गजेंद्र मोक्ष – 14

हमारे गुरुवर्ग ने हमें निर्देश दिये है कि यदि संभव हो, श्रेष्ठ वैष्णवों के संग में प्रतिदिन श्रीमद्भागवत कथा का श्रवण करें। साधुओं से शास्त्र श्रवण को प्रधानता दी गयी है। दामोदर मास में,श्रीमद् भागवतम् के 8 वे स्कन्द से गजेंद्र मोक्ष लीला का पाठ करना अत्यंत मंगलकारी है। गजेंद्र मोक्ष लीला हमें भगवान में पूर्ण शरणागति की शिक्षा देती है।

श्रीगजेन्द्र उवाच
ॐ नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम्।
पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि॥
यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम्।
योऽस्मात् परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम्॥
य: स्वात्मनीदं निजमाययार्पितं
क्‍वचिद् विभातं क्‍व च तत् तिरोहितम्।
अविद्धद‍ृक् साक्ष्युभयं तदीक्षते
स आत्ममूलोऽवतु मां परात्पर:॥
कालेन पञ्चत्वमितेषु कृत्स्‍नशो
लोकेषु पालेषु च सर्वहेतुषु।
तमस्तदासीद् गहनं गभीरं
यस्तस्य पारेऽभिविराजते विभु:॥
न यस्य देवा ऋषय: पदं विदु-
र्जन्तु: पुन: कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम्।
यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो
दुरत्ययानुक्रमण: स मावतु॥

by reading running without any purpose ..this I do not like
this sort of reading I do not like
it is not beneficial for me, not beneficial to others
so it is not desire
of Supreme Lord, I should continue this sort of
he is directing me to one place
not in this room
that perhaps, he is directing me because my physical body is not so capable now

दिद‍ृक्षवो यस्य पदं सुमङ्गलं
विमुक्तसङ्गा मुनय: सुसाधव:।
चरन्त्यलोकव्रतमव्रणं वने
भूतात्मभूता: सुहृद: स मे गति:॥

this we.. we have to do with…
try to do it from the core of the heart
so that we can get the grace of
Krishna… get the grace of the Supreme Lord
as Gajendra has got… but with that
at least try to do this
this stava if you cannot do it
then what for we are reading this
useless
only to finish it somehow
this I do not like
for this, we have not renounced our house
only we are seeing the comforts of the body and nothing else
सुसाधु, त्यक्तसंग, सर्वप्राणीते समदर्शी सुहृद मुनिगण
जाँहार सुमंगल पददर्शन करिवार वासनाय
अरण्य अक्षत व्रत ब्रह्मचर्य व्रताचरण करेन
सेई भगवान आमार आश्रय हउन
नहीं मिलते हैं अपनी चेष्टा से नहीं दर्शन होता है
यह गजेन्द्र ने कहा
मुनि ऋषि और देवता लोग नहीं पाते हैं
लेकिन पा सकते हैं, जब भागवत व्रत भक्ति व्रत
शुद्ध भक्त
शुद्ध भक्त भक्ति से भगवान को प्राप्त कर सकते हैं
दूसरा कोई उपाय तो नहीं है
नहीं प्राप्त कर सकता है ऐसा नहीं, अपनी चेष्टा से हम लोग नहीं प्राप्त कर सकते हैं
उनको नहीं जान सकते हैं
उनके चरणों में शरणागत हो जाएँगे
जब शरणागत होकर भक्ति करेंगे
वही भक्ति से भगवान को प्राप्त कर सकते हैं

Gajendra’s Prayers – 14

It is advised by our Guruvargas to hear Srimad Bhagavatam daily in association of exalted Vaisnavas, if possible. Preference should be given in favour of hearing the scriptures from Sadhus. During Damodar month, it is most beneficial to recite and read Gajendra Moksha Lila-stava from 8th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, which teaches complete surrender to the Supreme Lord.

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

yasminn idaṁ yataś cedaṁ
yenedaṁ ya idaṁ svayam
yo ’smāt parasmāc ca paras
taṁ prapadye svayambhuvam

yaḥ svātmanīdaṁ nija-māyayārpitaṁ
kvacid vibhātaṁ kva ca tat tirohitam
aviddha-dṛk sākṣy ubhayaṁ tad īkṣate
sa ātma-mūlo ’vatu māṁ parāt-paraḥ

kālena paṣcatvam iteṣu kṛtsnaśo
lokeṣu pāleṣu ca sarva-hetuṣu
tamas tadāsīd gahanaṁ gabhīraṁ
yas tasya pāre ’bhivirājate vibhuḥ

na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṁ vidur
jantuḥ punaḥ ko ’rhati gantum īritum
yathā naṭasyākṛtibhir viceṣṭato
duratyayānukramaṇaḥ sa māvatu

Reading in hurry, without any purpose, I do not like such reading. It is not beneficial to me or others. So it is not the desire of the Supreme Lord that I continue this sort of reading. He is directing me that I should follow the vrata, being in one place. He is directing so, perhaps, because my physical body is not so capable now.

didṛkṣavo yasya padaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ
vimukta-saṅgā munayaḥ susādhavaḥ
caranty aloka-vratam avraṇaṁ vane
bhūtātma-bhūtāḥ suhṛdaḥ sa me gatiḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.2-14)

This we have to try to do it from the core of the heart so that we can get the grace of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna as Gajendra has got. We have to try to do it with the mood as Gajendra has done. If we cannot do it from the core of the heart then what are we reading this for? Reading it to finish it somehow is useless. This I do not like. We have not renounced our house for this. Only we are seeing the comforts of the body and nothing else.

Gajendra says here that Muni Rishis and even demigod do not get the darshan of the Supreme Lord. But they can get His darshan by becoming bhagavat-vrata, bhakti-vrata. He can be attained only by one-pointed devotion, not by any other means. It is not that no one can attain Him. One cannot attain Him by his own endeavours. But when one becomes surrendered to Him, by his devotion he can attain the Lord.