In plain words
Whoever, at the final moment, leaves the body remembering Me alone attains My being—of this there is no doubt.
Word for word
And at the time of the end, remembering Me alone, having given up the body, who departs, he attains My being; there is no doubt in this.
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam· bhāṣya
अन्तकाले मरणकाले च मामेव परमेश्वरं विष्णुं स्मरन् मुक्त्वा परित्यज्य कलेबरं शरीरं यः प्रयाति गच्छति, सः मद्भावं वैष्णवं तत्त्वं याति । नास्ति न विद्यते अत्र अस्मिन् अर्थे संशयः — याति वा न वा इति ॥ ५ ॥
In plain words
At the end-time — meaning at the time of death — remembering Me alone, the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, and releasing, that is, wholly letting go of, the frame, the body: whoever departs, whoever goes, reaches My state, the reality that is Viṣṇu's own. On this point — and "here" means on this point — no doubt is to be found at all: not even the doubt that asks, does he reach it, or doesn't he?
Close to the Sanskrit
At the end-time — at the time of death — and remembering Me alone, the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, having released, having wholly abandoned, the frame, the body, he who goes forth, goes — he attains My state, the reality that is Viṣṇu's. There is not, there is not found, here, in this matter, any doubt — namely, "does he attain, or does he not?"
▸Gītā Vāhini
“బావా! అంత్యకాలమనగా ఎపుడో కాదు. ఎప్పటికప్పుడే నశ్వర శరీరములకు ప్రతిక్షణము అంత్యమే. అట్టి అంత్యసమయమున ఏమి స్మరింతురో అదియే తరువాత పరిస్థితులకు అనుకూలమగును. అనగా, పునర్జన్మకు పునాది. అట్టి సమయమున నన్ను స్మరించినవాడు నా భావాన్నే పొందును. అనగా, నన్నే చేరును. మానవుని ప్రతి ప్రయత్నము, ప్రతి కర్మ, ప్రతి సాధన మరణకాలమును సంస్కరించేవిగా ఉండవలెను. ఆ సమయమున పవిత్ర చింతన, అనగా ప్రణవ చింతన వచ్చునట్టి సాధన అభ్యసించవలెను.”
In plain words
“Brother-in-law! The final hour is not some distant time. For perishable bodies, every moment, moment by moment, is the end. Whatever one remembers at such a final moment, that becomes conducive to the conditions that follow. That is, it is the foundation of rebirth. He who remembers Me at such a moment attains My very bhāva; that is, he reaches Me Myself. Every effort, every karma, every sādhana of man must be such as to refine the time of death. One must practise sādhana so that at that time holy thought, that is, thought of Praṇava, comes.”