Shloka 23
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
भक्त्यावेश्य मनो यस्मिन् वाचा यन्नाम कीर्तयन् । त्यजन् कलेवरं योगी मुच्यते कामकर्मभि: ॥ २३ ॥
bhaktyāveśya mano yasmin vācā yan-nāma kīrtayan tyajan kalevaraṁ yogī mucyate kāma-karmabhiḥ
Dengan menumpukan minda kepada-Nya melalui bhakti dan melagukan nama suci-Nya dengan lisan, seorang yogi ketika meninggalkan jasad dibebaskan daripada belenggu karma yang didorong oleh keinginan.
Yoga means concentration of the mind detached from all other subject matter. And actually such concentration is samādhi, or cent-percent engagement in the service of the Lord. And one who concentrates his attention in that manner is called a yogī. Such a yogī devotee of the Lord engages himself twenty-four hours daily in the service of the Lord so that his whole attention is engrossed with the thoughts of the Lord in ninefold devotional service, namely hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, praying, becoming a voluntary servant, carrying out orders, establishing a friendly relationship, or offering all that one may possess in the service of the Lord. By such practice of yoga, or linking up in the service of the Lord, one is recognized by the Lord Himself, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā concerning the highest perfectional stage of samādhi. The Lord calls such a rare devotee the best amongst all the yogīs. Such a perfect yogī is enabled by the divine grace of the Lord to concentrate his mind upon the Lord with a perfect sense of consciousness, and thus by chanting His holy name before quitting the body the yogī is at once transferred by the internal energy of the Lord to one of the eternal planets where there is no question of material life and its concomitant factors. In material existence a living being has to endure the material conditions of threefold miseries, life after life, according to his fruitive work. Such material life is produced by material desires only. Devotional service to the Lord does not kill the natural desires of the living being, but they are applied in the right cause of devotional service. This qualifies the desire to be transferred to the spiritual sky. General Bhīṣmadeva is referring to a particular type of yoga called bhakti-yoga, and he was fortunate enough to have the Lord directly in his presence before he quitted his material body. He therefore desired that the Lord stay before his view in the following verses.
FAQs
This verse teaches that one who fixes the mind on the Lord with devotion and chants His name while leaving the body becomes freed from desire-born actions and their bondage.
Here, kīrtana (chanting/glorifying the Lord’s name) is presented as a direct means to transcend karma when joined with bhakti and remembrance of the Lord.
Cultivate daily remembrance and regular chanting of the Lord’s names so the mind naturally turns to Him, weakening desire-driven habits and karmic entanglement.