WITH THE GREAT
By Bob King.[CC BY 2.0 creativecommons via Wikimedia commons]
16. AADHI MOOLAM!
THE FIRST CAUSE வாழ்முதலாகிய பொருளே
Gajendra Moksham is an episode that gladdens the hearts of all devotees. In the olden days, children used to learn about it in musical discourses. Now, our children only learn 'baa baa black sheep'!
That Lord Vishnu came to the rescue of an elephant is as much a tribute to the kindness of Bhagavan, as a celebration of the fact that devotion practised in a lifetime never goes waste.This is what the Gita assures us.
Na mae bhakta pranasyati 9.31
My devotee is never destroyed.
Paartha naiveha naamutra
vinaashasthasya vidyatae
Na hi kalyanakrut kaschid
durgatim thaatha gachchadi. 6.40
O Partha! One who strives after spiritual advance never comes to grief. There is destruction for him neither here (in this world) nor in the hereafter.
Poorvaabhyaasena thenaiva
hriyatae hyavashoapi sa: 6.44
By that previous practice alone, he is carried forward in spite of himself (in the next birth- mentioned in 6.41,42.)
Tyagaraja Swami celebrates this event in his kriti 'Ksheera sagara sayana':
Vaarana raajuni brovanu vaegame
vachchinathi vinnaanura.....Rama.
O Rama! I am aware how fast you came to rescue the king of the elephants.
In the kriti 'Mari mari ninne', he again sings:
Kari mora vini saraguna chana neeku
kaarana maemi sarvaantaryami!
O the One pervading everything! What is the reason you ran fast , hearing the pleading of a mere elephant?
So here Tyagaraja hints that there must have been a reason why Bhagavan ran so fast to rescue the elephant.
indianminiaturepaintings.blogspot.com.
This episode is covered in Skanda 8 of Srimad Bhagavatam, chapters 2-4. It is revealed there that Gajendra was the Pandya king Indradymnan in a previous birth: Raaja Paandyo Dravida saththama:. He was a great devotee of Bhagavan Vishnu, observing all the austerities (Vishnu vrata paraayana:), but was cursed by Agastya to be born an elephant. The crocodile was a gandharva in a previous birth, cursed by Rishi Devala. Both had their relief at the hands of Bhagavan.
We have heard that Gajendra called out "Oh,Aadhi Moolam". His actual prayer is very long, very learned, full of philosophical niceties! Bhagavatam says (chap.2, slokas 32 &33; chap 3,sloka 1) that Gajendra determined with its buddhi that its affliction was due to fate, that it could not come out of it by its own efforts. It focused its mind, and recalled the prayers it had said in the previous birth and started reciting them.
Aevam vyavasitho buddhya
samaadhaaya mano hrudi:
Jajaapa paramam jaapya
praag janma anusikshitam 3.1
So we see here the truth of Gita statement that what is done in one birth is never lost.
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Our delight Kambar sings about this:
போதகம் ஒன்று கன்றி இடங்கர்மாப் பொருத போரின்
ஆதியெம் பரமே யான் உன் அபயம் என்று அழைத்த அன்னாள்
வேதமும் முடிவு காணா மெய்ப்பொருள் வெளி வந்தெய்தி
மா துயர் துடைத்த வார்த்தை மறப்பரோ மறப்பிலாதார்.
our master Arunagiri sings about it with great exuberance in several hymns.
இசையுற வேயன் றசைவற வூதும்
எழிலறி வேழம் எனையாளென்
றிடர் கொடு மூலந் தொடர்வுடனோதும்
இடம் இமையாமுன் வருமாயன்.
(நசையொடு தோலும்)
ஆனைமடு வாயிலன்று மூலமென ஓலமென்ற
ஆதிமுதல் நாரணன்
(சால நெடுனாள் மடந்தை)
மலர்த்தே னோடையி லோர்மா வானதை
பிடித்தே நீள்கர வாதா டாழியை
மனத்தா லேவிய மாமால்
((அனுத்தே னோர்மொழி)
மதசிகரி கதறிமுது முதலைகவர் தரனெடிய
மடுநடுவில் வெருவியொரு விசைஆதி மூலமென
வருகருணை வரதன்
(சீர் பாத வகுப்பு )
Kambar, and following him Arunagiri, both state that Gajendra called out to Bhagavan as Aadhi moolam. And Arunagiri says that it called only once (oru visai). And Bhagavan acted with great compassion (varu karunai varadan, manaththaaleviya). And he came in the twinkling of an eye (imaiyaamun) And the one who came is the First Cause- Narayanan (aadhi mudhal Naaranan). The elephant surrendered completely, giving up all its efforts (yenai yaalendrothum, volam) [This is what Draupadi too did in the end]
This incident has several lessons for us. While God is compassionate, we have to seek it by appropriate sadhana. Otherwise, it amounts to saying that God is indiscriminate: if he rewards those who do sadhana, and those who do not, then why should anyone do any sadhana? Gajendra had done it in the previous birth. Thus the efforts made in one birth do surely benefit (affect) us in another- they never go in vain.
There is another interesting aspect. It is generally held that in the process of evolution, human birth is the last. One exists as stone, plant, animal, etc before being born as a human being. Can a man take an animal birth again? (Well, there are many who are animal like even in human form!) This episode shows that it is quite possible- reverse engineering,perhaps! Yet, Indradymna was lucky to be born an elephant. According to Indian philosophical and psychological insights, animals have 5 senses, while man has 6. But Tholkappiar states that some animals are also endowed with 6 senses.He gives the three specific examples of elephant, monkey and parrot! Even according to scientific evidence, the elephant is the most intelligent among animals, capable of a large range of human emotions and advanced communication, even across distances.
But the greatest message of this episode is one of hope- our devotion to God never goes waste!
Chitrashala Press, Pune c.1910.
NOTE:
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathri has, in his Narayaneeyam given us the essence of Bhagavatam.In the 26th Dasakam he has described the story of Gajendra moksham. He has also given us some rare insights. Gajendran had been a great devotee in the previous birth. Yet, why did he undergo this suffering? He answers:
प्राप्ते काले त्वत्पदैकाग्र्यसिध्यै
नक्राक्रान्तं हस्तिवर्यं व्यधास्त्वम् ॥६॥
Praapta kaale tvatpada aekaagrasiddhyai
Nakraakraantham hastivaryam vyadhasstvam. 6
Lord, did you not allow the elephant to be caught by the crocodile, when the time came for it to attain your Vaikunta? (tvat pada aekaagra siddhi= to attain unity with your place).
The implication is that it was necessary for Gajendra to go through this in order to shed any remaining feeling of ego- the sense of 'I'. It was only then that it gave up its own efforts and surrendered to Bhagavan fully.
हस्तीन्द्रं तं हस्तपद्मेन धृत्वा
चक्रेण त्वं नक्रवर्यं व्यदारी: ।
गन्धर्वेऽस्मिन् मुक्तशापे स हस्ती
त्वत्सारूप्यं प्राप्य देदीप्यते स्म ॥९॥
Hasteendram tam hastapadmaena dhrutvaa
chakraena tvam nakravaryam vyadaree:
Gandharvaesmin muktashaapae sa hastee
Tvatsaaroopyam praapya daedeepyatae sma. 9
Lord! You held that elephant king with your lotus-like hands and tore the huge crocodile with your Sudarshana. Released from its curse, it resumed its form as Gandharva. The elephant attained your Saroopyam ( a form of Liberation ).
This again is important. The crocodile too received Bhagavan's attention, but it only resumed the form of the Gandharva it had been. But the elephant attained Bhagavan's Saaroopyam!
Gandharva is a typal being- it cannot progress to Liberation. Only human being can, because of devotional sadhana. The elephant had done all the sadhana in the previous birth, and when it was released from its elephant body, it reached Bhagavan whom it had worshipped in the previous birth. This again shows the importance of the human birth and sadhana.
There may be people among us who wonder whether such things are possible. Such people should read the story of Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan, which served the Lord of Guruvayur for more than 50 years. It attained Bhagavan's feet in the Brahmamuhurtham on Guruvayur Ekadashi day, 2 December,1976,listening to the Keshadipada description from Narayaneeyam- Dasakam 100, with tears in its eyes, facing the temple, and with its raised trunk as its mark of prostration! And it had fasted the whole day!
from: shaijavalliketri.blogspot.in
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform!
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