Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 15
Gajendra’s Prayers and the Appearance of Lord Hari
Gajendra-stuti and Hari-darśana
नमो नमस्तेऽखिलकारणाय निष्कारणायाद्भुतकारणाय । सर्वागमाम्नायमहार्णवाय नमोऽपवर्गाय परायणाय ॥ १५ ॥
namo namas te ’khila-kāraṇāya niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya namo ’pavargāya parāyaṇāya
My Lord, You are the cause of all causes, but You Yourself have no cause. Therefore You are the wonderful cause of everything. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are the shelter of the Vedic knowledge contained in the śāstras like the Pañcarātras and Vedānta-sūtra, which are Your representations, and who are the source of the paramparā system. Because it is You who can give liberation, You are the only shelter for all transcendentalists. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described herein as the wonderful cause. He is wonderful in the sense that although there may be unlimited emanations from the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( janmādy asya yataḥ ), He always remains complete ( pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate ). In our experience in the material world, if we have a bank balance of one million dollars, as we withdraw money from the bank the balance gradually diminishes until it becomes nil. However, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is so complete that although innumerable Personalities of Godhead expand from Him, He remains the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate . Therefore He is the wonderful cause. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.
FAQs
This verse praises the Lord as akhila-kāraṇa—the source behind all causes—while also niṣkāraṇa, meaning He Himself depends on no prior cause, establishing His absolute supremacy.
Caught helplessly in mortal danger, Gajendra turns to the ultimate refuge and glorifies the Lord as the supreme shelter and giver of liberation, seeking divine protection and deliverance.
Practice conscious surrender: remember the Lord in crisis and calm, seek guidance from scripture, and place outcomes in His hands while doing your duty with sincerity.