Will a soul get whatever it thinks at the time of death?

[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi! It is said that if we think about God at the time of death, we would reach the abode of God after death. Likewise, if a soul thinks about money and riches at the time of death, will the soul be born into rich family, in next birth? Forgive me for asking this. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Thrylokya]

Swāmi replied: The last desire of the soul for something is the result of the constant interest in that thing maintained by the soul throughout its entire life. When you soak fried balls made of milk and flour in a sugar syrup, they become sweet gulab jamuns in the end. When pieces of mango are soaked in salt and chilli powder in a pickle jar, they become salty and hot in the end. Hence, one cannot think as one likes in the end to achieve that desired result in the next birth. On your deathbed you will only think what you have been thinking throughout your life.

Wise people think about God throughout their lives and hence, they are able to think about God at the end of their lives also. If God is pleased, the human being will be happy in the next birth. The aim of getting worldly riches is also happiness, after all. We should note that there are several rich people, who are not happy at all. Hence, it is not wise to think about money throughout one’s life and at the end, in order to be born as a rich person in the next life. There are several poor people who are extremely happy. Jesus said that a camel may pass through the eye of a needle, but a rich man can never reach God. More money will bring several problems and ego too. As a result, the soul will neither have peace of mind nor will it be able to escape from ego. It will only take the soul far from God.