death, anyone who departs by giving up the body while thinking of Me alone, he attains My state. There is no doubt about this.
Swami Sivananda
8.5 And whosoever, leaving the body, goes forth remembering Me alone, at the time of death, he attains My Being: there is no doubt about this.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
8.5 No Commentary.