vishnustotramgajendrabhagavata-purana

ගජේන්ද්රමෝක්ෂ ස්තෝත්රම්

ಗಜೇಂದ್ರಮೋಕ್ಷ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಂ in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ 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 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

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

ශ්රීශුක උවාච - ඒවං ව්යවසිතෝ බුද්ධ්යා සමාධාය මනෝ හෘදි . ජජාප පරමං ජාප්යං ප්රාග්ජන්මන්යනුශික්ෂිතම් ..

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

Meaning:ಶ್ರೀಶುಕದೇವ ಹೇಳಿದರು — ಈ ರೀತಿ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸಿ, ತನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಹೃದಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿರಗೊಳಿಸಿ ಗಜೇಂದ್ರನು ತಾನು ಪೂರ್ವಜನ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲಿತ ಆ ಪರಮ ಜಪವನ್ನು ಆರಂಭಿಸಿದನು.

Verse 2

ශ්රීගජේන්ද්ර උවාච - ඕං නමෝ භගවතේ තස්මෛ යත ඒතච්චිදාත්මකම් . පුරුෂායාදිබීජාය පරේශායාභිධීමහි ..

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

Meaning:ಗಜೇಂದ್ರ ಹೇಳಿದನು — ಓಂ. ಯಾರಿಂದ ಈ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಚಿನ್ಮಯ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಯಿತೋ ಆ ಭಗವಂತನಿಗೆ ನನ್ನ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಆ ಆದಿಪುರುಷನನ್ನು, ಎಲ್ಲರ ಆದಿಬೀಜವನ್ನು, ಪರಮೇಶ್ವರನನ್ನು ನಾವು ಧ್ಯಾನಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ.

Verse 3

යස්මින්නිදං යතශ්චේදං යේනේදං ය ඉදං ස්වයම් . යෝ(අ)ස්මාත්පරස්මාච්ච පරස්තං ප්රපද්යේ ස්වයම්භුවම් ..

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

Meaning:ಯಾರಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಜಗತ್ತು ಸ್ಥಿತವಾಗಿದೆಯೋ, ಯಾರಿಂದ ಇದು ಉದ್ಭವಿಸುತ್ತದೆಯೋ, ಯಾರಿಂದ ಇದು ಇದೆಯೋ, ಯಾರು ಸ್ವಯಂ ಈ ಜಗತ್ತೋ — ಆ ಸ್ವಯಂಭು, ಪರಾತ್ಪರ ಪ್ರಭುವನ್ನು ನಾನು ಶರಣು ಹೊಂದುತ್ತೇನೆ.

Verse 4

යඃ ස්වාත්මනීදං නිජමායයාර්පිතං ක්වචිද්විභාතං ක්ව ච තත්තිරෝහිතම් . අවිද්ධදෘක්සාක්ෂ්යුභයං තදීක්ෂතේ ස ආත්මමූලෝ(අ)වතු මාං පරාත්පරඃ ..

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

Meaning:ಈ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ ಅವನ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮಾಯೆಯಿಂದ ಅವನ ಆತ್ಮದಲ್ಲೇ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿದೆ — ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಪ್ರಕಟ, ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಲೀನ. ಆ ನಿರ್ಮಲ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ ಎರಡೂ ಅವಸ್ಥೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆ ಆತ್ಮಮೂಲ ಪರಾತ್ಪರ ಪ್ರಭು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಲಿ.

Verse 5

කාලේන පඤ්චත්වමිතේෂු කෘත්ස්නශෝ ලෝකේෂු පාලේෂු ච සර්වහේතුෂු . තමස්තදාසීද් ගහනං ගභීරං යස්තස්ය පාරේ(අ)භිවිරාජතේ විභුඃ ..

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

Meaning:ಕಾಲ ಬಂದಾಗ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಲೋಕಗಳು, ಅವುಗಳ ಪಾಲಕರು, ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಾರಣಗಳು ಏಕತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೀನವಾದಾಗ, ಕೇವಲ ಗಹನ-ಗಂಭೀರ ಅಂಧಕಾರ ಮಾತ್ರ ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ; ಆದರೆ ಆ ವಿಭು ಪ್ರಭು ಆ ಅಂಧಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಅತೀತವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವನು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಲಿ.

Verse 6

න යස්ය දේවා ඍෂයඃ පදං විදු- ර්ජන්තුඃ පුනඃ කෝ(අ)ර්හති ගන්තුමීරිතුම් . යථා නටස්යාකෘතිභිර්විචේෂ්ටතෝ දුරත්යයානුක්රමණඃ ස මාවතු ..

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

Meaning:ಯಾರ ಸ್ವರೂಪವನ್ನು ದೇವತೆಗಳು, ಋಷಿಗಳೂ ತಿಳಿಯಲಾರರೋ, ಇನ್ನು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪ್ರಾಣಿ ಅವನನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಬಲ್ಲ ಅಥವಾ ವರ್ಣಿಸಬಲ್ಲ? ನಟನು ಅನೇಕ ರೂಪಗಳನ್ನು ಧರಿಸುವಂತೆ, ಅವನ ಗತಿ ದುರ್ಜ್ಞೇಯ. ಆ ಪ್ರಭು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಲಿ.

Verse 7

නමෝ නමස්තුභ්යමසහ්යවේග- ශක්තිත්රයායාඛිලධීගුණාය . ප්රපන්නපාලාය දුරන්තශක්තයේ කදින්ද්රියාණාමනවාප්යවර්ත්මනේ ..

