Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 26
Trikūṭa Mountain, Ṛtumat Garden, and the Beginning of Gajendra’s Crisis
स पुष्करेणोद्धृतशीकराम्बुभि- र्निपाययन्संस्नपयन्यथा गृही । घृणी करेणु: करभांश्च दुर्मदो नाचष्ट कृच्छ्रं कृपणोऽजमायया ॥ २६ ॥
sa puṣkareṇoddhṛta-śīkarāmbubhir nipāyayan saṁsnapayan yathā gṛhī ghṛṇī kareṇuḥ karabhāṁś ca durmado nācaṣṭa kṛcchraṁ kṛpaṇo ’ja-māyayā
正如缺乏灵性觉悟而执著家眷的人一样，被圣奎师那外在幻力迷惑的象王伽金德罗用鼻从湖中汲水，喷洒并使母象与幼象沐浴饮水；他并不在意其中的辛劳。
FAQs
This verse shows that even a compassionate and capable being can fail to recognize imminent danger when covered by the Lord’s māyā; worldly strength and duty do not automatically grant spiritual clarity.
Because he lovingly cared for and served his family—giving them water and bathing them—yet remained unaware of the crisis approaching him, illustrating how attachment can coexist with ignorance of life’s deeper peril.
Do your responsibilities with compassion, but cultivate steady remembrance of God and vigilance about life’s real dangers—forgetfulness, pride, and complacency—so that duty becomes devotion rather than distraction.