verse 17

वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम् ।
ओं । क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर ॥ १७ ॥

vāyuranilamamṛtamathedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram |
oṃ | krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara || 17 ||

17. (Let my) Prana melt into the all-pervading Air, the eternal Sutratman; and let this body he burnt by fire to ashes; Om. O mind, remember, remember my deeds; O mind, remember, remember my deeds.

Shankara’s Commentary:

Com.—Now, as I am dying, let my Prana leave its confinement within this body and join the all-pervading godly form of Air, i.e., the Sutratman. The word ‘reach’ should be supplied to complete the sentence. The idea ‘Let my Linga Sarira or subtle body purified by knowledge and Karma ascend’ must be supplied in virtue of the fact of the speaker entreating a passage. Let this body given as an oblation to the fire be reduced to ashes. Om, according to the forms of worship being a pratika (substitute) of the nature of the True and called Agni is mentioned as the same as Brahman. ‘Krato,’ vocative case, meaning ‘O mind whose characteristic is volition,’ ‘Remember’ i.e., time has come for me to remember what I should. Remember all that I have till now thought of ‘O Agni, remember what I have done’ i.e., remember all Karma which I have done from childhood. The repetition of the same words ‘Krito Sinara’ &c., expresses solicitude.