यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् ।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन मनुष्य अन्तकाल में जिसजिस भी भावका स्मरण करते हुए शरीर छोड़ता है वह उस अन्तकालके भावसे सदा भावित होता हुआ उसउसको ही प्राप्त होता है अर्थात् उसउस योनिमें ही चला जाता है ॥
English
Whatever state a person remembers at the end, that state is reached, because the mind has been shaped by it.
What this verse means
The final thought at death shapes where consciousness goes next. A person tends toward whatever state has been cultivated again and again.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen between duty and grief. Krishna deepens the teaching on the final moment: the state of mind at death is not random, but the result of a life repeatedly formed by habit and attention.
Why this verse still matters
You lie awake after a hard conversation, replaying the same fear. That repeated inner loop does not just reflect you — it trains the direction your mind takes next.
The takeaway
What you repeatedly dwell on becomes the shape of your ending.
Word-by-word translation
यं यं (whatever) / वा अपि (also indeed) / स्मरन् (remembering) / भावम् (state of being) / त्यजति (abandons) / अन्ते (at the end) / कलेवरम् (the body) / तम् तम् एव (that very) / एति (attains) / कौन्तेय (O son of Kunti) / सदा (always) / तद्भावभावितः (formed by that state)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8: Akshara Brahma Yoga — The Imperishable Absolute, which contains 28 verses.
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses)