The elephant Gajendra fought for several years to get liberated from the crocodile’s clutches, but in vain. After getting exhausted and all its faculties debilitated, it called Lord Narayana for help, who rushed to the elephant’s rescue, shed tears, and told the elephant why he had not called Him earlier. In the Ayodhya Kanda, when Kaikeyi wanted to see Rama, the speed at which Rama was going was like the Lord transcending to save Gajendra. In the Sundara Kanda, Hanuman told Ravana that Brahma had written on Gajendra’s forehead the fate of facing the crocodile and that Lord Narayana had come to rescue the elephant and slay the crocodile. When Prahlada’s father tried to get his son killed by an elephant, Prahlada told the elephant to remember that the Paramatma residing in his heart had saved the elephant’s ancestor, Gajendra.

Source: The Hindu June 29, 2024 04:33 UTC