Chapter 8: Attaining the Supreme
Bg 8.23
TEXT 23
yatra kale tv anavrttim
avrttim caiva yoginah
prayata yanti tam kalam
vaksyami bharatarsabha
SYNONYMS
yatra—in that; käle—time; tu—but; anävåttim—no return; ävåttim—return; ca—also; eva—certainly; yoginaù—of different kinds of mystics; prayätäù—one who goes; yänti—departs; tam—that; kälam—time; vakñyämi—describing; bharatarñabha—O best of the Bhäratas.
TRANSLATION
O best of the Bhäratas, I shall now explain to you the different times at which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come back.
PURPORT
The unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Lord who are totally surrendered souls do not care when they leave their bodies or by what method. They leave everything in Kåñëa's hands and so easily and happily return to Godhead. But those who are not unalloyed devotees and who depend instead on such methods of spiritual realization as karma-yoga, jïäna-yoga, haöha-yoga, etc., must leave the body at a suitable time and thereby be assured whether or not they will return to the world of birth and death.
If the yogé is perfect, he can select the time and place for leaving this material world, but if he is not so perfect, then he has to leave at nature's will. The most suitable time to leave the body and not return is being explained by the Lord in these verses. According to Äcärya Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa, the Sanskrit word käla used herein refers to the presiding deity of time.