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

Meaning:ನಿಮಗೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಅಸಹ್ಯ ವೇಗದ ತ್ರಿಗುಣಾತ್ಮಕ ಶಕ್ತಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ, ಸಮಸ್ತ ಬುದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಮೂಲ, ಶರಣಾಗತರ ರಕ್ಷಕ, ಅನಂತ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಗಲವ, ಯಾರ ಮಾರ್ಗ ಅನಿಯಂತ್ರಿತ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಂದೂ ಲಭಿಸದೋ.

Verse 8

යං ධර්මකාමාර්ථවිමුක්තිකාමා භජන්ත ඉෂ්ටාං ගතිමාප්නුවන්ති . කිං චාශිෂෝ රාත්යපි දේහමව්යයං කරෝතු මේ(අ)දභ්රදයෝ විමෝක්ෂණම් ..

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

Meaning:ಧರ್ಮ, ಕಾಮ, ಅರ್ಥ ಅಥವಾ ಮೋಕ್ಷವನ್ನು ಬಯಸುವವರು ಯಾರನ್ನು ಉಪಾಸಿಸಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಅಭೀಷ್ಟವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೋ, ಯಾರು ಅವಿನಾಶಿ ದೇಹವನ್ನೂ ಪ್ರಸಾದಿಸುತ್ತಾರೋ — ಆ ಅಪಾರ ದಯೆಯ ಪ್ರಭು ನನಗೆ ಮೋಕ್ಷವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಸಾದಿಸಲಿ.

Verse 9

ඒකාන්තිනෝ යස්ය න කඤ්චනාර්ථං වාඤ්ඡන්ති යේ වෛ භගවත්ප්රපන්නාඃ . අත්යද්භුතං තච්චරිතං සුමඞ්ගලං ගායන්ත ආනන්දසමුද්රමග්නාඃ ..

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

Meaning:ಯಾರು ಅವನ ಅನನ್ಯ ಭಕ್ತರೋ, ಭಗವಂತನಿಗೆ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಶರಣಾಗತರೋ, ಅವರು ಏನನ್ನೂ ಬಯಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ಆನಂದ ಸಮುದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿ ಅವರು ಅವನ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಅದ್ಭುತ, ಪರಮ ಮಂಗಳಕರ ಚರಿತ್ರೆಗಳನ್ನು ಗಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ.

Verse 10

තස්මෛ නමඃ පරේශාය බ්රහ්මණේ(අ)නන්තශක්තයේ . අරූපායෝරුරූපාය නම ආශ්චර්යකර්මණේ ..

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

Meaning:ಆ ಪರಮೇಶ್ವರನಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ, ಅನಂತ ಶಕ್ತಿಯ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ, ಅರೂಪನಾದರೂ ಅನೇಕ ರೂಪಗಳುಳ್ಳವ — ಆ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯಕರ್ಮ ಪ್ರಭುವಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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ඕං නමෝ භගවතේ තස්මෛ🔊oṃ namo bhagavate tasmaiOm, I offer obeisances to that Supreme Lord (Bhagavan)

යත ඒතත් චිදාත්මකම්🔊yata etat cid-ātmakamfrom whom this entire creation, made of consciousness, has come

පුරුෂාය🔊puruṣāyato the Supreme Person (Purusha)

ආදිබීජාය🔊ādi-bījāyathe original seed and cause of all

පරේශාය අභිධීමහි🔊pareśāya abhidhīmahithe Supreme Controller — upon Him we meditate

යස්මින් ඉදම්🔊yasmin idamin whom this universe rests

යතඃ ච ඉදම්🔊yataś ca idamfrom whom this universe arises

තං ප්රපද්යේ ස්වයම්භුවම්🔊taṃ prapadye svayambhuvamI take refuge in Him, the self-existent (Svayambhu)

නිජමායයා අර්පිතම්🔊nija-māyayā arpitamprojected by His own divine power (maya)

අවිද්ධදෘක් සාක්ෂී🔊aviddha-dṛk sākṣīthe untainted witness whose vision is never obscured

ස ආත්මමූලඃ අවතු මාම්🔊sa ātma-mūlaḥ avatu māmmay He, the self-rooted source of all, protect me

පරාත්පරඃ🔊parāt-paraḥgreater than the greatest, transcendental

තමඃ තදා ආසීත් ගහනං ගභීරම්🔊tamas tadā āsīt gahanaṃ gabhīramthen there remained only deep, impenetrable darkness (at dissolution)

යස්ය පාරේ අභිවිරාජතේ විභුඃ🔊yasya pāre abhivirājate vibhuḥthe all-pervading Lord who shines beyond that darkness

න යස්ය දේවාඃ ඍෂයඃ පදං විදුඃ🔊na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṃ viduḥwhose true nature neither the gods nor the sages can know

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

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

අදභ්රදයඃ🔊adabhra-dayaḥthe one of boundless mercy

කරෝතු මේ විමෝක්ෂණම්🔊karotu me vimokṣaṇammay He grant me liberation (deliverance)

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

අරූපාය උරුරූපාය🔊arūpāya uru-rūpāyato the formless one who yet has unlimited forms

නමඃ ආශ්චර්යකර්මණේ🔊namaḥ āścarya-karmaṇeobeisances to the one of wondrous, marvellous deeds

Benefits of Chanting ಗಜೇಂದ್ರಮೋಕ್ಷ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಂ

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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 ಗಜೇಂದ್ರಮೋಕ್ಷ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಂ

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 ಗಜೇಂದ್ರಮೋಕ್ಷ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಂ written in the Sinhala 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.