A mind that does not waver

prayāṇakāle manasā’acalena bhaktyā yukto yogabalena caivabhruvormadhye prāṇamāveśya samyak sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam

At the time of going, with an unmoving mind, joined in devotion and yoga's strength, breath gathered between the brows, one reaches the supreme Person.

What it means

Krishna describes the yogi's departure. Two forces meet. Bhakti, loving devotion, and the strength of yoga, a lifetime of discipline. The breath is gathered between the eyebrows, the mind unmoving. This is not a trick to learn on the last day. It is what years of steadiness become.

The story

Picture a lighthouse keeper in an old tale. Every night for forty years he climbs the stairs and lights the lamp. On the night of the great storm, his hands do not shake. They have done this ten thousand times.

In your life

Picture a pilot in a cockpit, calmly working through a checklist while the plane shudders in turbulence. Today, practise one minute of still breathing, so that stillness is there when you need it.