Stotra documents and pdfs. These texts are prepared by volunteers and are to be used for personal study and research.
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- Gajendra moksana - The Liberation of Gajendra. Gajendra Moksham is one of the most famous exploits of Vishnu in Srimad Bhagavatam. A recitation of this episode early in the morning has great immortal powers like the recitation of the sacred hymn Sri Vishnu Sahasranama.
- Gajendra Moksha Stotram is a prayer to Lord Vishnu by Gajendra, the King of Elephants, when a crocodile caught hold of him. Lord Vishnu comes down to Earth and protects him. There is also a temple associated with this legend.
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Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559-1632) was the celebrated author of Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in Sanskrit verse which is a masterly summary of the main episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam. He was a scholar in the Sanskrit Language and its grammar on which he wrote his masterpiece Prakriya-sarvaswam which sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini the grammarian.
Narayana Bhattathiri was born in a Namboodiri family of Kerala. He was a disciple of Achyuta Pisharati from whom he studied Sanskrit grammar. As a student he also studied the Rig Veda and Tarka Sastra (the science of logical reasoning and argument).
Bhattathiri was struck with paralysis when he was still young. The disease was painful and Ezhuthachan the author of Adhyatma Ramayana advised Bhattathiri “meen thottu koottuka” which in Malayalam meant ‘take fish as food’ or ‘start counting from fish’. It was obvious that the erudite Ezhuthachan would not have advised Bhattathiri, a Nambooiri brahmin, to eat fish since Namboodiri brahmins are staunch vegetarians. Bhattathiri figured out that the meaning of ‘start counting from fish’ was that he (Bhattathiri) should start recounting the incarnations of the Lord starting from the matsyavatara(incarnation as fish to redeem the Vedas from the asura named Hayagreeva) and go on upto the incarnation of Lord Krishna.
Bhattathiri took the advise and wrote his Magnum Opus based on Srimad Bhagavatam which chronicles the many incarnations of Mahavishnu and expounds the highest philosophy of the Hindus embodied in the Upanishads. He dedicated his work to Lord Krishna, fondly called by devotees as Guruvayoorappan, at the temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala. The work consists of 100 dasakas each containing 10 verses. However, a few dasakas contain more than ten verses so that the total number of slokas is not 1000 but 1034.
Legend has it that Bhattathiri composed one dasaka a day in the presence of the Lord and recited it before Him for His approval and the Lord did nod his head in agreement. The composition is directly addressed to the Lord telling him His own exploits and leelas. The refrain in the last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayoor to remove his (Bhattathiri’s) ailments and sufferings. The Lord did cure Bhattathiri of his affliction by the time he completed Narayaneeyam and also revealed to him His captivating form which Bhattathiri has captured ecstatically in the 100th dasakam
Given below is a reproduction of Dasaka 26 from Narayaneeyam which summarise the episode of Gajendra Moksham narrated in detail in chapters 2-4 of the 8th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. A simple transalation in English is given for the benefit of those who cannot follow the original.
गजेन्द्रमोक्षम्
स्त्वत्भक्तात्मा चन्दनाद्रौ कदाचित् ।
नैवागस्त्यं प्राप्तमातिथ्यकामम् ॥१॥
Indradyumna, king of Pandyakhanda and a devotee of yours, was, once upon a time, completely immersed in your service at Chandanadri and so did not notice that Agstya rishi had come there as a guest seeking hospitality.
स्तब्धात्मा त्वं हस्तिभूयं भजेति ।
हस्तीन्द्रत्वं त्वत्स्मृतिव्यक्तिधन्यम् ॥२॥
Agastya became full of anger and, cursing the King saying ‘because of your indifference may you become an elephant’, left the place. Indradyumna was transformed into an elephant and became the king of the herd but was fortunate in retaining your remembrance even as an elephant.
दुग्धांभोधेर्मध्यभाजि त्रिकूटॆ
सर्वान् जन्तूनत्यवर्तिष्ठ शक्त्या
The elephant, himself leader of the herd, engaged itself in playful activities with she-elephants in the valleys of Trikuta mountain situated at the centre of the milky ocean. It surpassed all animals in the forest in physical strength. Where is it that a devotee of yours cannot get the top position?
सोऽयं खेदानप्रजानन् कदाचित् ।
यूथैस्सार्धं त्वत्प्रणुन्नोऽभिरेमे ॥४॥
The elephant, by his own power and the power of the divine place, led his life without encountering any problem whatsoever. Once, to escape the heat of the Sun, he entered a lake in the valley of the mountain along with his herd and, prompted by you O Lord!, engaged himself in water sports.
हूहूस्तावद्देवलस्यापि शापात्
जग्राहैनं हस्तिनं पाददेशे
A Gandharva named Huhu who had become an alligator (crocodile) by the curse of Rishi Devala was also living in the same lake. The alligator caught hold of the elephant by its leg. You create problems for your devotees only to bestow on them peace and happiness.
त्वत्सेवाया वैभवाद्दुर्निरोधं
प्राप्ते कले त्वत्पदौकाग्र्यसिद्ध्यै
By the power of his devotion to You the elephant fought with the alligator, without interruption, for a thousand years. Then, at an appropriate moment, You made the elephant succumb to the strength of the alligator in order to instil in him one-pointed devotion at your feet.
आर्तिव्यक्तप्राक्तनज्ञानभक्तिः
पूर्वाभ्यस्तं निर्विशेषात्मनिष्ठं
Gajendra Moksha
In extreme distress the elephant recollected the bhatki (devotion) and gnana (spiritual knowledge) of his previous birth and, lifting up with his trunk lotus flowers from the lake, worshipped you chanting a hymn on the Absolute Brahman which he had practised in his earlier birth.
श्रुत्वा स्तोत्रं निर्गुणस्थं समस्तं
सर्वात्मा त्वं भूरिकारुण्यवेगात्
Listening to the hymn on Nirguna Brahman chanted by the elephant, Brahma, Siva and others excused themselves saying that they were not being called. Then You, the indwelling spirit in every being, moved by extreme compassion, manifested yourself before the elephant riding on Garuda.
हस्तीन्द्रं तं हस्तपद्मेन धृत्वा
Gajendra Moksham Pdf
गन्धर्वेऽस्मिन् मुक्तशापे स हस्ती
Lifting up the elephant with your lotus hands, you cut asunder the alligator with your disc. The Gandharva (who had become the alligator by the curse of Devala) was released from his curse and the elephant, taking on the same form as yours (saroopyam), shone in his splendour.
Potana Gajendra Moksham
गायेत् सोऽयं भूयसे श्रेयसे स्यात् ।
धिष्ण्यं विष्णो ! पाहि वातालयेश! ॥१०॥
Gajendra Moksham Sanskrit Pdf
O Vishnu, Lord of Gurvayur! saying “whosoever recites this story and thinks about you and me at daybreak will achieve great prosperity and happiness“, you repaired to your abode along with your devotee. Please save me (from my afflictions)