Chapter 8: Akshara Brahma Yoga, verse 6
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
Say ityaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajatyante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
Translation
Whoever at the end leaves the body, thinking of any being, to that being only does he go, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), due to his constant thought of that being.
Swami Sivananda
O son of Kunti, thinking of any entity, whichever it may be, one gives up the body at the end; he attains that very one, having been always engrossed in its thought.
Swami Gambirananda
Follows the commentary of Shankara (Advaita).
O son of Kunti, thinking of any entity, whichever it may be, one gives up the body at the end; he attains that very one, having been always engrossed in its thought.
Swami Adidevananda
Follows the commentary of Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita).
And also remembering whatever being one has been constantly thinking about, a person leaves his body at the end [of his life], O son of Kunti! That being alone he attains.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Follows the commentary of Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism).
Whatever sphere of being the mind of a man is intent on at the time of death, to that he will go.
Shri Purohit Swami
हे कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन ! मनुष्य अन्तकाल में जिस-जिस भी भावका स्मरण करते हुए शरीर छोड़ता है वह उस (अन्तकालके) भावसे सदा भावित होता हुआ उस-उसको ही प्राप्त होता है अर्थात् उस-उस योनिमें ही चला जाता है।
Swami Ramsukhdas
हे कौन्तेय ! (यह जीव) अन्तकाल में जिस किसी भी भाव को स्मरण करता हुआ शरीर को त्यागता है, वह सदैव उस भाव के चिन्तन के फलस्वरूप उसी भाव को ही प्राप्त होता है।
Swami Tejomayananda
Classical commentariesFor deeper study. Most are in the original Sanskrit.
Advaita
Non-dual: the self and the absolute are one.
Vishishtadvaita
Qualified non-dual: souls are real parts of the divine.
Dvaita
Dual: the soul and God are eternally distinct.
Shuddhadvaita
Pure non-dual, centred on grace and devotion.
Kashmir Shaivism
The Gita read through Trika Shaiva philosophy.
Modern teachers
20th-century teachers writing for today's readers.