Shloka 23
Trikūṭa Mountain, Ṛtumat Garden, and the Beginning of Gajendra’s Crisis
स घर्मतप्त: करिभि: करेणुभि- र्वृतो मदच्युत्करभैरनुद्रुत: । गिरिं गरिम्णा परित: प्रकम्पयन् निषेव्यमाणोऽलिकुलैर्मदाशनै: ॥ २३ ॥ सरोऽनिलं पङ्कजरेणुरूषितं जिघ्रन्विदूरान्मदविह्वलेक्षण: । वृत: स्वयूथेन तृषार्दितेन तत् सरोवराभ्यासमथागमद्द्रुतम् ॥ २४ ॥
sa gharma-taptaḥ karibhiḥ kareṇubhir vṛto madacyut-karabhair anudrutaḥ giriṁ garimṇā paritaḥ prakampayan niṣevyamāṇo ’likulair madāśanaiḥ
Le chef des éléphants, brûlé par la chaleur, était entouré de mâles et de femelles, suivi des petits dont s’écoulait le suc de l’ivresse. Sous le poids de son corps, il faisait trembler de toutes parts le mont Trikūṭa; des essaims d’abeilles, buveuses de miel, le servaient en goûtant ce suc. De loin, il humait la poussière de pollen des lotus que la brise portait depuis le lac; le regard troublé par l’ivresse et accompagné de son troupeau assoiffé, il parvint bientôt au bord du lac.
FAQs
It portrays Gajendra as a powerful leader among elephants, moving with a retinue, yet still subject to material conditions like heat and fatigue—setting the stage for his later surrender to the Lord.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these details to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as part of the Gajendra-mokṣa episode.
Even strength, status, and followers cannot remove life’s discomforts; recognizing material limitation prepares the heart to seek shelter in Bhagavān.