Whatever a person remembers at the moment of leaving the body, that he becomes. So practise the remembrance of the Divine throughout life. The two paths of the departed - the bright path of return and the dark path of return - are described.
अर्जुन उवाच । किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम । अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥
arjuna uvāca | kiṃ tad brahma kim-adhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama | adhi-bhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktam-adhi-daivaṃ kim-ucyate ||
Arjuna said: What is that Brahman? What is adhyatma? What is karma, O supreme person? What is called adhibhuta, and what is said to be adhidaiva?
अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन । प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥
adhi-yajñaḥ kathaṃ ko’tra dehe’smin madhusūdana | prayāṇa-kāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo’si niyatātmabhiḥ ||
Who is adhiyajna, and how does he dwell in this body, O Madhusudana? And how are you to be known at the time of departure by those of disciplined self?
श्रीभगवानुवाच । अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते । भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo’dhyātmam-ucyate | bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo visargaḥ karma-saṃjñitaḥ ||
The Blessed Lord said: The supreme Imperishable is Brahman. Its essential nature is called adhyatma. The creative force that causes beings to come into being is called karma.
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् । अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥
adhi-bhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaś-cādhi-daivatam | adhi-yajño’ham-evātra dehe deha-bhṛtāṃ vara ||
The perishable principle is adhibhuta. The cosmic person is adhidaiva. I myself am adhiyajna here in this body, O best of the embodied.
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् । यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥
anta-kāle ca mām-eva smaran muktvā kalevaram | yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṃ yāti nāsty-atra saṃśayaḥ ||
One who at the hour of death remembers me alone and leaves the body - he comes to my state. Of this there is no doubt.
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् । तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaran bhāvaṃ tyajaty-ante kalevaram | taṃ tam-evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ ||
Whatever state of being one remembers when one gives up the body at the end, that very state one attains, O son of Kunti - being ever absorbed in that state.
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām-anusmara yudhya ca | mayy-arpita-mano-buddhir-mām-evaiṣyasy-asaṃśayam ||
Therefore remember me at all times and fight. With mind and intellect surrendered to me, you shall surely come to me.
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना । परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥
abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā | paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan ||
With mind united by the yoga of practice, not straying to anything else, meditating - one attains the supreme divine person, O Partha.
कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः । सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥
kaviṃ purāṇam-anuśāsitāram-aṇor-aṇīyāṃsam-anusmared yaḥ | sarvasya dhātāram-acintya-rūpam-āditya-varṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||
One who meditates on the all-knowing, ancient, ruler, smaller than the smallest, supporter of all, of inconceivable form, of sun-like brilliance, beyond darkness-
प्रयाणकाले मनसाचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव । भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥
prayāṇa-kāle manasācalena bhaktyā yukto yoga-balena caiva | bhruvor-madhye prāṇam-āveśya samyak sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣam-upaiti divyam ||
- at the hour of departure, with unwavering mind, united by devotion and the strength of yoga, fixing the prana between the eyebrows - he reaches that supreme divine person.
यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः । यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं सङ्ग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥
yad-akṣaraṃ veda-vido vadanti viśanti yad-yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ | yad-icchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti tat te padaṃ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣye ||
That Imperishable which knowers of the Veda declare, which the passion-free sages enter, desiring which one lives the life of brahmacharya - I shall briefly tell you of that state.
सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च । मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥
sarva-dvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca | mūrdhny-ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam-āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām ||
Closing all the gates of the body, confining the mind in the heart, and placing the prana at the top of the head - established in yogic concentration-
ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् । यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥
om-ity-ekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharan mām-anusmaran | yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||
- chanting Om, the one-syllable Brahman, remembering me, one who departs leaving the body - he reaches the supreme goal.
अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः । तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥
ananya-cetāḥ satataṃ yo māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ | tasyāhaṃ su-labhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ ||
One who constantly remembers me with undeviating mind - to that ever-united yogi, O Partha, I am easily attained.
मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् । नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥
mām-upetya punar-janma duḥkhālayam-aśāśvatam | nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||
Reaching me, the great souls do not return to this temporary abode of sorrow - for they have attained the highest perfection.
आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन । मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥
ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar-āvartino’rjuna | mām-upetya tu kaunteya punar-janma na vidyate ||
All the worlds up to Brahmaloka are subject to return, O Arjuna. But having attained me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.
सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः । रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥
sahasra-yuga-paryantam-ahar-yad-brahmaṇo viduḥ | rātriṃ yuga-sahasrāntāṃ te’ho-rātra-vido janāḥ ||
Those who know that the day of Brahma lasts a thousand yugas and his night extends through a thousand yugas - they know day and night.
अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे । रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥
avyaktād-vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavanty-ahar-āgame | rātry-āgame pralīyante tatraivāvyakta-saṃjñake ||
At the coming of day all manifestations issue forth from the unmanifest; at the coming of night they dissolve into that same called the unmanifest.
भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते । रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate | rātry-āgame’vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavaty-ahar-āgame ||
This same host of beings, coming into being again and again, helplessly dissolves at the approach of night and emerges at the approach of day, O Partha.
परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः । यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥
paras-tasmāt tu bhāvo’nyo’vyakto’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ | yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ||
But higher than that is another unmanifest state - eternal, beyond the unmanifest - which does not perish when all beings perish.
अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् । यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥
avyakto’kṣara ity-uktas-tam-āhuḥ paramāṃ gatim | yaṃ prāpya na nivartante tad-dhāma paramaṃ mama ||
That unmanifest is called the Imperishable, and is said to be the supreme goal. Having attained which, one does not return - that is my supreme abode.
पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया । यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥
puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas-tv-ananyayā | yasyāntaḥ-sthāni bhūtāni yena sarvam-idaṃ tatam ||
That supreme person, O Partha, in whom all beings dwell and by whom all this is pervaded - is attained by single-pointed devotion.
यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः । प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥
yatra kāle tv-anāvṛttim-āvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ | prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ||
I shall tell you, O bull of the Bharatas, of the times at which yogis depart, never to return, or to return again.
अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् । तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
agnir-jyotir-ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam | tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahma-vido janāḥ ||
Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northward sun - departing then, knowers of Brahman go to Brahman.
धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् । तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥
dhūmo rātris-tathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam | tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotir-yogī prāpya nivartate ||
Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the southward sun - by these the yogi reaches the lunar light and returns.
शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते । एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥
śukla-kṛṣṇe gatī hy-ete jagataḥ śāśvate mate | ekayā yāty-anāvṛttim-anyayāvartate punaḥ ||
These two paths of the world, the bright and the dark, are considered eternal. By one, one departs not to return; by the other one returns again.
नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन । तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥
naite sṛtī pārtha jānan yogī muhyati kaścana | tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu yoga-yukto bhavārjuna ||
Knowing these two paths, O Partha, no yogi is deluded. Therefore at all times be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna.
वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् । अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥
vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥ-su caiva dāneṣu yat puṇya-phalaṃ pradiṣṭam | atyeti tat sarvam-idaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānam-upaiti cādyam ||
The yogi who knows this transcends all the merit of the Vedas, of sacrifices, of austerities, and of charities, and attains the supreme primal abode.
Translations are paraphrastic to keep meaning accessible. For verbatim study consult Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Madhva, or any modern scholarly edition. Detailed verse-by-verse commentary is available at trusted sources such as sacred-texts.com and Gita Supersite (IIT-K).