Talk:Commentary on Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad: Life Review and Remembrance of Brahman
By Vishal Agarwal
Context
This mantra is traditionally recited in the final moments of life to remind the aspirant that the physical body is temporary and perishable, whereas the ātmā is eternal and constitutes one’s true identity.
वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम् । ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर ॥ १७ ॥
May my vital airs merge into the immortal and all pervading Breath of the Lord. Then may this body end in ashes. O mind, remember Om, remember my past deeds. O mind, remember Om, remember my past deeds. Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 17
The repetition of phrases in this mantra reflects intensity of aspiration, earnestness, and unwavering faith.
In the Mādhyandina recension, this mantra is numbered as verse 15, and the latter half shows a slight variation.
वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम् । ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर ॥
May my vital airs merge into the immortal and all pervading Breath of the Lord. Then may this body end in ashes. O mind, remember Om, remember your inherent capacity to attain Brahman. O mind, remember Om, remember my deeds. Mādhyandina Saṃhitā 40.15
Purport
As the yogī approaches the moment of death, he naturally undergoes a process often described as a review of life, wherein past actions, intentions, and the underlying saṃkalpas associated with them arise in awareness. Unlike an ordinary person, the yogī is not disturbed by this process. He is neither bewildered by the rapid physiological changes nor distracted by the discomforts that may accompany dying.
Instead, his mind remains firmly absorbed in Om, the śabda Brahman, the sonic manifestation of Brahman. This absorption is effortless, for Brahman has been the constant object of contemplation throughout his embodied life.
In the case of an ordinary individual, the vital airs, mind, and subtle senses envelop the ātmā and together constitute the subtle body that transmigrates to assume another physical form. In contrast, for the realized yogī, the subtle body itself dissolves. The prāṇas, mind, and subtle faculties disintegrate and merge into the cosmic order, leaving the ātmā completely free and united with Brahman.
The mantra, spoken in the first person, thus reflects the inner meditation of the yogī who progresses from the state of jīvanmukta to that of a mukta, one who has attained complete mokṣa and is no longer subject to rebirth. Having lived his entire life as a continuous yajña or kratu offered to the Divine, his cremation becomes the final oblation, wherein the body itself is offered into Brahman.
Notes on Life Review, Departure of the Jīvātmā, and Final Remembrance
A dying person often experiences hallucinations or unusual phenomena and gradually loses the capacity to hear and see before complete unconsciousness sets in. During this process, memories begin to withdraw from the conscious mind or manas and recede into the subconscious mind or citta. The dying individual may experience this withdrawal as a panoramic life review. In cases of sudden death, such as beheading, this transfer of memories may remain incomplete, due to which the individual, upon rebirth, may retain a stronger recollection of a previous life. In more gradual deaths caused by old age or illness, the life review may unfold over a few minutes or even seconds. This phenomenon is especially reported in situations such as drowning, where death occurs over a brief but perceptible interval.
While this process is unfolding, the impressions or residues known as saṃskāras, generated by the karmas performed during life, become firmly embedded in the mind. The subtle mind, which is distinct from the physical brain, then ceases its independent functioning and merges with the vital energies or prāṇas.
This process is described in the scriptural statement that the mind reaches the prāṇas at the time of departure.
When a person departs from here, the mind reaches the prāṇa. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.6
A corresponding teaching is also indicated in the Brahmasūtra.
The mind follows the prāṇa. Brahmasūtra 4.2.3
The mantra of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad under discussion alludes to this process of life review, with the crucial distinction that in the case of the yogī, the final thoughts are exclusively centered on Brahman, which alone had occupied his awareness throughout his embodied life.
Thus, the last thoughts of a dying individual, shaped by his vāsanās, provide an indication of the nature of his subsequent existence. These thoughts determine the channel or nāḍī through which the jīvātmā, enclosed within the subtle body or puryaṣṭaka, exits the heart, as well as the aperture through which it departs from the body.
This process is vividly described in the Upaniṣads.
