यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् । तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram | taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ||
Translation
Whatever state of being one remembers at the final moment of leaving the body, O son of Kunti — to that state alone does one go, always shaped by that becoming.
Interpretation
The universal law behind verse 5: it is not exclusive to remembering the Divine — whatever state of being one's mind dwells in at death, that is where one goes. The mind goes where it habitually goes. This is why daily life is not separate from spiritual practice — the quality of consciousness cultivated through a lifetime determines the quality of consciousness available at death. The words 'sada tad-bhava-bhavitah' (always shaped by that becoming) make clear: this is not a sudden choice at death but the culmination of a lifetime of habitual thought patterns.