Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 31
Manvantara Enumerations Begin: Svāyambhuva’s Austerity, Yajñapati’s Protection, and the Avatāras up to Hari
Gajendra Prelude
श्रीराजोवाच बादरायण एतत् ते श्रोतुमिच्छामहे वयम् । हरिर्यथा गजपतिं ग्राहग्रस्तममूमुचत् ॥ ३१ ॥
śrī-rājovāca bādarāyaṇa etat te śrotum icchāmahe vayam harir yathā gaja-patiṁ grāha-grastam amūmucat
O rei Parīkṣit disse: Meu senhor Bādarāyaṇi, desejamos ouvir em detalhe como Hari libertou o rei dos elefantes, agarrado pelo crocodilo.
FAQs
This verse introduces the theme that Lord Hari personally delivers His devotee—here, Gajendra—when he is helpless and seized by danger.
Parīkṣit, eager to hear the Lord’s saving acts, asks Śukadeva to narrate how Hari freed Gajendra from the crocodile—an exemplary episode of divine protection.
When overwhelmed by suffering, cultivate sincere prayer and surrender to God; this shloka points to faith that the Divine can lift one from seemingly impossible situations.