The front portion of the heart becomes luminous. By that luminosity the jīvātmā departs, whether through the eye, or through the crown of the head, or through other parts of the body. Following that outgoing vital force, all the organs depart. The jīvātmā becomes conscious and departs in the light of that consciousness. Knowledge and action, along with the awareness of past karmic residues, accompany him. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.2
However, the final thoughts that arise in the mind at the moment of death are not random or accidental. They are determined by the dominant orientation of one’s life, including habitual interests, temperament, actions, and depth of spiritual understanding. As explained in traditional teachings, the direction taken by the udāna prāṇa at death is shaped by these concluding thoughts, which in turn generate the conditions and trajectory of rebirth.
This principle is poetically expressed by the medieval saint Jñāneśvar.
The longings that a person feels while alive, which remain fixed in his heart, arise in the mind at the moment of death.
Comparative Perspectives on Death, Final Thought, and Rebirth
The Buddhist tradition also describes the same process of dying and final cognition in greater detail. The Buddha compared the last moments of thought to a herd of cows confined within a barn.
When the barn door is opened, the strongest cow goes out first. If no cow is particularly strong, then the habitual leader goes out first. If no such cow exists, the one nearest to the door goes out first. If none of these conditions apply, all attempt to exit together.
Buddhist texts further emphasize that death is not an instantaneous event but a gradual process.
Dying does not occur at a precise moment in time. It is not a clear cut event but a process. The Tibetan Book of the Dead maps the experiences encountered at the time of death and indicates the signposts leading to different realms. At death, as in dreams, one inhabits a world composed of mental images. These realms are creations of the mind. One whose spirit has cultivated dispassion recognizes these experiences as manifestations of consciousness itself and is able to pass through them with clarity and composure.
The Bhagavad Gītā expresses a closely related doctrine regarding the importance of the final thoughts at the time of death.
For whatever object a person thinks of at the final moment, when he leaves the body, that alone does he attain, O son of Kuntī, being constantly absorbed in that thought. Bhagavad Gītā 8.6
Therefore, at all times remember Me and perform your duty. With mind and understanding absorbed in Me, you shall surely attain Me. Bhagavad Gītā 8.7
These verses are often popularly interpreted to mean that merely remembering the Divine at the final moment enables even a deeply immoral individual to attain mokṣa. This reading, however, is inconsistent with the traditional understanding of the Gītā. Death is a process rather than an instantaneous event, and the mind undergoes a comprehensive life review in which the dominant tendencies cultivated throughout life surface naturally. It is these deeply ingrained dispositions that manifest as the final thoughts, not an arbitrary or momentary act of will.
Indeed, the second verse explicitly emphasizes constant remembrance of the Divine throughout life, not remembrance limited to the final moment. This teaching accounts for situations such as instantaneous death, where habitual remembrance alone determines the final cognition. This interpretation is consistently upheld by the classical commentators, even though popular readings often overlook this nuance.
The process of yogic death is discussed briefly in the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā and is elaborated further in yogic and tantric texts such as the Dharmaputrikāsaṃhitā.
Illustrations
In the discussion of the previous mantra, the life of Ramana Maharṣi was cited as an example of a realized sage who used his terminal illness to instruct his disciples on the impermanence of the body and the primacy of the ātmā. In accordance with the teaching of the present mantra of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad, saints transcend identification with the physical body or dehavāsanā by firmly abiding in the awareness of the ātmā alone.
Ṛṣi Dadhīci, whose attainment of mokṣa was discussed earlier, provides another profound illustration. Having completely overcome attachment to the body, he willingly embraced physical death for the welfare of creation, without hesitation or fear, exemplifying the highest ideal of self transcendence.
Saints Who Accepted Death as a Divine Gift
Swami Ramakrishna Paramahaṃsa (1836–1886 CE) Accepts His Death as a Gift of Mother Kālī
Swami Ramakrishna Paramahaṃsa was one of the greatest devotees of Mother Kālī. He related to Kālī as his own living mother. He visited Her temples, sang before Her mūrti, spoke to Her, and wept in Her presence with the simplicity and intimacy of a child before his mother.
In the later years of his life, Ramakrishna Paramahaṃsa fell gravely ill. Physicians diagnosed him with throat cancer and declared that his life would not last long. His disciples and admirers were deeply distressed. Unable to reconcile the impending death of such a saint, they pleaded with him, saying that since Kālī was his divine mother, he should ask Her to cure his illness.
Ramakrishna initially refused, stating that he did not wish to ask Mother Kālī for anything. However, under repeated insistence, he finally agreed to pray. The following day, when the disciples eagerly asked whether he had prayed for healing, Ramakrishna replied that he had indeed prayed to Mother Kālī. He then narrated Her response.
