Shloka 60

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

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच भक्तिं तस्यानुसंचिन्त्य नागस्यमोघसंभवः प्रीतिमानभवद् विष्णुः शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca bhaktiṃ tasyānusaṃcintya nāgasyamoghasaṃbhavaḥ prītimānabhavad viṣṇuḥ śaṅkhacakragadādharaḥ

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": "Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.89 (Hari-Hara theological discussions in broader tradition) and 12.4 (pralaya) as thematic parallels; not a direct Vāmana episode", "vishnu_purana_parallel": "Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.2 and 1.7 (one Supreme appearing as Brahmā/Viṣṇu/Rudra; pralaya function)", "ramayana_connection": "Rāmāyaṇa (general) syncretic praise tradVamana Purana,58,61,VamP 58.61,sānnidhyaṃ kalpayāmāsa tasmin sarasi keśavaḥ garuḍastho jagatsvāmī lokādhārastapodhanaḥ,सान्निध्यं कल्पयामास तस्मिन् सरसि केशवः गरुडस्थो जगत्स्वामी लोकाधारस्तपोधनः,Saromahatmiya (Lake/Tirtha-Mahatmya Cycle),Tirtha Mahima / Divine Presence (Sānnidhya),Adhyaya 58 — Sarasi-sānnidhya & Gajendra-mokṣa-prasaṅga (Lake Presence and the Elephant’s Deliverance),58.61,sānnidhyaṃ kalpayāmāsa tasmin sarasi keśavaḥ |

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (narrative instruction)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Power of Bhakti
• Divine responsiveness (prasāda)
• Iconic attributes of Viṣṇu
• Tīrtha-mahātmyic framing

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘Nāga’ whose devotion is being considered here?

The verse presumes a preceding episode in which a Nāga (serpent-being) performs devotion connected to the lake (sarasi). Pulastya highlights that Viṣṇu’s grace is triggered not by status but by sincere bhakti.

What does ‘amogha-saṃbhavaḥ’ convey about Viṣṇu?

It characterizes Viṣṇu as one whose manifestation and salvific action never prove futile—his appearance, protection, and boons reliably accomplish their purpose when devotion is genuine.

Why emphasize ‘śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharaḥ’ in a tīrtha context?

In tīrtha-mahātmyas, the deity’s iconic marks authenticate the epiphany: the lake is not merely scenic but a locus of the living presence of the recognizable Nārāyaṇa who protects devotees.