King Pariksit said, Would you please describe how Gajendra, the king of the elephants was attacked by a crocodile and saved by the Supreme Lord Hari?
Suka Goswami said, There is a place with a mountain named Trikuta. This mountain is surrounded by an ocean of milk and is very beautiful.
The mountain has three peaks, made of gold, silver and iron. The mountain is decorated with jewels and fine trees and plants. There are waterfalls on the mountain which create a wonderful sound and a soothing, fresh atmosphere. The base of the mountain is washed by waves of milk and there are emeralds on all the shores of the ocean.
The gods who live on the heavenly planets go to this mountain for leisure and maintain beautiful gardens in the valleys of the mountain. These gardens are full of trees with fruits and flowers and many varieties of singing birds. There are lakes and rivers with crystal clear water and many beaches covered with jewels.
There is a large lake which is full of golden lotus flowers. It is surrounded by many varieties of beautiful flowers and decorated with lovely swans and other birds. Gajendra, the leader of the elephants lived in the forest in one of these valleys. Accompanied by his female elephants he would go to the lake to drink and bathe.
Surrounded by the other elephants in his herd, the females and the young elephants, Gajendra went into the lake and bathed himself and drank the water. Like a human who is ignorant of spiritual knowledge and therefore too attached to the members of their family, Gajendra played in the water with his female elephants and his children. He sprayed them all with water from his trunk not aware of any impending danger.
While Gajendra was bathing in the lake he was attacked by a crocodile. The crocodile bit Gajendra on the leg and although Gajendra was strong, he could not free himself from the crocodile’s grip. The female elephants saw that Gajendra was trapped and they began to cry. None of the other elephants could rescue Gajendra from his predicament because the crocodile was too strong.
The crocodile would try to pull Gajendra into the lake and Gajendra would try and pull the crocodile onto the land. The crocodile and the elephant fought with each other for a thousand years in this way. Because of the long fight, Gajendra’s physical and mental strength was greatly weakened. But the crocodile was a creature of the water and so he increased in strength as the battle went on.
When Gajendra realised that he was completely in the grip of the crocodile and unable to save himself, he realised his life was in danger. He considered the situation thoroughly and thought to himself, The other elephants, my wives, my children and my friends were unable to save me from my dangerous position. None of them can do anything to help me. It is destiny that has caused me to be attacked by this crocodile. The only solution is for me to seek the protection of the Supreme Lord, who is the refuge of everyone.
Anyone who is being pursued by death should seek shelter of the Supreme Lord for even death feels in fear of him. I will surrender to the most powerful supreme person who is the actual shelter of everyone. Then Gajendra concentrated his mind on the Supreme Lord and chanted a mantra he had previously learnt.
Gajendra chanted, I offer my respect and obeisance to the Supreme Lord. He is the original person and the cause of all existence and should be worshipped by everyone. The Supreme Lord is the cause of this entire universe and the sustainer of all things. He is completely independent. I surrender to that supreme person. The Supreme Lord is both the original cause and the ultimate conclusion. He transcends everything. May the Supreme Lord protect me.
My shelter is that supreme person who even great sages who perfectly execute their vows, look upon everyone equally and are compassionate to all living beings, desire to see. The Supreme Lord has no material qualities. He incarnates in the form of a human being to fulfil his purpose. May the Lord give me protection.
Let me offer respect to the Supreme Lord who is self-luminous and enlightens the soul. He is the witness and controller of all. He gives unlimited bliss and is the Lord of the spiritual world. He is the origin and controller of the material energy. He is the supreme controller and the observer of everything.
This material world is like a reflection of him. You are the cause of everything yet you have no cause. Since I have sought his protection he will surely deliver me from my perilous circumstances. Because he is so merciful, he is always trying to deliver me.
May the supremely merciful Lord grant me the benediction of liberating me from my materialistic existence. I offer my respects to the Supreme Lord who is the greatest of all personalities, unlimited, the origin of everything and complete and perfect. I seek refuge in the Supreme Lord who is the creator of the universe, he possesses unlimited energy and the protector of all those who surrender to him.
At this point, the Supreme Lord arrived riding on the back of Garuda. The Supreme Lord saw that Gajendra was in difficulty and he pulled him and the crocodile out of the water. Then he cut the crocodile’s head off with his sudarsana disc and saved Gajendra.
The gods praised the Lord’s actions and showered flowers from the heavens on Gajendra and the Lord. Gajendra had been touched by the Supreme Lord, so he was liberated from all material ignorance. The Lord then got back on his carrier Garuda and he took Gajendra with him back to his spiritual abode.
Anyone who hears this story of the Lord delivering Gajendra will be unaffected by the corruptions of Kali yuga and they will never have bad dreams.
