Transform from fear-stricken to fearless by taking shelter of Krishna consciousness under a genuine spiritual master's guidance.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
TaMaaPaTaNTa& Sa ivl/+Ya dUraTa( ku-MaarhaeiŪGanMaNaa rQaeNa ) Parad]vTPa[a<aParqPSauṛVYaa| YaavÓMa& ṛd]>aYaaÛQaak-" )) 18 )) Pradyumna: [chants verse] tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hodvigna-manā rathena parādravat prāṇa-parīpsur urvyāṁ yāvad-gamaṁ rudra-bhayād yathā kaḥ [SB 1.7.18] [00:32] Translation: "Aśvatthāmā, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic-stricken, just to save his life, as Brahmā fled in fear from Śiva." Prabhupāda: tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hodvigna-manā rathena parādravat prāṇa-parīpsur urvyāṁ yāvad-gamaṁ rudra-bhayād yathā kaḥ [SB 1.7.18] So here is one reference that Lord Brahmā was pursued by Lord Śiva when Brahmā was running after his beautiful daughter. So similarly here, Aśvatthāmā, he knew that Arjuna is coming to kill him, so he was running very swiftly. Āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt. From distant place, when he saw that Arjuna was coming... So dehātma-buddhi.
This is the distinction between person in bodily concept of life and person who is liberated from the bodily concept of life. So when Durvāsā Muni cursed or wanted to kill... What is the king? Devotee: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Prabhupāda: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. So Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a devotee.
Unnecessarily he was harassed by Durvāsā Muni. But because Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a pure devotee, advanced, he was not afraid of being killed. He was not afraid. There are many instances.
Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was attempted to be killed by his father so many times, but he was never afraid. Although he was five-years-old boy, but he was not afraid. So that is the distinction between an advanced devotee and ordinary man. Dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13].
Death means changing of the body. So there is nothing to be very much afraid of, but one is afraid of death because at the time of death the tribulation, the miserable condition of the body, is very, very severe—so much severe that one cannot remain. He has to give up his body. Just like sometimes out of disappointment, too much suffering, one commits suicide—death.
So death means very, very painful, as much as birth is also very, very painful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyadhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg 13.9]. One who is intelligent enough, he should always keep before him the sufferings of birth, death, old age and disease in front. [aside:] You can..., side. Birth, death, old age and..., they are very suffering condition, but if one is advanced devotee, he's not afraid of.
Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28]. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ, he's never afraid of. Death is coming, that's all right. What is the wrong there, provided he knows that "After giving up this body, I am going to Kṛṣṇa"?