Gajendra Moksha Stotram — Benefits & How to Chant
गजेन्द्रमोक्ष स्तोत्रम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
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
Cultivates pure, desireless devotion that seeks the Lord alone and not His gifts
Said to grant liberation (moksha) at the end of life, as it did for Gajendra
Recitation at dawn is held to remove the burden of accumulated sins
How to Chant Gajendra Moksha Stotram
Instructions
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.
Spiritual Significance
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.
Origin & History
Source: Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Eighth Canto (chapters 2-4)
Author: Veda Vyasa (as narrated by Shuka to King Parikshit)
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.