Gajendra Moksha

[Guest guest]

Gajendra was the King of elephants. One hot day, he proceeded to the lake with his family to cool off in its fresh waters. But from within the lake a crocodile appeared who attacked him and would not let go of him. When the family and relatives saw ‘death’ coming close to Gajendra, and everyone realised that everything was lost, they left Gajendra alone. The symbolism

is: Man is Gajendra The world, is the lake where he plays the game of life with family and others. The crocodile is ‘Death and Difficulties’ which attack man. The Lesson: Neither family nor friend can liberate one from the clutch of death. God answers your prayers. It is said that ‘Nirbal key bal Ram’ Which means that God is the Strength of the Weak! A lot of us make preparations for a journey from which one is meant to return; yet we make none for death! Most of us cry out to God when caught in hopeless situation. And that is what Gajendra did! Gajendra prayed: ‘Please help me O Lord! Save me from the clutches of Death! How can an ordinary mortal recognize You, when great sages find it hard to achieve You? You are all merciful. Take me to a place where there is no fear and death! I am not asking you to save me from the clutch of the crocodile, or that I should survive this attack! I am aware that I not only have a body of an elephant but also a fat mind of an elephant! What is the use of keeping this life? I want to be liberated from my Ignorant Mind which hides the resplendent

soul! I can only be saved by Your Grace! The Lord rushed to Gajendra’s aid. The latter offered the Lord a lotus flower. God attacked the crocodile and saved His Loved One. Gajendra, in his previous life was a great devotee called Indradyumna who was also a great king. One day, Agastya, a great sage came to visit the king. Indradyumna did not receive the Sage with the respect that the latter expected. The enraged Agastya

cursed the king to become an elephant in his next birth, as he sat heavy on his seat and did not rise to greet him. The crocodile in its last life was a king called HuHu in the Gandharva planet. Once while enjoying himself in the waters, he pulled the leg of a sage. The enraged sage cursed the king to become a crocodile in his next life. The repentant HuHu asked for pardon. The Sage proclaimed that though he could not retrieve the curse, the crocodile would be liberated from the cycle of birth and death when Gajendra would be saved by the Lord God Himself. Those readers who have been with me so far will wonder why I quoted the lines from the Geeta at the beginning of this note. Well, those lines, as well as the story of Gajendra state that: The Lord is close to those who call out to Him in full faith. It does not matter if you have the body or intellect of an animal, all you require is a loving heart and the conviction that God is closer than we can possibly believe! It is said that if one recites the Gajendra Prayer, one achieves liberation and freedom from frightening dreams! Gajendra Moksha Stuti (Prayer) AUM NAMO BHAGAWATE TASMAY YAT ETCCHIDATMAKAM PURUSHAAYAA DIBIJAAY PARESHAAYAABHI DHEEMAHEE YASMINNIDUM YETASCCHEDUM YENEDUM EEDUM SWAYAM YOSMAAT PARASMAASCH PARAH TUMPRAPADYE

SWAYAMBHOOWAM