Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5 (Commentary)

In Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII.5 ( Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5) Lord Krishna extols the virtues of an abiding faith in the system of God ... this faith when it reaches its climax makes one see the absolute truth in its entirety ... it is then when one realizes the true essence of self ... comes face-to-face with the Almighty God, the Creator of the Cosmos.

One can pray to God as many times as possible ... yet maybe one remains farthest from him ... why? It is not only the prayers that count but it is also the intensity of the prayers, which count. Quality is more important than the quantity. Normally we remember God only when we encounter a difficulty ... in the times of harmony we forget to remember God. A true bhakta remembers God all the time ... for him praying to God in full sincerity and intensity ... asking for none is the true essence of his prayers. One prays to God totally oblivious of the surrounding circumstances ... not caring even for the basic necessities of life. It is not very difficult to recognize a true bhakta from the common masses. Rama Krishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana ... both were true followers of God. None cared for anything else then the direct vision of God ... rather they dwelt in the sweet memories of God all the time.

In Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII.5 (Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5) Lord Krishna confirms that one who dwells in the memories of God at the time of death ... (for it is these memories alone which would later on decide what would our next birth be) is likely to achieve his true self ... a vision of the Atman shall be presented before him in this very birth. Atman being a minuscule part of the bigger atman ... the Parmatman (the Brahman himself)... it is a considered fact that having achieved this status one is considered having achieved a darshan of the Almighty God.

As per Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5 to be able to realize our true self in the present life span is what a true seeker of spirituality always aspires for. Once the identity of the atman within is established ... the role of the body ... the outer covering for an atman becomes clear. It is the atman (our true inner self) that has taken the body and not vice versa. The significance of the body is merely a necessity of the atman on the goal to purify itself! And once we realize this fact ... the weightage of body vis-a-vis our atman reduces significantly. The goal of every atman being to reduce the dross within ... the body must always engage itself in acts conducive to the atman freeing itself from the cycle of birth and death ... that is liberate forever from the various manifestations to be undertaken by the atman in the cosmic life cycle.

In the last birth, atman practically freeing itself from the cycle of life and death ... has no other goal but to return to the abode of God. Achieving this stage is known as self realization ... in other terms one has achieved the stage of enlightenment. All traces of dross having been removed ... the atman within becomes free from all manifestations. One who truly aspires for achieving this stage must work towards the goal of the atman within, which is nothing else but to reduce the dross within progressively as happens in the case of refining an Ore. The more we pass the ore through the purification process ... lighter it becomes yet the concentration of the metal increases. These small pieces of metal scattered all over the ore mass when combine together after the full purification has occurred ... is what we know as gaining the original pristine glory ... the true appearance of an atman in its pure form.

It is far simply said than done. To be able to preach the unthinkable is something really difficult to fathom ... it seems very likely that anyone can remember the Almighty God at the time of liberation of the body from the atman but in practice it is not so. As per the theory of karma we reap what we sow ... nothing more on less. Depending upon the karma we have practiced all our life ... shall result in what we get in the end. Merely wishing for the glory of God at the time of leaving the body shall not bear the desired result but truly practicing and achieving the stage of Nirvikalpa samadhi shall yield the results we truly desired all our life. More on Nirvikalpa samadhi here-

As per Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5 Indulgence in wrong practices shall never bear the fruit ... we have to practice it day and night without a break to achieve the desired result. If you feel you must indulge in prayers towards God at the end of your journey of life then merely a few hours of practice in the end will not suffice.... one needs to practice this indulgence all throughout life. The practice has to be continuous throughout ... rather it should become a habit to be practiced every day of our life.

According to Bhagwad Gita shloka VIII-5 Who shall remember God at the time of death ... one who practiced spirituality every moment of his life ... one maybe a cobbler or a King who only when the temple only on sacred occasions!! No wonder the grace of God is won by the cobbler. He deserved it well and rather he never cared for it ... he only went on being his duties and along with sang the praises of God. He was not a lucky man ... he really worked hard to get it ... he had a firmer goal in life and achieved it. He never depended upon luck to favor him.