Photo from South Africa (Metro,London)
By London swaminathan
Gajendra moksha is one of the most popular stories in India. This story of the crocodile and the elephant appears in Bhagavatha, the story of Vishnu. It has not only influenced literature but also arts. We have pictures and sculptures, idols and paintings from Gupta days to modern day. Calendars carry this picture. Children listen to this story with rapt attention. This is the story that tells us the moral that faith will bring God to your doorstep. Complete surrender to God will cure one of all the troubles.
We see it from Gupta period sculptures to paper drawings of Brooklyn Museum, USA. The story is very simple. Gajendra was the king of the elephants. One day he went to the forest lake to drink water. He was caught by a crocodile. He tried very hard to release himself from the grip of the crocodile. When he failed to get out of the water all his friends and relatives tried but in vain. At last, the king of the elephant cried for help by calling the name of Narayana (Vishnu). The all powerful God flew from heaven on his vehicle Garuda (eagle) and fired his Sudarchana Chakra.
Sudarsana chakra was the first Boomerang known to the world. Like the Australian aborigines Boomerang, it would hit the target and comeback to the person who fired it. So sudarsana wheel went and cut off the head of the crocodile and Gajendra thanked God by giving him lotus flowers.
Believe it or not it happened in Africa very recently. But the God was not involved in it. A baby elephant went for water in a marshy area. Suddenly a crocodile appeared from nowhere and caught its trunk. Baby elephant struggled hard to release itself. While it was still struggling, all the elephants in the herd came for its help and drove the crocodile by trumpeting and stamping. After it was saved, all the elephants of the herd stayed around the baby elephant for a while to make sure it was OK.
This elephant and crocodile story happened in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The news papers in western countries published this story with pictures. They compared this incident to a story in Rudyard Kipling’s book which tells the tale of how the elephants got its trunk—a crocodile pulled it.
Photo credit:folknet
Crocodiles rarely attack elephants. But it is a familiar scene in Indian forests. Greatest of the Tamil poets Tiruvalluvar, who lived 1500 years ego sings about it. When he wrote a couplet about the strength of a crocodile and the elephants he must have thought Gajendra Moksha story. The meaning of the word Gajendra Moksha is Gaja=elephant, Indra= the leader or the king of, moksha=release/ liberation. Now read the couplet of Valluvar:
In deep waters the crocodile overpowers all; out of water, others overpower it (Kural 495).
A fierce elephant that has faced lancers, can be foiled by a fox, if it is stuck in a marshy ground (Kural 500)
The comparison between the strength of an elephant and a crocodile is in Panchatantra Stories as well.
Other animal stories by londonswaminathan:
Two Little animals that inspired Indians
Why do animals worship God?
Animal Einsteins
Tortoise mystery
Can parrot recite Vedas?
Can birds predict your future?
( The above posts are available in my blogs: swami)
