Hari OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
Picking up on the theme of remembrance even at the point of death…
k&:[ TvdIypdp»jpÃraNtr*Ev me ivztu mansrajh<s>,
àa[àya[smye k)vatipÄE> k{QavraexnivxaE Smr[< kutSte.8.
kRshna tvadiiya-pada-pankaja-panjaraantar-adyaiva me vishatu maanasa-raajahamsaH,
Praana-prayaana-samaye kapha-vaata-pittaiH kanthaavardhana-vidhau smaranam kutaste. ||8||
Oh, Krishna, today itself let the royal swan of my mind enter the nest of Thy Lotus Feet; at the time when the vital force departs from my body (death) with phlegm, air and bile choking the throat, how can I remember you?
The king sage now makes us aware that he acknowledges that the body is difficult to overcome our attachment to, as well as pointing to the tendency for the human being to keep on with life in a typical fashion until faced with the inevitable. Having not made a practice of remembrance, how is it possible to remember at that point?
At the point of death, the mind is battling with the body. The reference to the 'vapours', the ayurvedic balance of water, air and fire, the suggestion is that they go out of balance at this time and it is easiest of all to forget the Higher. The three elements are seeking to separate from each other. Thus, the devotee here is urgent in the need to keep the mind always raised towards the Higher, so that in the time of greatest need, the remembrance will happen more readily - indeed it cannot be forgotten. The habit of thinking has been formed and is as much a part of the process as the physical elements. What comes out of our mouth at the last minute will depend greatly on what has been uttered throughout life. When Mahatma Gandhi was shot, he was heard to say 'Hey Rama!' because he had been thinking about the Lord and chanting His name all the time.
