Chapter Three
Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender
TEXT 33
taṁ vīkṣya pīḍitam ajaḥ sahasāvatīrya
sa-grāham āśu sarasaḥ kṛpayojjahāra
grāhād vipāṭita-mukhād ariṇā gajendraṁ
saṁpaśyatāṁ harir amūmucad ucchriyāṇām
SYNONYMS
tam—him (Gajendra); vīkṣya—after seeing (in that condition); pīḍitam—who was very aggrieved; ajaḥ—the unborn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sahasā—all of a sudden; avatīrya—getting down (from the back of Garuḍa); sa-grāham—with the crocodile; āśu—immediately; sarasaḥ—from the water; kṛpayā—out of great mercy; ujjahāra—took out; grāhāt—from the crocodile; vipāṭita—separated; mukhāt—from the mouth; ariṇā—with the disc; gajendram—Gajendra; sampaśyatām—who were looking on; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; amūm—him (Gajendra); ucat—saved; ucchriyāṇām—in the presence of all the demigods.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, seeing Gajendra in such an aggrieved position, the unborn Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, immediately got down from the back of Garuḍa by His causeless mercy and pulled the King of the elephants, along with the crocodile, out of the water. Then, in the presence of all the demigods, who were looking on, the Lord severed the crocodile’s mouth from its body with His disc. In this way He saved Gajendra, the King of the elephants.
Chapter Four
Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World
TEXT 1
śrī-śuka uvāca
tadā devarṣi-gandharvā
brahmeśāna-purogamāḥ
mumucuḥ kusumāsāraṁ
śaṁsantaḥ karma tad dhareḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; tadā—at that time (when Gajendra was delivered); deva-ṛṣi-gandharvāḥ—the demigods, sages and Gandharvas; brahma-īśāna-purogamāḥ—headed by Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva; mumucuḥ—showered; kusuma-āsāram—a covering of flowers; śaṁsantaḥ—while praising; karma—transcendental activity; tat—that (gajendra-mokṣaṇa); hareḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When the Lord delivered Gajendra, King of the elephants, all the demigods, sages and Gandharvas, headed by Brahmā and Śiva, praised this activity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and showered flowers upon both the Lord and Gajendra.
PURPORT
It is evident from this chapter that great sages like Devala Ṛṣi, Nārada Muni and Agastya Muni will sometimes curse someone. The curse of such a personality, however, is in fact a benediction. Both the crocodile, who had been a Gandharva in his previous life, and Gajendra, who had been a king named Indradyumna, were cursed, but both of them benefited. Indradyumna, in his birth as an elephant, attained salvation and became a personal associate of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha, and the crocodile regained his status as a Gandharva. We find evidence in many places that the curse of a great saint or devotee is not a curse but a benediction.
TEXT 2
nedur dundubhayo divyā
gandharvā nanṛtur jaguḥ
ṛṣayaś cāraṇāḥ siddhās
tuṣṭuvuḥ puruṣottamam
SYNONYMS
neduḥ—vibrated; dundubhayaḥ—kettledrums; divyāḥ—in the sky of the higher planetary system; gandharvāḥ—residents of Gandharvaloka; nanṛtuḥ—danced; jaguḥ—and sang; ṛṣayaḥ—all the saintly sages; cāraṇāḥ—the inhabitants of the Cāraṇa planet; siddhāḥ—the inhabitants of the Siddha planet; tuṣṭuvuḥ—offered prayers; puruṣa-uttamam—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama, the best of males.
TRANSLATION
There was a beating of kettledrums in the heavenly planets, the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka began to dance and sing, while great sages and the inhabitants of Cāraṇaloka and Siddhaloka offered prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama.
