VIII: 12, 13

Chapter 8, Verses 12, 13

"Closing the gates of the body,
Fixing the life-breath between the brows,
With the mind one-pointed and absorbed,
Uttering the sacred Om,
Which is itself freedom,
Focused on me as you exit the body,
You go forth to be with your Lord,
The Light-Giver."

Sri Aurobindo:

This is the established Yogic way of offering up the whole being at the last to the Eternal, the Transcendent.  The essential condition is the constant, undeviating memory of the Divine in life, even in action and battle, and the turning of the whole act of living into an uninterrupted Yoga.

Swami Satchidananda:

If you can do this at the last moment, it won't matter what you did earlier.  You will attain the supreme goal.  The trouble is that you can't just do it at the last moment unless you're prepared.

You may teach a parrot to repeat "Rama, Rama, Rama," but when a cat jumps at it, the parrot will scream.  Unless you cultivate the constant, conscious remembrance of God with faith and devotion, you will forget it at the critical juncture.

Prayers that are sincere and that come from the heart will be heard.  That's why devotion needs to be so one-pointed.  If you say you trust God, then really trust God.  Whatever happens, come what may, your trust doesn't waver.

Mundakya Upanishad:

Take the great bow of the sacred scriptures,
And place it on the arrow of devotion.
Then draw the bowstring of meditation
And aim at the target, the Lord of Love.
The Mantra becomes the bow,
You are the arrow,
And the Lord is the target.
Now draw the bowstring of meditation
And hitting the target,
Be one in him.