Why do you ask Me for such a trivial thing. Your body will perish one day in any case. Ask for something of greater value.
Ashamed, Ramakrishna said that he then prayed that he might always remain at Her feet and never lose his devotion to Her. When the disciples heard this, they wept. They realized that their Guru would soon leave his body, yet they also felt blessed to witness a saint who valued bhakti to Mother Kālī above his own physical existence.
The Nirvāṇa of Maharṣi Dayānanda Sarasvatī (1824–1883 CE)
Swami Dayānanda Sarasvatī was a great reformer who revived Vedic dharm throughout northern India. He challenged oppressive social practices by demonstrating their incompatibility with Vedic teachings. He travelled tirelessly, urging people to study the Vedas and abandon harmful customs.
A few months before his death, he was invited by the Maharaja of Jodhpur to preach. The Swami openly criticized the Maharaja for his attachment to a dancer named Nanhijān. Fearing the loss of her livelihood, she bribed a cook to serve poisoned milk to the Swami. That very day, Swami Dayānanda fell seriously ill.
Despite the best medical care arranged by the Maharaja, including relocation to Mount Abu and later to Ajmer under British administration, his condition worsened. His body became covered with painful sores, yet he bore his suffering with remarkable serenity and courage. Whenever asked about his condition, he replied calmly.
I am in the hands of the Lord.
His composure deeply impressed physicians and onlookers alike. Overcome with remorse, the cook eventually confessed and begged forgiveness. Seeing genuine repentance, Swami Dayānanda told him that he had unknowingly caused great harm, as the Swami could have served society many more years. Nevertheless, he forgave the cook, gave him money, and urged him to flee to Nepal.
Until the end, Swami Dayānanda continued to instruct his followers, emphasizing that the body is perishable, while the ātmā is eternal. On the day of Dīpāvalī in 1883, he asked that all doors and windows be opened. Lying on his side, he recited the following Vedic mantra.
वि॒द्यानि॑ देव सवितर् दु॒रितानि॑ परा॒ सुव । यद् भ॒द्रं तन्न॒ आ सुव ॥
O Lord, Creator of the universe, remove all forms of vice and sorrow from us. Grant us that which is ennobling. Yajurveda Mādhyandina Saṃhitā 30.3
After reciting this mantra, Swami Dayānanda peacefully gave up his body.
Among those present was Gurudatta Vidyārthī, a young man influenced by Western education and inclined toward agnosticism. Witnessing the Swami’s serene death, the bliss on his face despite intense suffering, and his unwavering commitment to Vedic truth until the final moment, Gurudatta was profoundly transformed. He dedicated his life to the study of the Vedas and later emerged as a prominent leader of the Ārya Samāj, the movement founded by Swami Dayānanda Sarasvatī.
Yogī Devrāhā Bābā Leaves the Body Voluntarily
In more recent times, the life and passing of Yogī Devrāhā Bābā is frequently cited as an illustration of conscious and voluntary departure from the physical body. On 19 June 1990, Devrāhā Bābā is said to have decided consciously to leave his body. He seated himself in deep meditation, surrounded by his disciples.
During this period of meditation, his disciples observed a striking physical phenomenon. The lower parts of his body gradually became pale and cold, while the upper portion of his body appeared red and intensely warm, resembling a high fever. This gradual physiological change was interpreted by those present as a deliberate withdrawal of vital energies from the lower regions of the body toward the head.
Shortly after his passing, one of his disciples placed the sage’s head in his lap. At that moment, the skull of Devrāhā Bābā is said to have cracked spontaneously, splashing blood upon the disciple. This event was traditionally interpreted as a sign that the ātmā had exited the body through the brahmarandhra, the tenth aperture located at the crown of the head. According to yogic doctrine, departure through this aperture signifies complete liberation or mokṣa.
It is also widely believed that Devrāhā Bābā had lived for several centuries. Even in the decades preceding his death, many individuals claimed personal encounters with him in the early twentieth century, during which time he already appeared extremely aged. Photographic records from those decades similarly depict him as an elderly ascetic. These accounts have contributed to the widespread belief that the sage’s lifespan extended far beyond that of an ordinary human being.