Gajendra, the lord of elephants, once entered a lake to bathe, when a mighty crocodile seized his leg in its jaws. For many years the two struggled, the elephant’s vast strength slowly failing against the relentless grip of the crocodile.

When at last his own power was exhausted, Gajendra understood that no strength of his could save him. Lifting a lotus in his trunk, he surrendered utterly and cried out to Lord Vishnu, the protector of all who take refuge in him.

At once the Lord came, mounted upon Garuda, and with his discus freed the elephant and slew the crocodile. It is said the crocodile was a celestial being freed at last from a curse, and Gajendra was granted liberation, his long ordeal ending in the Lord’s embrace.

The Moral

Gajendra Moksha teaches the power of complete surrender. So long as the elephant relied on his own strength he remained bound; the moment he gave himself wholly to the Lord, salvation came. It is the assurance that when every other support fails, a single sincere cry to the divine is never unheard.