BG 8.6
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्
Whatever state of being one remembers when leaving the body, that one attains.
Chapter 8 of 18 · 28 verses · Brahma Yoga
अक्षरब्रह्मयोग
The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman
Akṣara-brahma-yoga
Theme: The path at the time of death
Speaker: Krishna
Chapter summary
What one remembers at the final moment determines the next state. Constant practice fixes the mind on the Divine, so at death it goes naturally. The two paths after death — the bright (uttarayana) and the dark (dakshinayana) — are described. The yogi knows both and is not bound.
Key verses
BG 8.7
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च
Therefore, at all times, remember Me and fight.
Central takeaway
Live now as you would wish to die — with the Divine remembered.
Jump to chapter
1. Arjuna's Despair2. The Yoga of Knowledge3. The Yoga of Action4. The Yoga of Knowledge & Renunciation of Action5. The Yoga of Renunciation of Action6. The Yoga of Self-Restraint / Meditation7. The Yoga of Knowledge & Realization8. The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman9. The Royal Knowledge, The Royal Secret10. The Yoga of Divine Manifestations11. The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form12. The Yoga of Devotion13. The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field14. The Yoga of the Three Gunas15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person16. The Yoga of the Divine & Demoniac Natures17. The Yoga of the Threefold Faith18. The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation