Original text
॥ श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच ॥ एवं व्यवसितो बुद्ध्या समाधाय मनो हृदि । जजाप परमं जाप्यं प्राग्जन्मन्यनुशिक्षितम् ॥१॥ ॥ श्रीगजेन्द्र उवाच ॥ ॐ नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम् । पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि ॥२॥ यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम् । योऽस्मात् परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम् ॥३॥ यः स्वात्मनीदं निजमाययार्पितं क्वचिद् विभातं क्व च तत् तिरोहितम् । अविद्धदृक् साक्ष्युभयं तदीक्षते स आत्ममूलोऽवतु मां परात्परः ॥४॥ कालेन पञ्चत्वमितेषु कृत्स्नशो लोकेषु पालेषु च सर्वहेतुषु । तमस्तदासीद् गहनं गभीरं यस्तस्य पारेऽभिविराजते विभुः ॥५॥ न यस्य देवा ऋषयः पदं विदु- र्जन्तुः पुनः कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम् । यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो दुरत्ययानुक्रमणः स मावतु ॥६॥ दिदृक्षवो यस्य पदं सुमङ्गलं विमुक्तसङ्गा मुनयः सुसाधवः । चरन्त्यलोकव्रतमव्रणं वने भूतात्मभूताः सुहृदः स मे गतिः ॥७॥ न विद्यते यस्य च जन्म कर्म वा न नामरूपे गुणदोष एव वा । तथापि लोकाप्ययसम्भवाय यः स्वमायया तान्यनुकालमृच्छति ॥८॥ तस्मै नमः परेशाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये । अरूपायोरुरूपाय नम आश्चर्यकर्मणे ॥९॥ नम आत्मप्रदीपाय साक्षिणे परमात्मने । नमो गिरां विदूराय मनसश्चेतसामपि ॥१०॥ सत्त्वेन प्रतिलभ्याय नैष्कर्म्येण विपश्चिता । नमः कैवल्यनाथाय निर्वाणसुखसंविदे ॥११॥ नमः शान्ताय घोराय मूढाय गुणधर्मिणे । निर्विशेषाय साम्याय नमो ज्ञानघनाय च ॥१२॥ क्षेत्रज्ञाय नमस्तुभ्यं सर्वाध्यक्षाय साक्षिणे । पुरुषायात्ममूलाय मूलप्रकृतये नमः ॥१३॥ सर्वेन्द्रियगुणद्रष्ट्रे सर्वप्रत्ययहेतवे । असताच्छाययोक्ताय सदाभासाय ते नमः ॥१४॥ नमो नमस्तेऽखिलकारणाय निष्कारणायाद्भुतकारणाय । सर्वागमाम्नायमहार्णवाय नमोऽपवर्गाय परायणाय ॥१५॥ गुणारणिच्छन्नचिदुष्मपाय तत्क्षोभविस्फूर्जितमानसाय । नैष्कर्म्यभावेन विवर्जितागम- स्वयंप्रकाशाय नमस्करोमि ॥१६॥ मादृक्प्रपन्नपशुपाशविमोक्षणाय मुक्ताय भूरिकरुणाय नमोऽलयाय । स्वांशेन सर्वतनुभृन्मनसि प्रतीत- प्रत्यग्दृशे भगवते बृहते नमस्ते ॥१७॥ आत्मात्मजाप्तगृहवित्तजनेषु सक्तै- र्दुष्प्रापणाय गुणसङ्गविवर्जिताय । मुक्तात्मभिः स्वहृदये परिभाविताय ज्ञानात्मने भगवते नम ईश्वराय ॥१८॥ यं धर्मकामार्थविमुक्तिकामा भजन्त इष्टां गतिमाप्नुवन्ति । किं चाशिषो रात्यपि देहमव्ययं करोतु मेऽदभ्रदयो विमोक्षणम् ॥१९॥ एकान्तिनो यस्य न कञ्चनार्थं वाञ्छन्ति ये वै भगवत्प्रपन्नाः । अत्यद्भुतं तच्चरितं सुमङ्गलं गायन्त आनन्दसमुद्रमग्नाः ॥२०॥ तमक्षरं ब्रह्म परं परेश- मव्यक्तमाध्यात्मिकयोगगम्यम् । अतीन्द्रियं सूक्ष्ममिवातिदूर- मनन्तमाद्यं परिपूर्णमीडे ॥२१॥ यस्य ब्रह्मादयो देवा वेदा लोकाश्चराचराः । नामरूपविभेदेन फल्ग्व्या च कलया कृताः ॥२२॥ यथार्चिषोऽग्नेः सवितुर्गभस्तयो निर्यान्ति संयान्त्यसकृत् स्वरोचिषः । तथा यतोऽयं गुणसम्प्रवाहो बुद्धिर्मनः खानि शरीरसर्गाः ॥२३॥ स वै न देवासुरमर्त्यतिर्यङ् न स्त्री न षण्ढो न पुमान् न जन्तुः । नायं गुणः कर्म न सन्न चासन् निषेधशेषो जयतादशेषः ॥२४॥ जिजीविषे नाहमिहामुया कि- मन्तर्बहिश्चावृतयेभयोन्या । इच्छामि कालेन न यस्य विप्लव- स्तस्यात्मलोकावरणस्य मोक्षम् ॥२५॥ सोऽहं विश्वसृजं विश्वमविश्वं विश्ववेदसम् । विश्वात्मानमजं ब्रह्म प्रणतोऽस्मि परं पदम् ॥२६॥ योगरन्धितकर्माणो हृदि योगविभाविते । योगिनो यं प्रपश्यन्ति योगेशं तं नतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥२७॥ नमो नमस्तुभ्यमसह्यवेग- शक्तित्रयायाखिलधीगुणाय । प्रपन्नपालाय दुरन्तशक्तये कदिन्द्रियाणामनवाप्यवर्त्मने ॥२८॥ नायं वेद स्वमात्मानं यच्छक्त्याहंधिया हतम् । तं दुरत्ययमाहात्म्यं भगवन्तमितोऽस्म्यहम् ॥२९॥ ॥ श्रीशुक उवाच ॥ एवं गजेन्द्रमुपवर्णितनिर्विशेषं ब्रह्मादयो विविधलिङ्गभिदाभिमानाः । नैते यदोपससृपुर्निखिलात्मकत्वात् तत्राखिलामरमयो हरिराविरासीत् ॥३०॥ तं तद्वदार्तमुपलभ्य जगन्निवासः स्तोत्रं निशम्य दिविजैः सह संस्तुवद्भिः । छन्दोमयेन गरुडेन समुह्यमान- श्चक्रायुधोऽभ्यगमदाशु यतो गजेन्द्रः ॥३१॥ सोऽन्तःसरस्युरुबलेन गृहीत आर्तो दृष्ट्वा गरुत्मति हरिं ख उपात्तचक्रम् । उत्क्षिप्य साम्बुजकरं गिरमाह कृच्छ्रा- न्नारायणाखिलगुरो भगवन् नमस्ते ॥३२॥ तं वीक्ष्य पीडितमजः सहसावतीर्य सग्राहमाशु सरसः कृपयोज्जहार । ग्राहाद् विपाटितमुखादरिणा गजेन्द्रं संपश्यतां हरिरमूमुचदुच्छ्रियाणाम् ॥३३॥
Transliteration
|| shribadarayaniruvacha || Evam vyavasito buddhya samadhaya mano hridi Jajapa paramam japyam pragjanmanyanushikshitam ||1|| || shrigajendra uvacha || Om namo bhagavate tasmai yata etachchidatmakam Purushayadibijaya pareshayabhidhimahi ||2|| Yasminnidam yatashchedam yenedam ya idam svayam Yo'smat parasmachcha parastam prapadye svayambhuvam ||3|| Yah svatmanidam nijamayayarpitam Kvachid vibhatam kva cha tat tirohitam Aviddhadrik sakshyubhayam tadikshate Sa atmamulo'vatu mam paratparah ||4|| Kalena panchatvamiteshu kritsnasho Lokeshu paleshu cha sarvahetushu Tamastadasid gahanam gabhiram Yastasya pare'bhivirajate vibhuh ||5|| Na yasya deva rishayah padam vidu- Rjantuh punah ko'rhati gantumiritum Yatha natasyakritibhirvicheshtato Duratyayanukramanah sa mavatu ||6|| Didrikshavo yasya padam sumangalam Vimuktasanga munayah susadhavah Charantyalokavratamavranam vane Bhutatmabhutah suhridah sa me gatih ||7|| Na vidyate yasya cha janma karma va Na namarupe gunadosha eva va Tathapi lokapyayasambhavaya yah Svamayaya tanyanukalamrichchhati ||8|| Tasmai namah pareshaya brahmane'nantashaktaye Arupayorurupaya nama ashcharyakarmane ||9|| Nama atmapradipaya sakshine paramatmane Namo giram viduraya manasashchetasamapi ||10|| Sattvena pratilabhyaya naishkarmyena vipashchita Namah kaivalyanathaya nirvanasukhasanvide ||11|| Namah shantaya ghoraya mudhaya gunadharmine Nirvisheshaya samyaya namo jnanaghanaya cha ||12|| Kshetrajnaya namastubhyam sarvadhyakshaya sakshine Purushayatmamulaya mulaprakritaye namah ||13|| Sarvendriyagunadrashtre sarvapratyayahetave Asatachchhayayoktaya sadabhasaya te namah ||14|| Namo namaste'khilakaranaya Nishkaranayadbhutakaranaya Sarvagamamnayamaharnavaya Namo'pavargaya parayanaya ||15|| Gunaranichchhannachidushmapaya Tatkshobhavisphurjitamanasaya Naishkarmyabhavena vivarjitagama- Svayamprakashaya namaskaromi ||16|| Madrikprapannapashupashavimokshanaya