vishnustotramgajendrabhagavata-purana

Gajendra Moksha Stotram

Gajendra Moksha Stotram in English · English

🕉️ 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)

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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oṃ namo bhagavate tasmai🔊Om, I offer obeisances to that Supreme Lord (Bhagavan)

yata etat cid-ātmakam🔊from whom this entire creation, made of consciousness, has come

puruṣāya🔊to the Supreme Person (Purusha)

ādi-bījāya🔊the original seed and cause of all

pareśāya abhidhīmahi🔊the Supreme Controller — upon Him we meditate

yasmin idam🔊in whom this universe rests

yataś ca idam🔊from whom this universe arises

taṃ prapadye svayambhuvam🔊I take refuge in Him, the self-existent (Svayambhu)

nija-māyayā arpitam🔊projected by His own divine power (maya)

aviddha-dṛk sākṣī🔊the untainted witness whose vision is never obscured

sa ātma-mūlaḥ avatu mām🔊may He, the self-rooted source of all, protect me

parāt-paraḥ🔊greater than the greatest, transcendental

tamas tadā āsīt gahanaṃ gabhīram🔊then there remained only deep, impenetrable darkness (at dissolution)

yasya pāre abhivirājate vibhuḥ🔊the all-pervading Lord who shines beyond that darkness

na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṃ viduḥ🔊whose true nature neither the gods nor the sages can know

prapanna-pālāya🔊to the protector of those who surrender to Him

duranta-śaktaye🔊to the one of limitless, fathomless power

adabhra-dayaḥ🔊the one of boundless mercy

karotu me vimokṣaṇam🔊may He grant me liberation (deliverance)

ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ🔊immersed in an ocean of bliss (the surrendered devotees)

arūpāya uru-rūpāya🔊to the formless one who yet has unlimited forms

namaḥ āścarya-karmaṇe🔊obeisances 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

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

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

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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

This page shows the complete Gajendra Moksha Stotram written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

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.