Gajendra Moksha Stotram is a legend of Lord Vishnu where Lord Vishnu comes down to earth to shield the Gajendra, the elephant from the grips of Makara or the crocodile.
Gajendra attains the Moksha or Salvation. Indra Dhyumna was a great king who was a great follower of Vishnu.
Once sage Agasthya visited him. Due to his complete involvement in God, the king did not receive the sage properly. Annoyed by this the sage cursed him to become an elephant in the next birth.
As per that the king was born Gajendra. His devotion continued and he used to worship Lord Vishnu perpetually by offering him lotus flowers plucked from the pond.
Once his leg was grabbed by a crocodile and the battle between the crocodile and elephant continued for one thousand years.
Unable to get out of the clutches of the Crocodile, Gajendra yelled and called Lord Vishnu. Immediately the Lord appeared and rescued him by killing the crocodile.
The Lord also gave salvation to Gajendra. Gajendra Moksha Stotram prayer is recited by the Elephant king before attaining salvation.
Gajendra Moksha Stotram Meaning
गज़ेन्द्र मोक्ष स्तोत्रम्
श्रीगजेन्द्र उवाच ||
ओं नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम
पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि ||
Salutations to the all-powerful divine God denoted by “OM”,
Due to whom the body and mind are made conscious,
And he also exists within them in the form of the seed for the spirit.
यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम
योऽस्मात्परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम ||
I surrender to that God in whom this universe
Was born, exists in essence, and was made into the divine,
Who becomes all the world that we see,
And who is different from it in his physical and spiritual form.
यः स्वात्मनीदं निजमाययार्पितं क्वचिद्विभातं क्व च तत्तिरोहितम
अविद्धदृक्साक्ष्युभयं तदीक्षते स आत्ममूलोऽवतु मां परात्परः ||
May I be protected by the God who revealed himself,
Who reveals himself as the universe at times of creation,
Who keeps the universe as an illusion at the times of deluge,
Thus revealing himself sometimes and hiding at other times,
And who sees them as a witness in both these states.
कालेन पञ्चत्वमितेषु कृत्स्नशो लोकेषु पालेषु च सर्वहेतुषु
तमस्तदासीद्गहनं गभीरं यस्तस्य पारेऽभिविराजते विभुः ||
न यस्य देवा ऋषयः पदं विदुर्जन्तुः पुनः कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम
यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो दुरत्ययानुक्रमणः स मावतु ||
Overtime when all the worlds and their guardians,
Are reduced to the five elements and all their causes,
Only Impenetrable and fathomless darkness remains,
Coming out of that darkness, the divine Lord shines from within that.
And his form thus exhibited is not understood even by the devas and sages,
Like the actual form of the actor in a drama is not known to the spectator,
And definitely, the ordinary beings is at a loss to describe it,
Thus making his actions unfathomable and let God protect me.
दिदृक्षवो यस्य पदं सुमङ्गलं विमुक्तसङ्गा मुनयः सुसाधवः
चरन्त्यलोकव्रतमव्रणं वने भूतात्मभूताः सुहृदः स मे गतिः ||
He whose auspicious feet is desired even by,
The great sages who are bereft of any attachments,
Who have benevolent feelings towards all beings,
And observe penance and sacred vows in the forest,
Is the divine one who is in all beings,
And is my only source of support.
न विद्यते यस्य च जन्म कर्म वा न नामरूपे गुणदोष एव वा
तथापि लोकाप्ययसम्भवाय यः स्वमायया तान्यनुकालमृच्छति ||
He does not have either birth or Karmas,
He does not have any name or properties,
And he does not have any faults as he is beyond nature,
And despite that, he assumes several forms,
At different times to carry out the creation and upkeep of the world.
तस्मै नमः परेशाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये
अरूपायोरुरूपाय नम आश्चर्यकर्मणे ||
Salutations to him who does wonderful acts,
Who is beyond birth and death and the brahman,
The one without endless power and one who,
Neither has a form or is formless.
नम आत्मप्रदीपाय साक्षिणे परमात्मने
नमो गिरां विदूराय मनसश्चेतसामपि ||
My salutations to him who shines within himself,
Who is the witness for all, who is the divine soul,
My salutations to him who is far, far away,
From the activities of the mind and its faculties.
सत्त्वेन प्रतिलभ्याय नैष्कर्म्येण विपश्चिता
नमः कैवल्यनाथाय निर्वाणसुखसंविदे ||
Salutations to him who gives us Kaivalya,
And who makes us realize the infinite joy of salvation,
And one who can be seen by the real sages with the purity of mind,
By the constant practice of detached activity.
नमः शान्ताय घोराय मूढाय गुणधर्मिणे
निर्विशेषाय साम्याय नमो ज्ञानघनाय च ||
Salutations to the one who appears to be serene, ferocious, and foolish,
But the one who is devoid of any qualities and is always alike.
Salutations to the great treasure of wisdom.
क्षेत्रज्ञाय नमस्तुभ्यं सर्वाध्यक्षाय साक्षिणे
पुरुषायात्ममूलाय मूलप्रकृतये नमः ||
Salutations to one who knows the form,
Who is lord and witness of everything,
Who is the Purusha and who is the seed of every being,
And salutations to the basic nature which exists.
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणद्रष्ट्रे सर्वप्रत्ययहेतवे
असता च्छाययोक्ताय सदाभासाय ते नमः ||
Salutations to one who watches the health of all senses,
And also the objectives of all such senses,
And to him who is the one who activates,
The immobile nature that follows you like a shadow.
नमो नमस्तेऽखिलकारणाय निष्कारणायाद्भुतकारणाय
सर्वागमाम्नायमहार्णवाय नमोऽपवर्गाय परायणाय ||
Salutations for him who is the cause of everything,
To him who is not caused by anything and also,
The wonderful cause which does not become what it causes,
Salutations to him who is the ocean of Thanthras,
To the personification of saintliness and refuge of the great.
गुणारणिच्छन्नचिदुष्मपाय तत्क्षोभविस्फूर्जितमानसाय
नैष्कर्म्यभावेन विवर्जितागम स्वयंप्रकाशाय नमस्करोमि ||
Salutations to him who hides similar to the fire of consciousness,
That is hidden in a piece of wood of qualities and characters,
Whose creative mind is aroused when the characters are disturbed,
Who comes shining before those who do detached actions.
मादृक्प्रपन्नपशुपाशविमोक्षणाय मुक्ताय भूरिकरुणाय नमोऽलयाय
स्वांशेन सर्वतनुभृन्मनसि प्रतीत प्रत्यग्दृशे भगवते बृहते नमस्ते ||
Salutations to the God of boundless compassion,
Who frees those ignorant beings from the ties of this world,
As soon as they surrender to him though,
He is ever free and is endowed to the great mercy,
And he also shines in the minds of all as their soul,
Though he is the limitless Para Brahman.
आत्मात्मजाप्तगृहवित्तजनेषु सक्तैर्दुष्प्रापणाय गुणसङ्गविवर्जिताय
मुक्तात्मभिः स्वहृदये परिभाविताय ज्ञानात्मने भगवते नम ईश्वराय ||
Salutations to that God, who is not attainable to those,
Who is attached to themselves, their sons, house, wealth, and friends,
Who himself is completely free of all attachments to senses,
And who is brought into their hearts by his devotees,
यं धर्मकामार्थविमुक्तिकामा भजन्त इष्टां गतिमाप्नुवन्ति
किं चाशिषो रात्यपि देहमव्ययं करोतु मेऽदभ्रदयो विमोक्षणम ||
Whosoever prays you for Dharma,
Desire, wealth or salvation,
They get their desires fulfilled,
And even when your devotees,
Do not ask anything from you,
You give them an imperishable body,
And I request from you salvation for me.
एकान्तिनो यस्य न कञ्चनार्थं वाञ्छन्ति ये वै भगवत्प्रपन्नाः
अत्यद्भुतं तच्चरितं सुमङ्गलं गायन्त आनन्दसमुद्रमग्नाः ||
Those devotees who in loneliness, pray you,
Without wanting gold or similar things,
And are not even desirous of salvation,
And sing your wonderful story,
Drown themselves in the ocean of bliss.
तमक्षरं ब्रह्म परं परेशमव्यक्तमाध्यात्मिकयोगगम्यम
अतीन्द्रियं सूक्ष्ममिवातिदूरमनन्तमाद्यं परिपूर्णमीडे ||
I sauté that complete God who never dies,
Who is the divine God much beyond Lord Brahma,
Who is not clear and is available for spiritual seekers,
Who is beyond senses like the very micro things,
And who does not have an end and is primeval.
यस्य ब्रह्मादयो देवा वेदा लोकाश्चराचराः
नामरूपविभेदेन फल्ग्व्या च कलया कृताः ||
I salute him from whose very microforms are created.
Brahma and others, devas, all worlds, all moving and stable beings,
Assuming very different names and bearing fruit.
यथार्चिषोऽग्नेः सवितुर्गभस्तयो निर्यान्ति संयान्त्यसकृत्स्वरोचिषः
तथा यतोऽयं गुणसम्प्रवाहो बुद्धिर्मनः खानि शरीरसर्गाः ||
Similar to the heat generating from the fire,
And rays generating from Sun, ultimately,
Merges into the form from where they came,
Wisdom, mind, senses and the body,
Originate from you and merge in you.
स वै न देवासुरमर्त्यतिर्यङ्न स्त्री न षण्ढो न पुमान्न जन्तुः
नायं गुणः कर्म न सन्न चासन्निषेधशेषो जयतादशेषः ||
He is not god, asura or man or animal,
He is not woman, eunuch or man or animal,
He is not characteristic, nor mobile or immobile,
And he is what is remaining after all these negotiations.
जिजीविषे नाहमिहामुया किमन्तर्बहिश्चावृतयेभयोन्या
इच्छामि कालेन न यस्य विप्लवस्तस्यात्मलोकावरणस्य मोक्षम ||
I do not desire to survive for what I have to do here,
As an elephant enveloped inside out, by ignorance,
I do desire that this veil of ignorance is lifted,
And I get salvation from this world as an elephant.
सोऽहं विश्वसृजं विश्वमविश्वं विश्ववेदसम
विश्वात्मानमजं ब्रह्म प्रणतोऽस्मि परं पदम ||
I salute that God who created the universe,
Who is the universe but is different from it,
Who knows the universe, who is the soul of the universe,
Who is devoid of birth and is the divine Brahmam.
योगरन्धितकर्माणो हृदि योगविभाविते
योगिनो यं प्रपश्यन्ति योगेशं तं नतोऽस्म्यहम ||
I worship that God of Yoga,
Whom only the Yogis who have burnt their Karma,
Can visualize by their heart,
And see him by the practice of yoga.
नमो नमस्तुभ्यमसह्यवेग शक्तित्रयायाखिलधीगुणाय
प्रपन्नपालाय दुरन्तशक्तये कदिन्द्रियाणामनवाप्यवर्त्मने ||
Salutations to him whose threefold power is unstoppable,
Who has all the characteristics, Who protects those who surrender to him,
And who cannot be attained by those who have not won over their senses?
नायं वेद स्वमात्मानं यच्छक्त्याहंधिया हतम
तं दुरत्ययमाहात्म्यं भगवन्तमितोऽस्म्यहम ||
I am searching that God, whose power can never be surpassed,
And due to the illusion of ego created by him , people think that ,
Their body is their soul and they are not able to understand their real soul.
श्रीशुक उवाच ||
एवं गजेन्द्रमुपवर्णितनिर्विशेषं
ब्रह्मादयो विविधलिङ्गभिदाभिमानाः
नैते यदोपससृपुर्निखिलात्मकत्वात
तत्राखिलामरमयो हरिराविरासीत ||
तं तद्वदार्तमुपलभ्य जगन्निवासः
स्तोत्रं निशम्य दिविजैः सह संस्तुवद्भिः
छन्दोमयेन गरुडेन समुह्यमानश
चक्रायुधोऽभ्यगमदाशु यतो गजेन्द्रः ||
सोऽन्तःसरस्युरुबलेन गृहीत आर्तो
दृष्ट्वा गरुत्मति हरिं ख उपात्तचक्रम
उत्क्षिप्य साम्बुजकरं गिरमाह कृच्छ्रान
नारायणाखिलगुरो भगवन्नमस्ते ||
तं वीक्ष्य पीडितमजः सहसावतीर्य
सग्राहमाशु सरसः कृपयोज्जहार
ग्राहाद्विपाटितमुखादरिणा गजेन्द्रं
संपश्यतां हरिरमूमुचदुच्छ्रियाणाम ||
Gajendra Moksha Stotram Sampoornam |
