Gajendra Sharanagathi

– Sri Darshini Ganesh from Tilsonburg, Canada.

Gajendra Moksham is one of the sharanagathi that our beloved Guru maharaj describes in the madhurageetham “Andru Sabailyil”. After Guruji describes Draupadi Sharanagathi, he starts describing Gajendra Moksham (gathiyillAmal thuthi seyda AnaipOl unai nAn sharaNaDaiya vENDum – kaNNA) which is from the 8th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. We all have read many tales that would have mentioned lions being the king of the jungle but here in Gajendra’s story, Gajendra is the king of all the elephants and the other animals. One day Gajendra and his friends were roaming around the Trikutam Mountains. The Trikutam mountain represent Kamam, Krodham and Lobham. These are all rogam (diseases).

A sloka from Bhagavad Gita explains how all of these can destroy us.

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ
smṛiti-bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati

This sloka says that kaama (desire) leads to anger. Then the anger makes us unable to understand practical stuff. Then we cannot think straight which makes us animals. This way the aathma gets destroyed.

The Elephants were all hunting aquatic animals. The aquatic animals were really scared and complained to their king, a crocodile named Magarendra. When Gajendra and all the elephants came to the lake to get a sip of water, Makerendra caught Gajendra’s leg tightly. Gajendra was a really strong elephant and he was fighting with Makarendra. All of his friends were trying to help him but they got scared because Makarendra was biting Gajendra’s feet so hard. They all backed out and the other Elephants used this as an opportunity to make themselves the leader of their herd.

Gajendra was all alone fighting with Makrendra. They both fought for 1000 years without food, water or sleep. We can’t survive without food, water or sleep for more than 2 days. During the fight, Gajendra lost lot of his blood which is raajasa gunam and temporal fluids which is thamasa gunam and now he is only left with satva gunam. Then Gajendra realized that this was strange and there is a higher power playing here so he calls out to Bhagavan.

At the end, Gajendra realizes that everything in the world will leave us one day whether it is family, friends, money or position. The only people that will always remain with us are Bhagavan and Guruji.

All the things that he learned from his guru Sage Agastya in his previous birth came back to him when he needed help. In Gajendra’s previous birth, he was a Pandiya king named Indradyumna. One day he was doing a big pooja and when Agastya Maharishi came he thought that he would show him how grand he is doing this pooja. Agastya Maharishi realized this and he thought that his pride wasn’t good for him because when you are doing a pooja, you have to do it with humbleness but since he is doing it with pride, it will be bad for him. He wanted to stop his pride so he thought of turning Indradhymna into an animal, an elephant which could express its pride fully, so that it would be easy to stop.

Agastya Maharishi blessed him to be born as an elephant in his next birth. Indradhyumna was really sad about this but Agastya Maharishi assured him by saying that Bhagavan will come and liberate him in the next janma. Gajendra remembered all of this now.

Similarly Makarendra had a story of his past. He was a Gandharva and he had good singing skills. He was very proud of that. One day he was taking a bath in the pond when a Sage Devala came there. He thought it would be fun to pull his leg so he did that. The sage thought it was a crocodile so he called it crocodile and that’s why Gandharva was born as a crocodile in his next janma.

The sage told him that he would be relieved from this once the Sudarshana chakra touches him. Now Gajendra does a sthuthi mentally and calls out to Bhagavan. When he calls Bhagavan, he specifically calls out to Bhagavan who is responsible for everything and who is responsible for this entire universe. Bhagavan was in Shesha sayanam and when he heard Gajendra calling for him he came down and killed Makarendra with His sudharshana chakra and protected Gajendra.

At the end, Gajendra realizes that everything in the world will leave us one day whether it is family, friends, money or position. The only people that will always remain with us are Bhagavan and Guruji.