Practice chanting Hare Krishna until remembrance of God becomes your natural response in death's final moment.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
The Nectar of Devotion — November 14, 1972, Vṛndāvana 721114ND-VRNDAVAN [32:20 Minutes] NOD_721114ND-VRNDAVAN Pradyumna: Page number 21. [reading:] "Another part of sādhana-bhakti is called rāgānugā. Rāgānugā refers to the point at which, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a little more attached to Kṛṣṇa and executes devotional service out of natural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service may be ordered to rise early in the morning and offer ārātrika, which is a form of Deity worship.
"In the beginning, by the order of the spiritual master one rises early in the morning and offers ārātrika, but then he develops real attachment. When he gets this attachment, he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare different kinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotional service nicely. Although it is within the category of practice, this off..." Prabhupāda: [Hindi] Pradyumna: "Although it is within the category of practice, this offering of loving service is spontaneous. So the practice of devotion, the practice of devotional service, sādhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts—namely, regulative and spontaneous." Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Go on. Pradyumna: "Rūpa Gosvāmī defines the first part of devotional service, or vaidhi-bhakti, as follows: 'When there is no attachment or no spontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the service of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the spiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory service is called vaidhi-bhakti.' These principles of vaidhi-bhakti..." Prabhupāda: Neither attachment nor detachment. That is the primary stage. One has no very much attachment in the material affairs, but at the same time, he has no strong detach..., attachment for devotional service.
This marginal state is called... What is that? Vaidhi-bhakti. Means he is offering devotional service under the instruction of the spiritual master as a professional.
He has not developed the spontaneous love of God, Kṛṣṇa, but he is obliged to serve under the instruction of the spiritual master. And that is the first stage of vaidhi-bhakti. Go on. Pradyumna: "The principles of vaidhi-bhakti are also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, First Chapter, verse 35 [SB 2.1.35], where Śukadeva Gosvāmī instructs the dying Mahārāja Parīkṣit as to his course of action. Mahārāja Parīkṣit met Śukadeva Gosvāmī just a week before his death, and the King was perplexed as to what should be done before he was to pass on. Many other sages also arrived there, but no one could give him the proper direction. "Śukadeva Gosvāmī, however, gave this direction to him as follows: 'My dear King, if you want to be fearless in meeting your death next week [for actually everyone is afraid at the point of death], then you must immediately begin the process of hearing and chanting and remembering God.' If one can chant and hear Hare Kṛṣṇa and always remember Lord Kṛṣṇa, then he is sure to become fearless of death, which may come at any moment." Prabhupāda: Ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ [SB 2.1.6].
That is the success of life. Somehow or other, if one can remember Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, that is success of life. The... In Bengal there is a proverb: bhajana kara, pūjāna kara, martye janle haya.
Your devotional service will be tested at the time of death. Because yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaram loke tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, if we can remember Kṛṣṇa, nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ, that is all success. The practice of devotional service means so that we may be so accustomed to chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra that at the time of death we may remember it. Otherwise...