Shloka 18
Gajendra’s Prayers and the Appearance of Lord Hari
Gajendra-stuti and Hari-darśana
आत्मात्मजाप्तगृहवित्तजनेषु सक्तै- र्दुष्प्रापणाय गुणसङ्गविवर्जिताय । मुक्तात्मभि: स्वहृदये परिभाविताय ज्ञानात्मने भगवते नम ईश्वराय ॥ १८ ॥
ātmātma-jāpta-gṛha-vitta-janeṣu saktair duṣprāpaṇāya guṇa-saṅga-vivarjitāya muktātmabhiḥ sva-hṛdaye paribhāvitāya jñānātmane bhagavate nama īśvarāya
हे प्रभो! जे मुक्तात्मे आहेत ते हृदयाच्या अंतरंगात सदैव तुझे ध्यान करतात. पण मी मनोविकल्प, घर, पुत्र, आप्त, मित्र, धन व सेवक यांत आसक्त असल्याने तू मला दुर्मिळ आहेस. तू गुणातीत, ज्ञानस्वरूप, परम नियंता भगवान आहेस; तुला नमस्कार।
Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes into the material world, He is unaffected by the modes of material nature. This is confirmed in Īśopaniṣad. Apāpa-viddham: He is not contaminated. This same fact is described here. Guṇa-saṅga-vivarjitāya. Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as an incarnation within this material world, He is unaffected by the modes of material nature. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.11) , avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: foolish men with insufficient knowledge deride the Personality of Godhead because He appears just like a human being. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood only by the muktātmā, the liberated soul. Muktātmabhiḥ sva-hṛdaye paribhāvitāya: only the liberated person can constantly think of Kṛṣṇa. Such a person is the greatest of all yogīs.
FAQs
This verse says that attachment to body, children, relatives, home, wealth, and social identity makes the Supreme Lord difficult to attain, because such attachment binds one to material consciousness.
In extreme danger, Gajendra turned from worldly dependence to surrender, acknowledging that the Lord is realized by the liberated and is not easily reached through material attachments.
Reduce identity-based clinging (possessions, status, relationships as ultimate), cultivate daily remembrance of the Lord within the heart, and seek freedom from the push of the material modes through devotional practice.