The Supreme Personality of Godhead is death personified to miscreants and the supreme beloved Lord to the devotees. In Bhagavad-gita (10.34) the Lord says, mrtyuh sarva-haras caham: I am all-devouring death. Faithless unbelievers, who challenge the appearance of God, will be delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He appears before them as death. Hiranyakasipu, for example, challenged the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Lord met him in the form of Nrsimhadeva and killed him. Similarly, the planet earth saw Maharaja Prthu as death personified, and she also saw him in the mood of anger personified. Therefore she began to tremble. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any circumstance. It is better to surrender unto Him and take His protection at all times.