vishnustotramgajendrabhagavata-purana

Gajendra Moksha Stotram

गजेन्द्रमोक्ष स्तोत्रम्

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Early morning (Brahma Muhurta) after a bath; especially on Ekadashi, Dvadashi and in times of distress·📜 Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Eighth Canto (chapters 2-4)

Also known as: gajendra moksha · gajendra moksham · gajendra moksha stuti · gajendra moksha stotram lyrics · om namo bhagavate tasmai

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Gajendra Moksha Stotram is the celebrated prayer of Gajendra, the king of elephants, from the Eighth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Seized by a powerful crocodile and exhausted after a thousand-year struggle, Gajendra abandons all reliance on his own strength and surrenders wholly to the Supreme Lord, praising Him as the formless, all-pervading source of creation. The moment his prayer becomes free of all selfish desire, Lord Vishnu appears on Garuda and frees him. It is cherished as the supreme hymn of surrender (sharanagati) and of the Lord's certain protection for those who call upon Him.

Origin & Story

Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Eighth Canto (chapters 2-4) · Veda Vyasa (as narrated by Shuka to King Parikshit) · Puranic

The Gajendra Moksha is narrated by Shukadeva Goswami to King Parikshit in the Eighth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Gajendra, king of the elephants, had been the pious king Indradyumna in a former life, cursed by sage Agastya to take an elephant's body. Seized by a crocodile (a Gandharva named Huhu, fallen by the curse of sage Devala) while drinking at a lake, Gajendra fought for a thousand years until utterly spent. Surrendering every other hope, he recited this prayer — the supreme jaapya he had learned in his previous birth — addressing the Lord not by any sectarian name but as the formless, all-pervading source of all. Pleased by such pure, desireless surrender, Lord Hari appeared upon Garuda, severed the crocodile's jaws with His Sudarshana Chakra, and lifted Gajendra from the water, granting both him and the crocodile liberation.

✦ As told in scripture

The Bhagavata declares that the very instant Gajendra's prayer became free of all selfish motive and he sought the Lord alone, Sri Hari, who dwells in the hearts of all, abandoned His own abode and rushed on Garuda to the lake — delivering the elephant before any other god could respond. Devotees hold that the Lord still comes with the same swiftness to any soul who, having exhausted every other resource, cries out to Him in complete surrender.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

श्रीशुक उवाच - एवं व्यवसितो बुद्ध्या समाधाय मनो हृदि । जजाप परमं जाप्यं प्राग्जन्मन्यनुशिक्षितम् ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca - evaṃ vyavasito buddhyā samādhāya mano hṛdi | jajāpa paramaṃ jāpyaṃ prāg-janmany-anuśikṣitam ||

Meaning:Sri Shuka said: Thus resolved in his mind and fixing his consciousness within his heart, Gajendra began to recite the supreme prayer he had learned in a previous birth.

Verse 2

श्रीगजेन्द्र उवाच - ॐ नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम् । पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि ॥

śrī-gajendra uvāca - oṃ namo bhagavate tasmai yata etac-cid-ātmakam | puruṣāyādi-bījāya pareśāyābhidhīmahi ||

Meaning:Gajendra said: Om. I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Lord from whom this whole conscious creation has sprung. We meditate upon Him, the Supreme Person, the original seed of everything, the Lord of all.

Verse 3

यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम् । योऽस्मात्परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम् ॥

yasminn-idaṃ yataś-cedaṃ yenedaṃ ya idaṃ svayam | yo'smāt-parasmāc-ca paras-taṃ prapadye svayambhuvam ||

Meaning:In whom this universe rests, from whom it arises, by whom it exists, and who is Himself this universe — to Him, the self-existent one who is beyond the highest, I surrender.

Verse 4

यः स्वात्मनीदं निजमाययार्पितं क्वचिद्विभातं क्व च तत्तिरोहितम् । अविद्धदृक्साक्ष्युभयं तदीक्षते स आत्ममूलोऽवतु मां परात्परः ॥

yaḥ svātmanīdaṃ nija-māyayārpitaṃ kvacid-vibhātaṃ kva ca tat-tirohitam | aviddha-dṛk-sākṣy-ubhayaṃ tad-īkṣate sa ātma-mūlo'vatu māṃ parāt-paraḥ ||

Meaning:This creation is projected by His own maya upon His own Self — sometimes manifest, sometimes withdrawn. He, the untainted witness, sees both states. May that self-rooted Lord, greater than the greatest, protect me.

