Remember me, and do your part

tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusmara yudhya camayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayaḥ

So at all times, remember me, and fight. With mind and understanding offered to me, you will surely come to me.

What it means

If the last thought grows from a lifetime, then the practice is now. Krishna gives two commands together. Remember me. And fight. He does not ask Arjuna to leave the battlefield to find God. He asks him to carry God into his duty, with heart and judgement both offered.

The story

Arjuna had hoped spirituality might excuse him from this terrible war, a war the epic presents as a last resort after every peace offer failed. Krishna closes that door gently. Remember me, he says, and do what is yours to do.

In your life

Picture an emergency nurse starting a twelve-hour shift, pausing at her locker for one quiet breath of prayer. Before your next hard task, pause for one breath, remember what is sacred to you, then begin.