Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 33
Trikūṭa Mountain, Ṛtumat Garden, and the Beginning of Gajendra’s Crisis
य: कश्चनेशो बलिनोऽन्तकोरगात् प्रचण्डवेगादभिधावतो भृशम् । भीतं प्रपन्नं परिपाति यद्भया- न्मृत्यु: प्रधावत्यरणं तमीमहि ॥ ३३ ॥
yaḥ kaścaneśo balino ’ntakoragāt pracaṇḍa-vegād abhidhāvato bhṛśam bhītaṁ prapannaṁ paripāti yad-bhayān mṛtyuḥ pradhāvaty araṇaṁ tam īmahi
至上人格神并非人人皆识，却具无比威势。永恒之时如猛蛇，以可怖之力追逐众生欲吞噬；但凡畏惧而投靠主者，主必护佑，因为死亡也因畏主而逃。故我归降于祂——大能的至上主宰，万有真实的依怙。
One who is intelligent understands that there is a great and supreme authority above everything. That great authority appears in different incarnations to save the innocent from disturbances. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: the Lord appears in His various incarnations for two purposes — to annihilate the duṣkṛtī, the sinful, and to protect His devotees. The King of the elephants decided to surrender unto Him. This is intelligent. One must know that great Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender unto Him. The Lord comes personally to instruct us how to be happy, and only fools and rascals do not see by intelligence this supreme authority, the Supreme Person. In the śruti-mantra it is said:
FAQs
This verse teaches that when a soul becomes afraid and fully surrenders to the Supreme Lord, the Lord personally protects; even death, personified as a powerful pursuer, is said to flee due to fear of Him.
In extreme distress, Gajendra focuses on the essential truth: the one Supreme Controller who can save the surrendered. His prayer is not sectarian identification but wholehearted dependence on the Lord’s saving power.
When overwhelmed by fear—illness, loss, or uncertainty—practice sincere surrender through prayer, remembrance, and taking refuge in dharma; the Bhagavatam’s message is that divine protection begins when dependence shifts from ego to the Lord.