Gajendra Moksham

Gajendra Moksham

Here goes the story of Gajendra Moksham, which explains the greatness of Saranagathy in Sri Vaishnavism.

Gajendra was the king of elephants. While roaming in the jungles, the elephants were drinking water from a forest lake, when a crocodile caught hold of Gajendra's legs. The kith and kin of him realised that Gajendra is going to be no more since crocodiles are invincible in water as elephants in the terrestrial area. So they left him abandoned and started away.

For a few hours, Gajendra was trying to fight the crocodile by kicking it but the valour of the crocodile was so high that Gajendra's energy started dwindling. Most of us cry out to the God in hopeless (nis-sahaya sthiti) situations and so did Gajendra. It took a Lotus from the pond and prayed to the Lord.

No sooner did the Lord realize that the little elephant had surrendered itself to Him, relinquishing the ego and his over-self-confidence, that he started on His Garuda Vahana and equipped with Sri Sudharsana Azhwar.

Now the wind direction changed. The crocodile has to see its death and Gajendra got freed up.

Well. This is not just a story. There is a tight linking of this story to mankind. Here goes the linkage.

1. The human is Gajendra.
2. The world is the lake, where human plays with his kith and kin.
3. The crocodile symbolizes the Death and Difficulties that attack man.

The lesson that is being learnt from here is that nobody can liberate a human from the clutches of death. God alone answers the prayers. Hence there is also a Hindi saying 'Nirbal key bal Ram', which indicates that the God is the strenght of the weak.

Here goes the Gajendra Moksha Stuthi:

AUM NAMO BHAGAWATE TASMAY YAT ETCCHIDATMAKAM

PURUSHAAYAA DIBIJAAY PARESHAAYAABHI DHEEMAHEE

YASMINNIDUM YETASCCHEDUM YENEDUM EEDUM SWAYAM

YOSMAAT PARASMAASCH PARAH TUMPRAPADYE SWAYAMBHOOWAM