Sanskrit
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara yudhya ca mayy arpitamanobuddhir mām evaiṣyasy asaṃśayam
Translation
Therefore at all times think upon Me only and fight. With mind and Reason set on Me, without doubt thou shalt come to Me.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The practical conclusion falls out directly from verses 5-6: since the last thought determines the outcome, and the last thought is not something you can reliably arrange in the moment, the only real strategy is constant remembrance built up across a lifetime — “at all times,” not just at the end. The closing clause, “and fight,” is worth noticing: this isn’t a call to withdraw into contemplation, it’s addressed to Arjuna mid-battlefield, in the same register as chapter 2’s karma yoga. Mām anusmara yudhya ca — “remember Me and fight” — is the whole Gita in three words: continuous inner recollection carried through action, not instead of it. It closes the loop back to BG 2.48.
Study deeper
Word by word
- tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣuतस्मात् सर्वेषु कालेषु
- therefore, at all times (tasmāt + sarveṣu + kāleṣu)
- mām anusmara yudhya caमां अनुस्मर युध्य च
- remember Me, and fight (mām + anusmara + yudhya + ca)
- mayy arpitamanobuddhirमय्य् अर्पितमनोबुद्धिः
- with mind and intellect fixed on Me (mayi + arpita-manaḥ-buddhiḥ)
- mām evaiṣyasy asaṃśayamमां एवैष्यस्य् असंशयं
- you shall come to Me alone, without doubt (mām + eva + eṣyasi + asaṃśayam)
Commentary
Site Commentary
“Remember me” and “fight” sit in the same short clause, and the yoking is deliberate: this isn’t a call to step back from the world in order to prepare well for death, it’s a call to hold the inward practice while staying fully inside the outward demand. The verse refuses to let contemplative discipline become an excuse for withdrawal.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you take up a demanding inward practice — meditation, reflection, discipline — resist treating it as license to withdraw from your outward obligations; the practice is meant to run alongside your responsibilities, not replace them.
Professional
- Building a disciplined habit like a deep-work routine doesn't mean stepping back from your team's real deadlines and demands — the strongest version of the discipline operates in the middle of an active workload, not one that clears everything else away first.
Family & Social
- Committing to your own inner steadiness — daily reflection, an anchoring routine — should sit alongside showing up for your family's demands, not become a reason to check out of them; hold both at once rather than trading one for the other.
Ask yourself
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