Verse 5

कालेन पञ्चत्वमितेषु कृत्स्नशो लोकेषु पालेषु च सर्वहेतुषु । तमस्तदासीद् गहनं गभीरं यस्तस्य पारेऽभिविराजते विभुः ॥

kālena pañcatvam-iteṣu kṛtsnaśo lokeṣu pāleṣu ca sarva-hetuṣu | tamas-tadāsīd gahanaṃ gabhīraṃ yas-tasya pāre'bhivirājate vibhuḥ ||

Meaning:When, in the course of time, all the worlds, their rulers, and all causes are dissolved into oneness, only deep, impenetrable darkness remains; yet the all-pervading Lord shines resplendent beyond that darkness. May He protect me.

Verse 6

न यस्य देवा ऋषयः पदं विदु- र्जन्तुः पुनः कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम् । यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो दुरत्ययानुक्रमणः स मावतु ॥

na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṃ vidur- jantuḥ punaḥ ko'rhati gantum-īritum | yathā naṭasyākṛtibhir-viceṣṭato duratyayānukramaṇaḥ sa māvatu ||

Meaning:Neither the gods nor the sages can comprehend His position — how then can an ordinary creature describe or reach Him? Like an actor who assumes many forms, His ways are impossible to trace. May that Lord protect me.

Verse 7

नमो नमस्तुभ्यमसह्यवेग- शक्तित्रयायाखिलधीगुणाय । प्रपन्नपालाय दुरन्तशक्तये कदिन्द्रियाणामनवाप्यवर्त्मने ॥

namo namas-tubhyam-asahya-vega- śakti-trayāyākhila-dhī-guṇāya | prapanna-pālāya duranta-śaktaye kad-indriyāṇām-anavāpya-vartmane ||

Meaning:Obeisances again and again to You, who wield the irresistible threefold power (of the gunas), who are the source of all intelligence, the protector of the surrendered, of endless might, the path that the uncontrolled senses can never reach.

Verse 8

यं धर्मकामार्थविमुक्तिकामा भजन्त इष्टां गतिमाप्नुवन्ति । किं चाशिषो रात्यपि देहमव्ययं करोतु मेऽदभ्रदयो विमोक्षणम् ॥

yaṃ dharma-kāmārtha-vimukti-kāmā bhajanta iṣṭāṃ gatim-āpnuvanti | kiṃ cāśiṣo rāty-api dehama-vyayaṃ karotu me'dabhra-dayo vimokṣaṇam ||

Meaning:Those who desire dharma, pleasure, wealth, or liberation worship Him and attain their wished-for goal; He even grants an imperishable body. May that Lord of boundless mercy grant me deliverance.

Verse 9

एकान्तिनो यस्य न कञ्चनार्थं वाञ्छन्ति ये वै भगवत्प्रपन्नाः । अत्यद्भुतं तच्चरितं सुमङ्गलं गायन्त आनन्दसमुद्रमग्नाः ॥

ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṃ vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ | aty-adbhutaṃ tac-caritaṃ su-maṅgalaṃ gāyanta ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ ||

Meaning:His unalloyed devotees, who have fully surrendered to the Lord, desire nothing whatsoever; immersed in an ocean of bliss, they sing of His most wondrous and auspicious deeds.

Verse 10

तस्मै नमः परेशाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये । अरूपायोरुरूपाय नम आश्चर्यकर्मणे ॥

tasmai namaḥ pareśāya brahmaṇe'nanta-śaktaye | arūpāyoru-rūpāya nama āścarya-karmaṇe ||

Meaning:Obeisances to that Supreme Lord, the limitless Brahman of infinite power, who though formless possesses unlimited forms — obeisances to Him of wondrous deeds.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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ॐ नमो भगवते तस्मै🔊oṃ namo bhagavate tasmaiOm, I offer obeisances to that Supreme Lord (Bhagavan)

यत एतत् चिदात्मकम्🔊yata etat cid-ātmakamfrom whom this entire creation, made of consciousness, has come

पुरुषाय🔊puruṣāyato the Supreme Person (Purusha)

आदिबीजाय🔊ādi-bījāyathe original seed and cause of all

परेशाय अभिधीमहि🔊pareśāya abhidhīmahithe Supreme Controller — upon Him we meditate

