Bhagavad-gītā 8.6
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्। तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः।।8.6।।
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajatyante kalevaram taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
Remembering whatever object, at the end, he leaves the body, that alone is reached by him, O son of Kunti, (because) of his constant thought of that object.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| yam yam | whatever |
| vā | or |
| api | even |
| smaran | remembering |
| bhāvam | remembrance |
| tyajati | gives up |
| ante | in the end |
| kalevaram | the body |
| tam | to that |
| tam | to that |
| eva | certainly |
| eti | gets |
| kaunteya | Arjun, the son of Kunti |
| sadā | always |
| tat | that |
| bhāva-bhāvitaḥ | absorbed in contemplation |
Use the word map to follow the relation among yam yam (whatever), tam (to that), and bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (absorbed in contemplation). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to remembrance that shapes one's destination. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 8.6.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Remembering whatever object, at the end, he leaves the body, that alone is reached by him, O son of Kunti, (because) of his constant thought of that object
- 2
yam yam: whatever
- 3
tam: to that
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture remembrance and destination.
Link
Use the line starts: yaṁ yaṁ / taṁ tam.
Cover
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Teach
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.6, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 8.6 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 8.6 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 8.6 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.6, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition