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Chapter
3: Gajendra's
Prayers
of
Surrender
(1) The
son
of
Vyâsa
[S'uka]
said:
'With
that
decision
he
[Gajendra]
lead by his
intelligence focussed his mind on his heart by reciting a supreme
prayer he had practiced in a previous birth [see also B.G. 6:
43-44]. (2) S'rî
Gajendra
said:
'My
obeisances
unto
the
Original
One,
the
Supreme
Godhead
who
moves
this
materially
controlled
existence to
consciousness,
let me meditate upon Him, that personality who is the root cause, the
Supreme Controller.
(3) The
universe
rests
in
Him,
exists
because of Him and originates from Him, I surrender to Him,
that independent Godhead who is our cause and who is transcendental
to us. (4) He
who
from His own energy expanded this cosmic manifestation that sometimes
is manifest and sometimes has vanished, in both cases oversees all and everything as the witness. I beg that
root
Soul, the Supreme
Transcendence of the beyond, to protect me! (5) When in due
course of
time everything in this world has
come to naught, when all
the worlds and all their maintainers and directors and everything that was active, has ended, there is a dense and deep
darkness, above and beyond which He, the Almighty One is
radiating. (6) When
a
dancer
dances
it
is
difficult to understand the different appearances he makes. The same
way the gods, the sages and the common creatures cannot understand His
movements nor express them in words. May He who is so hard to grasp
give me protection. (7) The
Lord of those who long to see His
all-auspicious lotus feet, of those who are free from all attachment,
of
the great sages who faultless in the forest, highly elevated above the
material world practice their vows in accordance with the different
spiritual positions in life [the âs'ramas], the Lord of
those who are equal and friendly towards all, He is my destination. (8-9) He
who
is without birth has
no karma, no name or a form, nor does He have qualities or faults. He
who is the destruction and the creation of this cosmic manifestation,
nevertheless by His own potency occasionally engages in [personal]
activities [as an avatâra]. I offer Him my respects, the
transcendental Lord, the Controller, the Supreme Brahman of unlimited
potency who without a form has
assumed forms and
performed so many wonderful activities. (10) I offer Him my
obeisances who is the enlightenment of the soul, the witness present
within all, the Supreme
Self, Him who defies description, the mind and even
consciousness. (11) For Him who by the ones inspired free from karmic
reactions can be reached through the mode of goodness, for the master
of emancipation and salvation and bestower of happiness, there is my
respectful reverence. (12) I
offer my obeisances
to the Lord of Peace, the Lord of Equilibrium who free from the modes
assumes the form of the modes in a dangerous or animal appearance [like with Nrisimha en Varâha]. I dedicate my prayers to the Lord of the diversity of
spiritual knowledge. (13) My
respects for the knower of the field [see B.G. 13:
1-5],
for You the superintendent of all, the witness and the Original Person
who are the primal source. You, the origin of the material
creation I offer my obeisances. (14) You
are the one whom
I respect
because You oversee the motives of the senses. You are the source of
all forms of belief concerning the apparent reality that one takes for
real because it is a reflection of You. With respect for that
reflection my reverence for You. (15) I offer You, the
causeless
supreme cause of all, my obeisances. You who are the miraculous
root cause of all, the science of the sacred tradition and the great
ocean, I honor, You the granter of liberation and the shelter of the
transcendentalist.
(16) I
honor Him who is
the fire
of consciousness hidden in the wood of the modes of nature, Him whose
[creative] spirit spurs into action when nature loses its equilibrium,
Him who personally reveals Himself to those who gave up on the formal approach because of
their spiritual understanding. (17) I offer my
obeisances to Him, the immaculacy
of infinite mercy, who releases
a surrendered animal like
me from being entangled. You,
the Supreme Unlimited Lord, He who is celebrated as the direct witness
within, You who are ever
attentive by a single part of Your
self [the Paramâtmâ, see also B.G. 10:
42], I offer my respects. (18) You
are difficult to attain for everyone who is [overly] attached to his
mind and body,
to his offspring and relatives, to his home, wealth and support. But
for
those liberated souls who [absorbed in the soul] are not disturbed by
the modes of nature, You are present in the core of the heart [see B.G.
