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The body grows old, but the mind and feelings do not. It is not easy when you see and feel that your body no longer serves you and you must pass away. Dying is not easy. Sometimes, what people do is place you in a hospital room—a so-called dying room—where one ends their life. The psychic state of that person must be terrible. Therefore, as a family member, friend, or colleague, you should stay with them as much as possible until the last minutes of life. We cannot accompany them beyond, but as long as they are physically aware, they feel they are not alone. I think that is the most critical time of our life. You see, even for a small baby, that critical time is not like the time for one who is dying. It doesn't matter if it's due to illness or old age. We see that we are going somewhere, and we wonder, "What will happen to me?" So many people are afraid; they dare not close their eyes because they know they will die now. That is the most painful, the most inner pain, the most tragic. Where to go? Where will you go? From where do I come? Why did I come? Am I fulfilling the purpose for which I came? And where will I go? Therefore, one always prays, "Lord, what will become of me? How will it be for me?" We know this body is mortal; this body is just like a cloth you change, like a dress. It is very easy for Kṛṣṇa to say this in the Bhagavad Gītā, but it was very hard for Arjuna to accept. For us, we know it theoretically, but it is very hard to accept. Yet, what to do? There is no other way. No one can help; even if you go to God and tell Him, "Please help me," God will say, "Well, it is like this; I can't help you." So we can only pray for two things: that the last days of our life should not be painful, and that we should pass over from this material consciousness very gently. It is like when we sleep and go into a dream. Have you ever observed yourself? How do you fall asleep? Nobody knows; you don't know. That process from the conscious state to sleep is very gentle; it is not painful. And from sleep to dream, you don't know when or how it began, but you were in the dream. Similarly, we wish that our transcendental process from this physical consciousness to the astral or cosmic consciousness should be very smooth and gentle, without suffering. Therefore, "Lord, what will become of me?" O Lord, O Kṛṣṇa, it is my prayer to Thee: that I never forget Your name, that day and night I sing Thy name, O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa, O Madhavati. Ab yah vedanā vahane spīta tvayā me, O Govinda, O Kṛṣṇa. De antakāle tum samāne ho Bāṃsī bajāte manako. De antakāle tum samāne ho Bāṃsī bajāte man ko lubha Gāte yahī na tananātha tyāgūṃ. Gāte yahī na tananātha tyāgūṃ. O Lord, in those hours, those minutes when I have to give up my body, I wish only one thing, nothing else. Because I know everything that I thought was for me is not for me. Everything that I thought was mine is not mine. Everything that I was possessing and thought would go with me—it seems it will not go with me. Lord, now I know finally what I wish. At the time of renouncing this body, at the end of my life, You are standing in front of me. And O Lord Kṛṣṇa, You play a sweet melody of Your flute, and I leave this world while chanting Your sweet name: Govinda, Damodara, Madhavadhi. These are all names of Kṛṣṇa. Will it be or will it not be? It depends on you and on Him. Therefore, it is said: as many mantras as you repeat, at the end of life you will forget everything, but at least this you will remember, and that is very important. You will see Mahāprabhujī smiling, I tell you. --- Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar