GAJENDRA AND THE GANDHARVA

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA

Many many centuries ago there lived a powerful King named Indradyumna. He was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He would offer prayers and spend much of his time in meditation. In fact he preferred to spend his time in prayer and puja and was far less interested in being the king and ruling his kingdom. However, as it was his duty to look after his subjects he would carry out all his kingly obligations faithfully.

It was but natural then that as soon as his son grew old enough to manage the matters of the state, Indradyumna handed over the crown to his son. Indradyumna said to his son, “My son, you have grown up to be a good and righteous man. You have all the abilities in you to rule this kingdom with justice and honesty. I wish now to spend all my time with the Lord. I am looking forward to spending my whole day in prayer and meditation, without being disturbed with the problems of my people. I know that if you take over the responsibilities of being king you will rule well. This is the reason I wish to place my crown on your head. You will from this day on be the king.”

Saying these words the king abdicated. His son was crowned with much pomp and celebration. Once the ceremonies were over, Indradyumna left for the forest where he would spend his time in quietude and peace praying and meditating upon Lord Vishnu.

Indradyumna spent many months in deep meditation. So deep was his meditation that he rarely knew what was happening around him. One evening as he was meditating the great and revered sage, Sage Agastya came to Indradyumna’s ashram. Indradyumna was so engrossed in his meditation that he did not even realise that a venerated sage had come to visit him. The sage waited outside the ashram for a very long time. Then feeling both insulted and angry Sage Agastya turned to leave.

But his anger got the better of him and in a rage he cursed Indrayumna saying, “I came to your ashram to visit you but let alone welcoming me, you did not even acknowledge my presence. You being a king come from the warrior class and it is therefore your duty to offer hospitality to rishis and sages. For neglecting your duty I curse you to be born an elephant in your next life.”

Saying these harsh words Sage Agastya left.

Anger is an emotion that makes us forget ourselves and we lose control of what we say. On that day the sage spoke words in anger that he could never take back.

Sage Agastya’s disciples trembled as they had never seen their guru so angry. There was nothing they could do to reverse the curse. They knew how powerful the words of Sage Agastya could be. They feared the fate that was to befall Indradyumna. He was cursed now to roam the forests as an elephant and would eventually meet his death as an elephant.

The great sages like Sage Agastya having done penance, tapas, prayer, meditation, sacrifice and having lived in severe austerity for thousands of years had acquired wondrous magical powers. Hence, when Sage Agastya in anger, had cursed Indradyumna, the curse had to have effect. It could not be taken back.

However, sometimes even the harshest of punishments come as a blessing. Sage Agastya had the wisdom to see into the future and he knew that his curse would indeed prove a blessing to the great Vishnu devotee, Indradyumna.

All the while, Indradyumna, was blissfully unaware that he had angered the sage and that he had been cursed. He continued to pray to his Lord.

As per the curse Indradyumna was reborn as an elephant called Gajendra. However, Gajendra was no ordinary elephant. He was the king of all the elephants in the jungle. He was the leader of all the elephants and they looked up to him and always followed his directions. All the elephants were proud of their king. Gajendra was kind and cared for each of the elephants that followed him. He was a happy elephant and wanted the rest of the herd to be happy too. He always made sure that they had plenty to eat and that they were safe. Also Gajendra inspite of being an elephant had not lost his faith in Lord Vishnu. Even as an elephant wandering through the jungles his thoughts were always on the Lord.

At around the same time that Sage Agastya had visited Indradyumna at his ashram another great sage named Sage Devala was sitting on the banks of a river and meditating. He had chosen the river side as it was quiet and peaceful. It so happened that a gandharva (a heavenly being) named Huhu, while happily frolicking in the heavens took a toss and fell plonk into the same river. There was a huge splash as the gandharva fell into the waters and some of the water rose so high that it hit Sage Devala right on his face. When the sudden splash of cold water hit his face, Sage Devala was startled out of his meditation. Naturally he was really annoyed with the person who had disturbed him when he was so deep in meditation. His eyes shot wide open. They were red with rage. Seeing Huhu frolicking in the water the sage roared, “How dare you disturb me when I am in meditation. You wretched gandharva I curse you. Since you seem to enjoy the river so much, you will no longer be a divine celestial body but a mere crocodile swimming in a river on the earth.”

Once the words were out of his mouth the old sage regretted them. He saw that right before his eyes the gandharva had turned into a crocodile. Huhu looked up to the sage and besieged him to overturn his curse. But unfortunately, a curse once made cannot be overturned.

Sage Devala thought for a moment and then said, “I cannot take back my curse. But fear not gandharva, Lord Vishnu will come and with his power will free you from my curse. He will return you to your original celestial body.”

Having said that the sage shut his eyes and was back in deep meditation. Hulu who was now a crocodile began to swim through the river. The river was to be his new home.

In the meantime, elephant Gajendra and his large herd were wandering through the forest, feasting on fresh green leaves, plump berries and ripe delicious fruit. Gajendra always knew where to find the freshest foliage and the most juicy fruit. He would also know the choicest places to rest. He would take his herd to shady trees during the hot summer months. During the cold winters he would lead them to warm clearings where the sun shone most brightly. His herd was very happy with their king and obeyed his orders implicitly.