TEXTS 3–4
yo ’sau grāhaḥ sa vai sadyaḥ
paramāścarya-rūpa-dhṛk
mukto devala-śāpena
hūhūr gandharva-sattamaḥ
praṇamya śirasādhīśam
uttama-ślokam avyayam
agāyata yaśo-dhāma
kīrtanya-guṇa-sat-katham
SYNONYMS
yaḥ—he who; asau—that; grāhaḥ—became a crocodile; saḥ—he; vai—indeed; sadyaḥ—immediately; parama—very nice; āścarya—wonderful; rūpa-dhṛk—possessing the form (of his original Gandharva position); muktaḥ—was delivered; devala-śāpena—by the cursing of Devala Ṛṣi; hūhūḥ—whose name was formerly Hūhū; gandharva-sattamaḥ—the best of Gandharvaloka; praṇamya—offering his obeisances; śirasā—by the head; adhīśam—unto the supreme master; uttama-ślokam—who is worshiped by the choicest verses; avyayam—who is the supreme eternal; agāyata—he began to chant; yaśaḥ-dhāma—the glories of the Lord; kīrtanya-guṇa-sat-katham—whose transcendental pastimes and qualities are glorious.
TRANSLATION
The best of the Gandharvas, King Hūhū, having been cursed by Devala Muni, had become a crocodile. Now, having been delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he assumed a very beautiful form as a Gandharva. Understanding by whose mercy this had happened, he immediately offered his respectful obeisances with his head and began chanting prayers just suitable for the transcendental Lord, the supreme eternal, who is worshiped by the choicest verses.
PURPORT
The story of how the Gandharva had become a crocodile will be described later. The curse by which the Gandharva took this position was actually a blessing, not a curse. One should not be displeased when a saintly person curses someone, for his curse, indirectly, is a blessing. The Gandharva had the mentality of an inhabitant of the celestial planetary system, and for him to become an associate of the Supreme Lord would have taken millions of long years. However, because he was cursed by Devala Ṛṣi, he became a crocodile and in only one life was fortunate enough to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and be promoted to the spiritual world to become one of the Lord’s associates. Similarly, Gajendra was also delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead when he was freed from the curse of Agastya Muni.
TEXT 5
so ’nukampita īśena
parikramya praṇamya tam
lokasya paśyato lokaṁ
svam agān mukta-kilbiṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he (King Hūhū); anukampitaḥ—being favored; īśena—by the Supreme Lord; parikramya—circumambulating; praṇamya—offering his obeisances; tam—unto Him; lokasya—all the demigods and men; paśyataḥ—while seeing; lokam—to the planet; svam—his own; agāt—went back; mukta—being delivered; kilbiṣaḥ—from the reactions of his sin.
TRANSLATION
Having been favored by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and having regained his original form, King Hūhū circumambulated the Lord and offered his obeisances. Then, in the presence of all the demigods, headed by Brahmā, he returned to Gandharvaloka. He had been freed of all sinful reactions.
TEXT 6
gajendro bhagavat-sparśād
vimukto ’jñāna-bandhanāt
prāpto bhagavato rūpaṁ
pīta-vāsāś catur-bhujaḥ
SYNONYMS
gajendraḥ—the King of the elephants, Gajendra; bhagavat-sparśāt—because of being touched by the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vimuktaḥ—was immediately freed; ajñāna-bandhanāt—from all kinds of ignorance, especially the bodily concept of life; prāptaḥ—achieved; bhagavataḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rūpam—the same bodily features; pīta-vāsāḥ—wearing yellow garments; catuḥ-bhujaḥ—and four-handed, with conchshell, disc, club and lotus.
TRANSLATION
Because Gajendra, King of the elephants, had been touched directly by the hands of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he was immediately freed of all material ignorance and bondage. Thus he received the salvation of sārūpya-mukti, in which he achieved the same bodily features as the Lord, being dressed in yellow garments and possessing four hands.
PURPORT
If one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead by having his gross body touched by the Lord, his body turns into a spiritual body, and he can go back home, back to Godhead. Gajendra assumed a spiritual body when his body was touched by the Lord. Similarly, Dhruva Mahārāja assumed his spiritual body in this way. Arcanā-paddhati, daily worship of the Deity, provides an opportunity to touch the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus it enables one to be fortunate enough to get a spiritual body and go back to Godhead. Not only by touching the body of the Supreme Lord, but simply by hearing about His pastimes, chanting His glories, touching His feet and offering worship—in other words, by serving the Lord somehow or other—one is purified of material contamination. This is the result of touching the Supreme Lord. One who is a pure devotee (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.111.1.11]), who acts according to the śāstra and the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, certainly becomes purified. Like Gajendra, he assumes a spiritual body and returns home, back to Godhead.
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