Muktaya bhurikarunaya namo'layaya Svanshena sarvatanubhrinmanasi pratita- Pratyagdrishe bhagavate brihate namaste ||17|| Atmatmajaptagrihavittajaneshu saktai- Rdushprapanaya gunasangavivarjitaya Muktatmabhih svahridaye paribhavitaya Jnanatmane bhagavate nama ishvaraya ||18|| Yam dharmakamarthavimuktikama Bhajanta ishtam gatimapnuvanti Kim chashisho ratyapi dehamavyayam Karotu me'dabhradayo vimokshanam ||19|| Ekantino yasya na kanchanartham Vanchhanti ye vai bhagavatprapannah Atyadbhutam tachcharitam sumangalam Gayanta anandasamudramagnah ||20|| Tamaksharam brahma param paresha- Mavyaktamadhyatmikayogagamyam Atindriyam sukshmamivatidura- Manantamadyam paripurnamide ||21|| Yasya brahmadayo deva veda lokashcharacharah Namarupavibhedena phalgvya cha kalaya kritah ||22|| Yatharchisho'gneh saviturgabhastayo Niryanti sanyantyasakrit svarochishah Tatha yato'yam gunasampravaho Buddhirmanah khani sharirasargah ||23|| Sa vai na devasuramartyatiryan Na stri na shandho na puman na jantuh Nayam gunah karma na sanna chasan Nishedhashesho jayatadasheshah ||24|| Jijivishe nahamihamuya ki- Mantarbahishchavritayebhayonya Ichchhami kalena na yasya viplava- Stasyatmalokavaranasya moksham ||25|| So'ham vishvasrijam vishvamavishvam vishvavedasam Vishvatmanamajam brahma pranato'smi param padam ||26|| Yogarandhitakarmano hridi yogavibhavite Yogino yam prapashyanti yogesham tam nato'smyaham ||27|| Namo namastubhyamasahyavega- Shaktitrayayakhiladhigunaya Prapannapalaya durantashaktaye Kadindriyanamanavapyavartmane ||28|| Nayam veda svamatmanam yachchhaktyahandhiya hatam Tam duratyayamahatmyam bhagavantamito'smyaham ||29|| || shrishuka uvacha || Evam gajendramupavarnitanirvishesham Brahmadayo vividhalingabhidabhimanah Naite yadopasasripurnikhilatmakatvat Tatrakhilamaramayo hariravirasit ||30|| Tam tadvadartamupalabhya jagannivasah Stotram nishamya divijaih saha sanstuvadbhih Chhandomayena garudena samuhyamana- Shchakrayudho'bhyagamadashu yato gajendrah ||31|| So'ntahsarasyurubalena grihita arto Drishtva garutmati harim kha upattachakram Utkshipya sambujakaram giramaha krichchhra- Nnarayanakhilaguro bhagavan namaste ||32|| Tam vikshya piditamajah sahasavatirya Sagrahamashu sarasah kripayojjahara Grahad vipatitamukhadarina gajendram Sampashyatam hariramumuchaduchchhriyanam ||33||
A prayer from the edge of death
The Gajendra Moksha Stotram is the third chapter of the eighth canto of the Shrimad Bhagavatam. The story is told in chapters 2 to 4 (read it in full in the story of Gajendra Moksha): Gajendra, lord of elephants on Mount Trikuta, is seized by a powerful crocodile while bathing in a lake. His herd cannot pull him free; the struggle goes on for a thousand years until his strength fails. At that moment, the Bhagavatam says, he remembers a prayer he had learned in a previous life — and the 33 verses here are that prayer, with the narrator Shuka's verses framing it.
What Gajendra prays to
The striking thing about this stotra is that it names no form. Gajendra does not call on Vishnu with four arms, Krishna or Rama. He addresses the Supreme as pure consciousness, the cause of all causes, beyond name and form:
- Verse 3: "In whom this world rests, from whom it comes, by whom it is made, who is himself this world — and who is beyond it and beyond its cause: in that Self-born one I take refuge."
- Verse 6: even the gods and sages do not know his true state, as an audience does not know the actor behind the roles he plays.
- Verse 24: "He is neither god nor demon, human nor animal; neither woman, man nor neuter; neither quality nor action, being nor non-being. He is what remains when all is negated — may he, who is everything, be victorious."
- Verse 25: the turning point. "I do not wish to live on, trapped in this elephant's body, covered by ignorance inside and out. I want freedom from that covering of the Self which time itself does not destroy."
Gajendra begins by asking to be saved from the crocodile and ends by asking to be saved from ignorance. That is why the stotra is read as a prayer for moksha, not only for rescue.
How the Lord answers
Shuka's closing verses (30–33) explain why no god came: Brahma and the others each identify with a particular form, and Gajendra had praised the formless. So Hari, who contains all the gods, came himself — on Garuda, discus in hand. Seeing him, the elephant lifted a lotus in his trunk and cried with great effort, "Narayana, teacher of all, Lord, I bow to you." Hari came down at once, pulled elephant and crocodile out of the lake together, and cut open the crocodile's jaws with the discus as the gods watched.
When and how to recite it
- In crisis: it is traditionally recited when one feels trapped — by debt, illness, legal trouble or fear — and has run out of human help, as Gajendra had.
- At dawn: in the next chapter (8.4) the Lord himself says that whoever rises at the end of night and remembers this prayer is freed of sins; many devotees recite it daily before sunrise.
- On Ekadashi and in Kartik, and at the Kartik Purnima fair at Sonepur (Harihar Kshetra) in Bihar, which local tradition identifies as the site of Gajendra's rescue.
- Read it slowly with the meaning; the verses are dense philosophy, and their power in tradition comes from understanding as much as from sound.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Gajendra Moksha Stotram found?
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 3 (33 verses). The story around it is in chapters 2 and 4 of the same canto.
Who taught Gajendra the prayer?
He learned it in his previous life as King Indradyumna, a devotee of Vishnu, who was cursed by the sage Agastya to be born as an elephant. The prayer came back to him in his moment of need.
Why didn't Brahma or Shiva come to save Gajendra?
The Bhagavatam says Gajendra praised the Supreme without any particular form, so the gods who identify with particular forms did not answer; Hari, the Self of all, came himself.
What are the benefits of reciting Gajendra Moksha?
Tradition holds that it removes great dangers and debts and grants peace at death; the Bhagavatam itself promises freedom from sin and remembrance of the Lord at the end for one who recites it at dawn.
Can it be recited in Hindi?
Yes. Gita Press and others publish Hindi verse translations; reciting the meaning with devotion is accepted, though many prefer the Sanskrit with a translation alongside.
Who was the crocodile?
A Gandharva named Huhu, cursed by the sage Devala. When the discus struck, he too was freed and returned to his own form.
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