(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 June 2012, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.1.3)
We must come to the stage of being fearless of death. We will become truly fearless of death only when we feel very sure in our relationship with Krsna. An element that causes anxiety in death is that we do not know our next destination. Even as a devotee who performs devotional service still, we do not know our destination for sure.
One may start thinking, “I didn’t do so well. I didn’t become that pure so it may be another birth and still, I’ll have karma…” and it just goes on and on into the unknown! So anxiety remains also for devotees; some insecurity is still there.
However, a devotee can become fearless of death, not so much by philosophical understanding that ‘I am not this body’ but by one’s relationship with Krsna.
The deeper we get into our relationship with Krsna, the devotee knows, “Krsna will protect me, surely there is no doubt about it! I’m always living with Krsna, always serving Krsna, always thinking of Krsna therefore there is no doubt Krsna will protect me.” In this way, one becomes fearless.