1118 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch, 24
of Rudra; dhvastam—annihilated; akutascit-bhaya—undoubtedly fearless;
gatih— destination.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, all actually learned persons know You as the Supreme
Brahman and the Supersoul. Although the entire universe is afraid of Lord
Rudra, who ultimately annihilates everything, for the learned devotees
You are the fearless destination of all.

PURPORT

For the purpose of creation, maintenance and annihilation of this cosmic
manifestation, there are three lords—Brahma, Visnu and Siva (Maheégvara).
The material body is finished at the time of annihilation. Both the universal
body and the small unit, the individual living entity’s body, are susceptible
to annihilation at the ultimate end. However, the devotees do not fear the
annihilation of the body, for they are confident that they will go back
home, back to Godhead, after the annihilation. As stated in Bhagavad-gita:

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activi-
ties does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material
world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Bg. 4.9)

If one strictly follows the process of devotional service, he has no fear
of death, for he is predestined to go back home, back to Godhead. The
nondevotees are fearful of death because they have no guarantee of where
they are going or of the type of body they are going to get in their next
life. The word rudra-bhaya is significant in this verse because Rudra
himself, Lord Siva, is speaking of “fear of Rudra.” This indicates that
there are many Rudras—eleven Rudras—and the Rudra (Lord Siva) who
was offering this prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is dif-
ferent from the other Rudras, although he is as powerful as they are. The
conclusion is that one Rudra is afraid of another Rudra because each and
every one of them is engaged in the destruction of this cosmic manifes-
tation. But for the devotee, everyone is afraid of Rudra, even Rudra
himself. A devotee is never afraid of Rudra because he is always secure,
being protected by the lotus feet of the Lord. As Sri Krsna says in
Bhagavad-gita:
