The legend of Gajendra Moksham

The mythological story of 'Gajendra Moksham' makes for interesting reading in any day and age. The story originates in the Bhagvad Purana and advocates the principles of devotion, prayer and humility. The central figure is an elephant called Gajendra who is the King of a large herd of elephants. Proud of his status as King and vain in the affection of his many queens, Gajendra is a touch arrogant.

Matters came to a head one day when the herd, headed as usual by Gajendra, went to bathe in a lake. A crocodile in the lake attacked Gajendra and caught his foot in a vice-like grip with his jaws. Gajendra was trapped, his herd and queens failed to free him from the grip of his tormentor and fled from the scene. Feeling his strength ebbing away, he prayed to Lord Vishnu to save him.

The Lord flew to his rescue on the back of his celestial bird Garuda. On seeing him, Gajendra plucked a lotus from the surface of the lake and offered it to him as a mark of his devotion. Vishnu used his discus to destroy the crocodile and free Gajendra. This is the story of Gajendra Moksham. In symbolic terms, Gajendra - prior to being attacked is the symbol of an egotistic person who enjoys life; the crocodile depicts death and the other elephants in the herd are the friends who flee when a person is suffering. The message is that in times of suffering, only the Lord can provide salvation.

What is also interesting about this story is that it has lasted - mostly by bardic traditions - for centuries. Two most interesting examples are - the first, a Gupta period 5th century product, is a rock cut carved on the wall of the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh, Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The second is a Maratha era mural in Baroda in a haveli called Tambekar Wada. In the latter, the rescue is by Vishnu in his incarnation as Krishna, an interesting modification of the original story. What, however, is incredible that the legend has inspired iconography more than a thousand years.