यो गजेन्द्रं झषग्रस्तं ध्यायन्तं चरणाम्बुजम् ।
क्रोशन्तीनां करेणूनां कृच्छ्रतोऽमोचयद्द्रुतम् ॥
तं सुखाराध्यमृजुभिरनन्यशरणैर्नृभि: ।
कृतज्ञ: को न सेवेत दुराराध्यमसाधुभि: ॥
yo gajendraṁ jhaṣa-grastaṁ dhyāyantaṁ caraṇāmbujam |
krośantīnāṁ kareṇūnāṁ kṛcchrato’mocayad drutam ||
taṁ sukhārādhyam ṛjubhir ananya-śaraṇair nṛbhiḥ |
kṛtajñaḥ ko na seveta durārādhyam asādhubhiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.19.35–36; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 153)
“What grateful person would not worship he who swiftly saved the crying lady elephants’ elephant-king [i.e., Gajendra] from danger while [the elephant-king was] meditating on his lotus feet after being seized by a crocodile, [he] who is easily propitiated by persons who are sincere and of undivided shelter yet difficult to propitiate for the unvirtuous?”
Commentary
bhakti-mātreṇa paśūnām api sulabho’nyathā devānām api durlabha iti tat kathā-śravaṇe kasyānando na syād ity āha—ya iti dvābhyām | jhaṣo grāhaḥ | krośantīnāṁ satīnām iti kṛpālutvam uktam | saṅkaṭād amocayat |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“‘Just by bhakti, he [i.e., Bhagavān] is easily attained even for animals, and otherwise [i.e., without bhakti] difficult to attain even for the devas. Upon hearing this statement, whose delight shall not come about? Thus, he speaks with two [verses]: yaḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 3.19.35–36]. The word jhaṣaḥ means a crocodile. [Bhagavān’s] Graciousness is stated by [the mention of the lady elephants’] ‘crying’ (krośantīnāṁ). He save [the elephant-king, Gajendra] from danger (kṛcchrataḥ).”
ṛjubhir akuṭilair ata eva ananya-śaraṇaiḥ | asādhubhis tato’nyādṛśaiḥ | kṛtajñaḥ śaraṇāgati-mātre sukhārādhyatā-vijñaḥ, puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaya-dātṛtvāt | tad evaṁ sati ko na seveta? tasyaiva sevā-parityāgena tat-tad-anyad vāñched ity arthaḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“[Bhagavān is easily propitiated by persons who are] ‘Sincere,’ (ṛjubhiḥ), that is, not crooked, and thus ‘of undivided shelter’ (ananya-śaraṇaiḥ) [i.e., are those who have taken sincerely shelter in him one-pointedly]. [Bhagavān, on the contrary, is very difficult to propitiate] ‘For the unvirtuous’ (asādhubhiḥ), that is, those who are of another type [i.e., those who lack the qualities of sincerity and being one-pointedly fixed in Bhagavān’s shelter]. ‘A grateful person’ (kṛtajñaḥ) is an adept knower of [Bhagavān’s] being easily propitiated just by śaraṇāgati on account of [his] being a bestower of the four puruṣārthas [upon those who simply take shelter in him]. The sense is this [i.e., the mentality of such a grateful person is as follows:] ‘Thus, when he is such, who would not worship [him]? Who would abandon service to him specifically and desire anything other than that?’”
kathā-śravaṇa-mātreṇa mānuṣyān uddharatīti kiṁ vaktavyaṁ yataḥ smaraṇenāpi paśūn apy uddharati smety āha—ya iti | jhaṣo grāhaḥ | jhaṣād iti kiṁ vaktavyam? kṛcchrataḥ saṁsārād api | kareṇūnām iti tāsāṁ patim ity arthaḥ | ataḥ sa sadaivārādhayitum ucita ity āha—tam iti | kṛtajñaḥ śaraṇāgata-pālanābhijñaḥ | asādhubhir anṛjubhir anya-śaraṇaiś ca |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“[To convey how noble Bhagavān’s disposition is] Need it be said, ‘He [i.e., Bhagavān] delivers human beings just by [their] hearing narratives [about him]’ [as was indicated in the previous verse] since he verily delivers even animals just by [their] remembering [him]? Thus, he says yaḥ … [i.e., he speaks SB 3.19.35]. The word jhaṣaḥ means a crocodile. [But] Need it be said, ‘[Bhagavān saved Gajendra] From a crocodile?’ [He saved him] ‘From danger (kṛcchrataḥ), that is, even from saṁsāra [itself]. ‘Lady elephants’’ (kareṇūnām) means he was their husband. Therefore [i.e., since Bhagavān delivered Gajendra in this way], he [i.e., Bhagavān] is indeed forever fit to be propitiated. Thus, he says tam … [i.e., he speaks SB 3.19.36]. ‘A grateful person’ (kṛtajñaḥ) is an adept knower of [Bhagavān’s] protection of those who take shelter [in him] (śaranāgatas). ‘The unvirtuous’ are those who are not sincere and of shelter in others [i.e., those who do not take shelter in Bhagavān].”