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 . . . not like parrot. The parrot also imitates chanting. But when the cat catches, he does not say "Hare Kṛṣṇa." He says (imitates parrot sound), "kanh, kanh." So not that kind of . . . we should be accustomed to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa that whenever the death point is there, he would chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." Then that is success. So practice means to remember. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). If we practice always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, naturally, at the time of danger, we shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.