यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् | तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ||
yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛt tadottama-vidāṁ lokān amalān pratipadyate
Translation
If the embodied one meets death when sattva predominates, then it attains the pure worlds of the knowers of the highest.
Interpretation
The guna dominant at the moment of death determines the subsequent state of consciousness. Those who die in a sattvic state — with clarity, equanimity, and spiritual awareness — reach the luminous planes associated with the highest wisdom. These are not permanent heavens but higher states of being where the sattvic tendencies continue to develop, moving ever closer toward liberation. The quality of one's dying moment is shaped by the quality of one's living — moment by moment cultivation of sattva prepares one for a luminous final transition.