Elephants, like all animals, besides food, need fresh water to keep alive. Elephants also enjoy bathing and playing in the water. Gajendra and his elephants would love taking water in their trunks and splashing it all over their heads and bodies. They would even have a merry time splashing each other. In fact, for all the elephants, wading through water was the best and most fun part of the day. Naturally Gajendra made sure he led them to the clearest and cleanest lakes and rivers. It was important for him to see that all his herd was happy and nothing delighted his followers more than a dip in the river.

One day Gajendra came upon a gently flowing river. The banks of the river were covered in green grasslands that were bordered by several shady trees with branches laden with fruit. This seemed the perfect spot for the elephants. They had a choice of food, could have some fun in the river waters and they could later take rest under the shade of the large, leafy trees. Gajendra led his herd towards the river. Some elephants had stopped to pick fruit from the trees close by. Others were walking slowly across the grasslands. And there were some who were very eager to enter the river.

Now Gajendra always gave priority to the safety of his herd. So he cautioned them saying, “Wait till I check the waters before you all go in. Let me see if there are any under currents that might drag us away. Let me also check whether the river bed is firm. Once I have made sure that the river is safe to enter I will signal to all of you to come into the water.”

Saying this Gajendra stepped into the river. The rest of the herd respecting their king’s order waited patiently on the river bank. It so happened that this was the very same river where Huhu, now a crocodile, lived in. As Gajendra put one of his large elephant legs into the river the crocodile, who was close by, grabbed the leg. He opened his massive jaw and with his large sharp teeth held firmly onto Gajendra’s leg.

Ganjendra’s, first thought was to protect his herd. He immediately said to them, “Go back. This river is not safe for you. None of you must enter the river.”

Gajendra’s herd naturally were worried about their king and wanted to help him. But Gajendra would not allow them to do so. Very firmly he said, “I order all of you to go back and return to the forest. We have our space in the forest where all of us are safe. You must all go back there and not return to this river.”

His herd was sad and anxious for their king but being obedient they knew that they must do exactly as their king had commanded. Slowly they began to retreat into the safety of the forest.

Once he saw them leave, Gajendra turned his attention to saving himself. He pulled at his leg with all his great elephant might. But the crocodile had managed to get an even stronger and firmer grip on Gajendra’s leg. Gajendra felt an enormous, piercing pain as the crocodile’s sharp teeth dug into his flesh. Gajendra was also slowly being dragged deeper into the river. After all the crocodile was very strong and he knew exactly how to pull down his prey into the water. Gajendra on the other hand could do nothing more than use his elephant strength to try to pull himself back on to the land. This was turning into a losing battle for Gajendra. His strength was waning. His three legs that were on land were unable to hold steady on the sloping river bank. The pain of the crocodile’s bite was increasing and now his blood was flowing into the river. Slowly but surely Gajendra was being pulled into the river. It would be just a matter of moments till he was dragged under the water. The vicious crocodile was winning this battle.

But for Gajendra, whether it be day or night, summer or winter, joy or sorrow there was always one thought uppermost in his mind and heart - his love for Lord Vishnu. So even during this horrific battle and despite the excruciating pain, Gajendra continued praying to his Lord. The prayer, in praise of Lord Vishnu, that Gajendra chanted that day is so loved by the Lord that even today we recite it as the Gajendra Stuti (prayer).

Then all of a sudden, before his very eyes, Gajendra saw Lord Vishnu riding on his Garuda, his mighty and divine vahan (vehicle) and coming directly to him. There was an intense brightness all around and Gajendra could not take his eyes off the Lord. No longer was he thinking of freeing himself from the crocodile. All he could think of was the Lord. The only thing he wanted was to remain with his beloved Lord.

Lord Vishnu always comes to the rescue of his devotees. He will allow no harm to come to those who worship him. Vishnu had come to save his devotee Gajendra. The Lord threw his Sudarshan Chakra at the crocodile and destroyed him. The Gandharva that was trapped within the body of the vicious crocodile escaped. Huhu fell at Lord Vishnu’s feet to thank him for releasing him from Sage Devala’s curse. Lord Vishnu blessed him and Huhu flew back to the heavens.

Gajendra’s leg was now free and he felt no pain. He bowed to the Lord and exclaimed, “Lord you have come all the way just to save me?”

Lord Vishnu replied, “Yes I am there to protect and save all my devotees. You are one of my greatest devotees.”

As Gajendra had no recall of his previous life as a king, the Lord went on to say, “In your previous life you were born as King Indradyumna. In that birth too you worshipped me. Then Sage Agastya cursed you into becoming an elephant but you continued to have faith in me. I was glad Sage Agastya had cursed you to become an elephant because I could come myself to take you back with me. I have always wanted you to be with me. From now on you will always remain a part of me.”

Gajendra’s, eyes welled with tears of joy. He could not believe that Lord Vishnu had granted him the gift of remaining with Him forever. Gajendra was blissfully happy as the Lord took him up to Vaikunta, (Lord Vishnu’s abode) and there he lives for ever and ever.

LIFE LESSONS

1. Like King Indradyumna and Gajendra have faith in God. He will always guide you through your problems and difficulties.

2. Be careful of what you say in anger because words once spoken can never be taken back.

3. Like Gajendra be a leader who cares for his followers.

4. Remember you must fulfil your duties. King Indradyumna, as the ruler of his kingdom and Gajendra as king of the elephants made sure they carried out all their duties faithfully.