Shloka 3

Gajendra's Deliverance — Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

गजेन्द्रमोक्षणं त्वादौ शृणुष्व तदनन्तरम् सारस्वतं ततः पुण्यौ पापप्रशमनौ स्तवौ

Transliteration

gajendramokṣaṇaṃ tvādau śṛṇuṣva tadanantaram sārasvataṃ tataḥ puṇyau pāpapraśamanau stavau

Translation

“First, listen to the account of the deliverance of Gajendra; thereafter (hear) the Sarasvata (account/praise). Then (I shall relate) two holy hymns that quell sins.”

Speakers

• Narrator to listener (speaker not named in the excerpt; commonly a sage addressing another sage in Purāṇic frame-dialogue).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Sarasvati

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Power of Stuti (hymn)
• Pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin)
• Divine rescue (Gajendra-moksha)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why does the verse place Gajendra-mokṣaṇa before the Sarasvata material?

It functions as a thematic gateway: Gajendra-mokṣaṇa exemplifies immediate divine grace responding to surrender, preparing the listener for tīrtha- and stuti-centered means of purification that follow.

What does ‘sārasvata’ most likely denote here—river, region, or hymn?

In Purāṇic usage it can denote (1) the Sarasvatī river system, (2) the Sarasvata-deśa (region along Sarasvatī), or (3) a praise/section connected to Sarasvatī. Given the next mention of ‘stavau’ (two hymns), ‘sārasvata’ here most naturally signals a Sarasvatī-linked tīrtha/section that culminates in hymns.

What is meant by ‘pāpa-praśamana’ in a Purāṇic ritual-geographical context?

It indicates the soteriological claim that recitation/hearing of specific narratives and stutis—often tied to particular tīrthas—neutralizes moral/ritual demerit, thereby making pilgrimage and praise complementary paths to purification.