In the previous śloka, Bhagavān explained the importance of remembering Him at the time of death. Arjuna may now wonder what happens if a person remembers something other than Bhagavān. Bhagavān answers by revealing a general principle: whatever occupies our mind at the time of death influences the condition we attain afterward.

This principle is not limited to death. Even during our present life, the thoughts we repeatedly entertain gradually shape the kind of person we become. Our thoughts influence our desires, our desires influence our actions, and repeated actions develop into habits. Over time, these habits shape our personality and the direction of our life.

The same principle continues beyond death. When a person leaves the physical body, the dominant thought at that moment influences the next birth. The person attains a condition suited to that mental orientation. Bhagavān expresses this through yaṃ yaṃ bhāvam [whatever object, condition, or state is remembered] and taṃ tam eva eti [that corresponding condition is attained].

But this raises an interesting question. If the final thought determines the next birth, why not live however we wish and simply arrange to think of Bhagavān at the last moment?

There are two reasons this will not work.

First, we do not know when death will occur. No one can be certain of having time to prepare the mind at the final moment. Therefore, depending on a last-minute change of thought is unreliable.

Second, our thoughts are not controlled by willpower alone. They are influenced by two forces: our conscious choice and our established habits.

For example, you may sit down to meditate and decide to think only of Bhagavān. But within a few moments, the mind may wander toward work, family, memories, or worries. You want to think of one thing, yet your familiar thought patterns pull you elsewhere.

These habitual mental impressions are called vāsanās [tendencies formed through repeated thinking and experience]. Every time we repeatedly dwell upon something, we strengthen the tendency to think about it again.

As we grow older, these accumulated habits become more powerful, while our ability to direct the mind by conscious effort may weaken. At the time of death, when the body and mind may no longer function normally, relying entirely on willpower becomes especially difficult.

This explains the significance of Bhagavān's words sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ [having been continually influenced or absorbed by that thought]. The final thought is not ordinarily an isolated event. It reveals what the mind has become accustomed to throughout life.

If a person has spent years absorbed in possessions, relationships, ambitions, or other attachments, those concerns may naturally dominate the mind at death. If the mind has been consistently trained to remember Bhagavān, remembrance of Bhagavān becomes its established tendency.

Therefore, the way to influence our final thought is to influence our habitual thinking now. Repeated remembrance of Bhagavān develops a spiritual orientation within the mind. This preparation is especially important when the deliberate control of thoughts becomes weak.

The teaching is not that we must abandon all responsibilities and think of nothing except Bhagavān. The immediate point is that spiritual preparation cannot be postponed until death. We must begin developing the right mental tendencies while we have the opportunity.

Bhagavān addresses Arjuna as Kaunteya [son of Kuntī] and states this principle firmly. Whatever thought dominates at death is connected with the kind of life the person has cultivated. Our final mental orientation reflects our accumulated habits, and that orientation influences the next birth.

Thus, 8.6 explains why remembrance at death matters and why lifelong preparation is necessary. Our repeated thoughts become habits, our habits shape our personality, and our established mental tendencies influence the thoughts that arise at the end of life. If we want the mind to turn toward Bhagavān at that time, the preparation must begin now.