THE DEVOTEE
Once upon a time, a king named Indradyumn ruled the Dravida country. He was a great worshipper of God. He had abdicated his kingdom and started a silent prayer on Malaya Mountain. Once he was engaged in his prayers when by chance sage Agastya arrived there. The sage saw that the king was engaged in prayers silently, on the contrary he should have been fulfilling his responsibilities of his kingdom and subjects and treating guests as a good householder. So the sage felt that the king was not following his duties. Hence, he got angry and cursed the king: "This king has not received proper preaching from his teachers and has given up altruism and has taken up whimsical actions. He has a mind as dull as an elephant. So may he take birth in elephant form".
Thus, cursing him, sage Agastya left. The king accepted the curse as his destiny. After his death, he took his next birth as an elephant at Trikoot Mountain. At the foothills of Trikoot Mountain, there was a beautiful garden 'Ritumaan' belonging to the sage Varuna. It had myriad kind of flowers and a large lake at the center. Many types of fauna thrived on the Trikoot Mountain. Among them also lived Gajaraj, the elephant along with many cows. He was the king of elephants. One day, perplexed by the scorching sun, Gajaraj descended the hills along with many other elephants and reached by the lake. Before entering the lake, the elephants quenched their thirst and then took bath in it. Then taking a lot of water in his trunk, Gajaraj began to sprinkle it over his fellow cows and baby elephants.
The elephants were thus busy in their play when a powerful crocodile got angry by the disturbance and took a firm hold of the elephant king's leg. Finding himself in trouble, the elephant tried its best to free itself but in vain. Seeing their king in trouble and struggling, all the fellow bull and cow elephants were feeling sorry with his plight. They too tried to set him free but soon gave up. The elephant and the crocodile both struggled with all their might. Being dragged repeatedly, the strength of the elephant had begun to vane now, whereas the crocodile continued to grow stronger. Now the crocodile began to drag the elephant more powerfully. Thus, finding him unable to get free, the elephant began to think that the crocodile was nothing but the noose of the Lord himself. So the elephant dedicated himself to the Lord and began to pray: "O omnipresent Lord, I salute you. You are the protector of all the beings, kindly protect me. O Almighty, as the sea is the ultimate refuge of all the waters, you are the ultimate refuge for all the creatures. Every creature takes shelter under your Kripa (kindness). O sea of kindness, you make no delay in the welfare of your devotees. I salute you. I am in your refuge. O Lord, protect me".
Kaal (the lord of death) is very powerful. God definitely saves those frightened by it and take refuge in Him. At the pitiable cries of Gajendra, Shri Hari (Lord Vishnu) appeared there at once. He saw Gajendra in great trouble. Seeing Narayana appearing there, Gajendra picked up a beautiful lotus in his trunk and said to Lord Vishnu: "O Lord, kindly accept my greetings". Along with Gajendra, Lord Vishnu pulled the crocodile out of the lake and tore its mouth by his Sudarshan chakra. The crocodile acquired a divine appearance. Previously, he was a demigod named Hu Hu. By the curse of a god, he had acquired such a form. Now by God's grace, he was freed of his sins. He bowed at the feet of God and went to his celestial abode. Touching God's feet, Gajendra too got free from the curse given to him by sage Agastya and again acquired the form of king Indrayumn.
Such is the power of the prayers for God that even in elephant's form, Indrayumn retained the memory of the Lord. Blessing him, Shri Hari made him one of his courtiers.
Once upon a time, a king named Indradyumn ruled the Dravida country. He was a great worshipper of God. He had abdicated his kingdom and started a silent prayer on Malaya Mountain. Once he was engaged in his prayers when by chance sage Agastya arrived there. The sage saw that the king was engaged in prayers silently, on the contrary he should have been fulfilling his responsibilities of his kingdom and subjects and treating guests as a good householder. So the sage felt that the king was not following his duties. Hence, he got angry and cursed the king: "This king has not received proper preaching from his teachers and has given up altruism and has taken up whimsical actions. He has a mind as dull as an elephant. So may he take birth in elephant form".
Thus, cursing him, sage Agastya left. The king accepted the curse as his destiny. After his death, he took his next birth as an elephant at Trikoot Mountain. At the foothills of Trikoot Mountain, there was a beautiful garden 'Ritumaan' belonging to the sage Varuna. It had myriad kind of flowers and a large lake at the center. Many types of fauna thrived on the Trikoot Mountain. Among them also lived Gajaraj, the elephant along with many cows. He was the king of elephants. One day, perplexed by the scorching sun, Gajaraj descended the hills along with many other elephants and reached by the lake. Before entering the lake, the elephants quenched their thirst and then took bath in it. Then taking a lot of water in his trunk, Gajaraj began to sprinkle it over his fellow cows and baby elephants.
The elephants were thus busy in their play when a powerful crocodile got angry by the disturbance and took a firm hold of the elephant king's leg. Finding himself in trouble, the elephant tried its best to free itself but in vain. Seeing their king in trouble and struggling, all the fellow bull and cow elephants were feeling sorry with his plight. They too tried to set him free but soon gave up. The elephant and the crocodile both struggled with all their might. Being dragged repeatedly, the strength of the elephant had begun to vane now, whereas the crocodile continued to grow stronger. Now the crocodile began to drag the elephant more powerfully. Thus, finding him unable to get free, the elephant began to think that the crocodile was nothing but the noose of the Lord himself. So the elephant dedicated himself to the Lord and began to pray: "O omnipresent Lord, I salute you. You are the protector of all the beings, kindly protect me. O Almighty, as the sea is the ultimate refuge of all the waters, you are the ultimate refuge for all the creatures. Every creature takes shelter under your Kripa (kindness). O sea of kindness, you make no delay in the welfare of your devotees. I salute you. I am in your refuge. O Lord, protect me".
Kaal (the lord of death) is very powerful. God definitely saves those frightened by it and take refuge in Him. At the pitiable cries of Gajendra, Shri Hari (Lord Vishnu) appeared there at once. He saw Gajendra in great trouble. Seeing Narayana appearing there, Gajendra picked up a beautiful lotus in his trunk and said to Lord Vishnu: "O Lord, kindly accept my greetings". Along with Gajendra, Lord Vishnu pulled the crocodile out of the lake and tore its mouth by his Sudarshan chakra. The crocodile acquired a divine appearance. Previously, he was a demigod named Hu Hu. By the curse of a god, he had acquired such a form. Now by God's grace, he was freed of his sins. He bowed at the feet of God and went to his celestial abode. Touching God's feet, Gajendra too got free from the curse given to him by sage Agastya and again acquired the form of king Indrayumn.
Such is the power of the prayers for God that even in elephant's form, Indrayumn retained the memory of the Lord. Blessing him, Shri Hari made him one of his courtiers.
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