6:
47]. I offer
You upon whom one always meditates, You the reservoir of all spiritual
knowledge, You the Supreme Lord and Controller, my respects. (19) They who desire dharma, artha,
kâma and moksha
[the regulation of their civil virtue] worship Him and thus succeed in
attaining their desired objective, not to mention other
benedictions;
He even endows one with an immortal [spiritual] body. May His unlimited
mercy bring me salvation [see
also 2.3: 10 en 7.9: 27]. (20-21)
They who are fully surrendered to
the Supreme Lord
are, by reciting and hearing about His all-auspicious, wondrous
activities, immersed in an
ocean of transcendental bliss. With no other but Him as their purpose in
life, they do not desire any [other] benediction. He, the eternal and
Absolute Spirit of transcendence, the Supreme Master of all great
personalities, the unseen
Soul above and beyond all who in yoga can be reached [by devotional
service] is, because of His subtle
and elusive nature, out of reach of the senses. Him the unlimited,
all-inclusive origin I worship. (22-24)
The different moving and
nonmoving
entities, the Vedic
knowledge, the gods, Brahmâ and the one's belonging to him as
also His less important expansions, were created by the Lord
with all their names and forms. Just like sparks
that emanate from and merge with the fire and rays of light that
emanate
from en dissolve in the sun, there are similarly time and again the
manifestations from the modes of nature of creations and creatures of
intelligence and mind, senses and [of the gross and subtle aspect] of
the body, that as parts and parcels repeatedly originate from and merge
again with the Lord. He, [that fire,] is neither a
demigod nor a demon, neither a human being nor an animal, He is neither
feminine nor masculine, neither neuter nor another kind of creature. He
is
not the fruitive action
nor the mode of nature, neither the manifest nor the non-manifest; He
is the conclusion of the exclusion
[of this or that, of neti neti, see also 7.7:
23]. All hail to Him,
the One Unlimited!
(25) I do not want to live like this in the world. What is the use of this captivation from within and from without in being born as an elephant? I do not want the misery and destruction because of the time factor. I want to be liberated from that covering of my spiritual existence [see also 1.2: 3, 6.15: 16]! (26) I bow down before the transcendental shelter, the unborn Absolute Spirit who created the universe, who is the universe and who is beyond the universe, who is the knower of the universe and the soul of the universe. (27) The devotees and ascetics who with yoga subdued their karma see Him, the Lord of Yoga clearly in their hearts. I offer Him my obeisances. (28) My respects again and again for You, the force of whose threefold energy is formidable, You the intelligence of the completeness, the Lord of all qualities who shelters the surrendered souls and whose [deluding] potency [of mâyâ] is difficult to overcome [see B.G. 16: 21], You who are unattainable for those on the path of bad sense control. (29) I seek my refuge with Him, the Supreme Lord whose glories are unfathomable, whose Self is not known by the common man and by whose forces and intelligence I have been defeated.'
(30) S'rî S'uka said: 'Since he with this description was not directed at any particular personal appearance, Gajendra was not approached by any of the diverse appearances of Brahmâ's independent demigods. Instead of that choice of Gods the Lord in person appeared because He stands for the complete of them [compare B.G. 7: 20-23 and 9: 23; 4.31: 14]. (31) Hearing his prayer the Lord of all worlds who understood his plight then came as fast as He could, together with the denizens of heaven who offered their prayers. Carried by Garuda and equipped with His disc and other weapons he soon arrived where Gajendra was situated. (32) As soon as he, who in the water so violently was captured and was suffering, saw the Lord who on the back of Garuda raised His disc in the sky, he lifted his trunk holding a lotus flower and uttered with difficulty: 'Oh Nârâyana, Teacher of Completeness, oh Supreme Lord, You I offer my obeisances.' (33) Seeing him that pained the Unborn One so full of mercy alighted immediately and saved, before the eyes of all the godly ones present, him with His disc by severing the mouth from the crocodile its trunk and pulled Gajendra out of the water.'
(25) I do not want to live like this in the world. What is the use of this captivation from within and from without in being born as an elephant? I do not want the misery and destruction because of the time factor. I want to be liberated from that covering of my spiritual existence [see also 1.2: 3, 6.15: 16]! (26) I bow down before the transcendental shelter, the unborn Absolute Spirit who created the universe, who is the universe and who is beyond the universe, who is the knower of the universe and the soul of the universe. (27) The devotees and ascetics who with yoga subdued their karma see Him, the Lord of Yoga clearly in their hearts. I offer Him my obeisances. (28) My respects again and again for You, the force of whose threefold energy is formidable, You the intelligence of the completeness, the Lord of all qualities who shelters the surrendered souls and whose [deluding] potency [of mâyâ] is difficult to overcome [see B.G. 16: 21], You who are unattainable for those on the path of bad sense control. (29) I seek my refuge with Him, the Supreme Lord whose glories are unfathomable, whose Self is not known by the common man and by whose forces and intelligence I have been defeated.'
(30) S'rî S'uka said: 'Since he with this description was not directed at any particular personal appearance, Gajendra was not approached by any of the diverse appearances of Brahmâ's independent demigods. Instead of that choice of Gods the Lord in person appeared because He stands for the complete of them [compare B.G. 7: 20-23 and 9: 23; 4.31: 14]. (31) Hearing his prayer the Lord of all worlds who understood his plight then came as fast as He could, together with the denizens of heaven who offered their prayers. Carried by Garuda and equipped with His disc and other weapons he soon arrived where Gajendra was situated. (32) As soon as he, who in the water so violently was captured and was suffering, saw the Lord who on the back of Garuda raised His disc in the sky, he lifted his trunk holding a lotus flower and uttered with difficulty: 'Oh Nârâyana, Teacher of Completeness, oh Supreme Lord, You I offer my obeisances.' (33) Seeing him that pained the Unborn One so full of mercy alighted immediately and saved, before the eyes of all the godly ones present, him with His disc by severing the mouth from the crocodile its trunk and pulled Gajendra out of the water.'
