Fix your heart on Me alone and rest your understanding in Me; thus shall you doubtlessly live in Me here after. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Verse 8)
The bhaktas feel that they have nothing to do for themselves, but certain charges are laid upon them Bhagavan, which they must fulfill. Work can have dangerous effects. But there is a way in which work can be done without the evil effect of causing more bondage. And that is by renouncing the fruit of our labour, by consecrating our work to God. Therefore Sri Krishna said: ‘Surrender all actions to Me.’ And in this verse, Sri Krishna gives another very important instruction: ‘Fix your heart on Me alone and rest your understanding in Me; then surely shall you live in Me here after’. Manas and buddhi, that is, mind and understanding, must reach out to God. All our thoughts, our purposes, our determination and reasoning should have the Deity for the goal. That is called ‘resting in the Lord’. Our thoughts reach out to God; we try to remember Him, to think of Him always. And our purpose is to serve, to please Him, to obey Him. And our determination is based on the highest Truth. From that stand point we decide our actions, we determine, we reason.
Truth is always our goal. And that Truth is the Spirit. And then, with our life thus regulated, we rest in Him. Then, Sri Krishna assures us, we will abide in Him here after. Not only hereafter, but now and always do we then abide in Him. Here and hereafter are two conditions very different for us who identify our selves so much with the present life. They mean with and without body; and we can only imagine a life in the body. But the true bhakta does not see such a great distinction between the two states, for already his life is centered in the Spirit. Already his body-existence means very little to him. When his body drops away it simply frees him from a little burden, he feels freer still. He lives in God now. There go all his thoughts, his interests, his aspirations. And so, here after it will be the same, but in a still fuller sense. The physical world will then no longer stand in his way. He will be absorbed in God. But such a life of the highest aspiration is very difficult. There are very few who can fix their hearts steadily on God.