Dhyaan dharey man sey mera
Karey na chit udaas
Samjhey mujhko har samay
Hardam apney paas
Ghat Ghat mein sansaar key vyaapak main bharpoor
Prem sey nitya sameep hoon
Prem nahin to door
These lines belong to the Bhagvad Geeta in Hindi by Pandit RadheyShyam from
Bareily. This Scripture, I have been reading and teaching youngsters since
the last 22 years.
The lines above are my favorite and they are spoken by Krishna to Arjuna
during the latter’s darkest hour.
Krishna says that man should meditate upon the Lord, not feel dejected and
think of the Lord, as always being at hand.
Krishna claims that He is present in abundance in every atom of the world.
To those who have love (and faith) in their heart, God is close by, to the
others He seems to be far away!
The following story that I am about to narrate is ‘Gajendra Moksha’ and
is a part of the Shrimad Bhaagvad.
It is written, that he who reads the story of Gajendra, his mind will be
purified and he will be received by the Lord God Himself at the time of his
death.
Gajendra was the King of elephants.
One hot day, he proceeded to the lake with his family to cool off in its
fresh waters.
But from within the lake a crocodile appeared who attacked him and would not
let go of him.
When the family and relatives saw ‘death’ coming close to Gajendra, and
everyone realised that everything was lost, they left Gajendra alone.
The symbolism so far:
Man is Gajendra
The world, is the lake where he plays the game of life with family and
others.
The crocodile is ‘Death and Difficulties’ which attack man.
The Lesson:
Neither family nor friend can liberate one from the clutch of death.
God answers your prayers.
It is said that ‘Nirbal key bal Ram’
Which means that God is the Strength of the Weak!
A lot of us make preparations for a journey from which one is meant to
return; yet we make none for death!
Most of us cry out to God when caught in hopeless situation.
And that is what Gajendra did!
You will notice that in the Bhaagvad, there are stories with a moral and
symbolisms.
Most stories have a beautiful prayer!
Gajendra prayed:
‘Please help me O Lord! Save me from the clutches of Death!
How can an ordinary mortal recognize You, when great sages find it hard to
achieve You? You are all merciful.
Take me to a place where there is no fear and death!
I am not asking you to save me from the clutch of the crocodile, or that I
should survive this attack! I am aware that I not only have a body of an
elephant but also a fat mind of an elephant! What is the use of keeping this
life? I want to be liberated from my Ignorant Mind which hides the
resplendent soul! I can only be saved by Your Grace!
It is said that if one recites the Gajendra Prayer, one achieves liberation
and freedom from frightening dreams!
The Lord rushed to Gajendra’s aid. The latter offered the Lord a lotus
flower.
God attacked the crocodile and saved His Loved One.
Gajendra, in his previous life was a great devotee called Indradyumna who
was also a great king. One day, Agastya, a great sage came to visit the
king. Indradyumna did not receive the Sage with the respect that the latter
expected. The enraged Agastya cursed the king to become an elephant in his
next birth, as he sat heavy on his seat and did not rise to greet him.
The crocodile in its last life was a king called HuHu in the Gandharva
planet. Once while enjoying himself in the waters, he pulled the leg of a
sage. The enraged sage cursed the king to become a crocodile in his next
life. The repentant HuHu asked for pardon. The Sage proclaimed that though
he could not retrieve the curse, the crocodile would be liberated from the
cycle of birth and death when Gajendra would be saved by the Lord God
Himself.
Those readers who have been with me so far will wonder why I quoted the
lines from the Geeta at the beginning of this note.
Well, those lines, as well as the story of Gajendra state that:
The Lord is close to those who call out to Him in full faith.
It does not matter if you have the body or intellect of an animal, all you
require is a loving heart and the conviction that God is closer than we can
possibly believe!
Gajendra Moksha Stuti (Prayer)
AUM NAMO BHAGAWATE TASMAY YAT ETCCHIDATMAKAM
PURUSHAAYAA DIBIJAAY PARESHAAYAABHI DHEEMAHEE
YASMINNIDUM YETASCCHEDUM YENEDUM EEDUM SWAYAM
YOSMAAT PARASMAASCH PARAH TUMPRAPADYE SWAYAMBHOOWAM
kankan_73 writes:
vedicravi
9840787957
vedicravi@xxxxxxxxx
www.vediclinks.net
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