Shloka 31
आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः
Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva
अनायत्तैः समस्तैश् च करणैर् मरणोन्मुखः तत्क्षणे ऽप्य् अनुभूतानाम् अस्मर्ताखिलवस्तूनाम्
anāyattaiḥ samastaiś ca karaṇair maraṇonmukhaḥ tatkṣaṇe 'py anubhūtānām asmartākhilavastūnām
When all his faculties slip beyond his control and he turns toward death, even in that very moment a man loses the power to recall anything at all—even what he himself has experienced.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The nature of embodied decline and the urgency of seeking liberation before death
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: At the approach of death, the senses and mind fail, so reliance on last-moment recollection is futile and one must cultivate remembrance of the Highest earlier.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Begin daily japa/namasmaraṇa and study now, not postponing spiritual practice to old age or the deathbed.
Vishishtadvaita: The teaching supports prapatti/bhakti as a lifelong orientation to the personal Brahman (Vishnu), since embodied faculties are unreliable at death.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It underscores human helplessness at death: when the faculties collapse, even personal memories fail, so one should not rely on last-moment effort for spiritual attainment.
By showing that at the death-moment the mind and senses cannot be commanded, Parāśara implies that dharma, devotion, and right understanding must be cultivated earlier, while clarity remains.
The verse supports the Vaishnava emphasis that the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) should be remembered and relied upon throughout life, since the final moment may not permit deliberate recollection or control.