FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.3.32

सोऽन्त:सरस्युरुबलेन गृहीत आर्तो द‍ृष्ट्वा गरुत्मति हरिं ख उपात्तचक्रम् । उत्क्षिप्य साम्बुजकरं गिरमाह कृच्छ्रा- न्नारायणाखिलगुरो भगवन् नमस्ते ॥ ३२ ॥
so ’ntaḥ-sarasy urubalena gṛhīta ārto
[so ’ntah-sarasy urubalena griheeta aarto]
dṛṣṭvā garutmati hariṁ kha upātta-cakram
[drishtvaa garutmati harim kha upaatta-chakram]
utkṣipya sāmbuja-karaṁ giramāha kṛcchrān
[utkshipya saambuja-karam giramaaha krichchraan]
nārāyaṇākhila-guro bhagavan namas te
[naaraayanaakhila-guro bhagavan namas te]
saḥ — he (Gajendra) antaḥ-sarasi — in the water uru-balena — with great force gṛhītaḥ — who had been captured by the crocodile ārtaḥ — and severely suffering dṛṣṭvā — upon seeing garutmati — on the back of Garuḍa harim — the Lord khe — in the sky upātta-cakram — wielding His disc utkṣipya — raising sa-ambuja-karam — his trunk, along with a lotus flower giramāha — uttered the words kṛcchrāt — with great difficulty (because of his precarious position) nārāyaṇa — O my Lord Nārāyaṇa akhila-guro — O universal Lord bhagavan — O Supreme Personality of Godhead namaḥ te — I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
so ’ntaḥ-sarasy urubalena gṛhīta ārto
saḥ
he (Gajendra)
dṛṣṭvā garutmati hariṁ kha upātta-cakram
utkṣipya sāmbuja-karaṁ giramāha kṛcchrān
antaḥ-sarasi
in the water
nārāyaṇākhila-guro bhagavan namas te
uru-balena
with great force
gṛhītaḥ
who had been captured by the crocodile
ārtaḥ
and severely suffering
dṛṣṭvā
upon seeing
garutmati
on the back of Garuḍa
harim
the Lord
khe
in the sky
upātta-cakram
wielding His disc
utkṣipya
raising
sa-ambuja-karam
his trunk, along with a lotus flower
giramāha
uttered the words
kṛcchrāt
with great difficulty (because of his precarious position)
nārāyaṇa
O my Lord Nārāyaṇa
akhila-guro
O universal Lord
bhagavan
O Supreme Personality of Godhead
namaḥ te
I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
Gajendra had been forcefully captured by the crocodile in the water and was feeling acute pain, but when he saw that Nārāyaṇa, wielding His disc, was coming in the sky on the back of Garuḍa, he immediately took a lotus flower in his trunk, and with great difficulty due to his painful condition, he uttered the following words: “O my Lord, Nārāyaṇa, master of the universe, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”

The King of the elephants was so very eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead that when he saw the Lord coming in the sky, with great pain and in a feeble voice he offered respect to the Lord. A devotee does not consider a dangerous position to be dangerous, for in such a dangerous position he can fervently pray to the Lord in great ecstasy. Thus a devotee regards danger as a good opportunity. Tat te ’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇaḥ . When a devotee is in great danger, he sees that danger to be the great mercy of the Lord because it is an opportunity to think of the Lord very sincerely and with undiverted attention. Tat te ’nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam ( Bhāg. 10.14.8 ). He does not accuse the Supreme Personality of Godhead for having let His devotee fall into such a dangerous condition. Rather, he considers that dangerous condition to be due to his past misdeeds and takes it as an opportunity to pray to the Lord and offer thanks for having been given such an opportunity. When a devotee lives in this way, his salvation — his going back home, back to Godhead — is guaranteed. We can see this to be true from the example of Gajendra, who anxiously prayed to the Lord and thus received an immediate chance to return home, back to Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Seeing the Lord on Garuḍa in the sky with upraised cakra, Gajendra, suffering in the water because of being held with great force by the crocodile, lifted his trunk which was holding a lotus and spoke with difficulty. “O guru of the universe! O Lord! I offer respects to you!” Though overcome with pain, he saw the Lord far off in the sky. He plucked lotuses growing there with his trunk and offered them to the Lord’s feet.
Related verses
In acute pain, Gajendra still lifts a lotus in his trunk and greets Nārāyaṇa with respectful words. The devotee preserves etiquette even under torture. Manners offered to the Lord in extreme circumstances are themselves a form of advanced bhakti.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I keep my devotional manners when I am in physical or emotional pain?
  • What 'lotus' could I lift toward the Lord in the middle of my next difficulty?
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