Bhagavad Gita 8.5 · Krishna
The last thought, held in love
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः॥
antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaramyaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ
Whoever, at life's end, leaves the body remembering me alone, comes to my own nature. Of this there is no doubt.
What it means
Krishna answers Arjuna's tender question with a promise. Whoever lets go of the body while remembering him reaches his very nature. The Gita does not describe this as a trick for the final minute. A mind turns at the end toward what it has loved all along.
The story
In the Mahabharata, the old warrior Bhishma lies dying after the war. Krishna comes and stands before him. Bhishma, gazing at him, speaks his praise and passes in peace, his mind resting on the one he loved.
In your life
Picture a daughter in a hospice room, playing her mother's favourite hymn softly. If you are walking with someone through their last days, fill the room with what they love. And if grief is heavy, reach out to someone you trust.
What we love, we remember at the end.