यस्मिन् इदम्🔊yasmin idamin whom this universe rests

यतः च इदम्🔊yataś ca idamfrom whom this universe arises

तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम्🔊taṃ prapadye svayambhuvamI take refuge in Him, the self-existent (Svayambhu)

निजमायया अर्पितम्🔊nija-māyayā arpitamprojected by His own divine power (maya)

अविद्धदृक् साक्षी🔊aviddha-dṛk sākṣīthe untainted witness whose vision is never obscured

स आत्ममूलः अवतु माम्🔊sa ātma-mūlaḥ avatu māmmay He, the self-rooted source of all, protect me

परात्परः🔊parāt-paraḥgreater than the greatest, transcendental

तमः तदा आसीत् गहनं गभीरम्🔊tamas tadā āsīt gahanaṃ gabhīramthen there remained only deep, impenetrable darkness (at dissolution)

यस्य पारे अभिविराजते विभुः🔊yasya pāre abhivirājate vibhuḥthe all-pervading Lord who shines beyond that darkness

न यस्य देवाः ऋषयः पदं विदुः🔊na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṃ viduḥwhose true nature neither the gods nor the sages can know

प्रपन्नपालाय🔊prapanna-pālāyato the protector of those who surrender to Him

दुरन्तशक्तये🔊duranta-śaktayeto the one of limitless, fathomless power

अदभ्रदयः🔊adabhra-dayaḥthe one of boundless mercy

करोतु मे विमोक्षणम्🔊karotu me vimokṣaṇammay He grant me liberation (deliverance)

आनन्दसमुद्रमग्नाः🔊ānanda-samudra-magnāḥimmersed in an ocean of bliss (the surrendered devotees)

अरूपाय उरुरूपाय🔊arūpāya uru-rūpāyato the formless one who yet has unlimited forms

नमः आश्चर्यकर्मणे🔊namaḥ āścarya-karmaṇeobeisances to the one of wondrous, marvellous deeds

Benefits of Chanting Gajendra Moksha Stotram

✦

Regarded as the supreme hymn of total surrender (sharanagati) to the Lord

✦

Believed to invoke the Lord's immediate protection in moments of grave danger and distress

✦

Frees the mind from fear, helplessness and dependence on one's own limited strength

✦

Traditionally recited for relief from disease, debt, enemies and life-threatening crises

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Cultivates pure, desireless devotion that seeks the Lord alone and not His gifts

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Said to grant liberation (moksha) at the end of life, as it did for Gajendra

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Recitation at dawn is held to remove the burden of accumulated sins

How to Chant Gajendra Moksha Stotram

Repetitions1times

Best TimeEarly morning (Brahma Muhurta) after a bath; especially on Ekadashi, Dvadashi and in times of distress

Bathe and sit facing east before an image of Lord Vishnu. Light a lamp and recite the Gajendra Moksha Stotram slowly with full attention, contemplating Gajendra's complete surrender. The Bhagavata states that the Lord rises to protect the helpless the instant the devotee gives up all other shelter, so chant with a heart that relies on Him alone. It may be recited daily, or read in full during illness, danger or moments of helplessness, and is traditionally read for the welfare of the departed.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is the prayer offered by Gajendra, the king of elephants, recorded in the Eighth Canto (chapters 2-4) of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. While being dragged into a lake by a crocodile, Gajendra surrendered to the Supreme Lord with this hymn, and Lord Vishnu appeared and delivered him. 'Gajendra Moksha' means 'the liberation of Gajendra'.

Gajendra, a mighty elephant-king, went to a lake to drink and was seized by the leg by a powerful crocodile. They struggled for a thousand celestial years until the elephant's strength failed. Realising no earthly power could save him, Gajendra offered a lotus with his trunk and prayed to the Lord. The moment his prayer became free of all ego and self-interest, Lord Vishnu came on Garuda, killed the crocodile with His discus, and liberated Gajendra. The crocodile was a Gandharva freed from a curse.

Tradition reads it as an allegory of the soul. Gajendra is the jiva (individual soul), the crocodile is samsara (worldly entanglement) that grips ever tighter the more one struggles with one's own strength, and the lake is material existence. Deliverance comes only when the soul gives up self-reliance and surrenders completely to the Lord.

It is recited in times of danger, disease, debt or distress as a prayer for the Lord's protection, and daily by devotees as a hymn of surrender. It is considered especially powerful on Ekadashi and Dvadashi, and is traditionally read for the peace and liberation of those who have passed away.