TEXT 32
so ntah-sarasy urubalena grhita arto
drstva garutmati harim kha upatta-cakram
utksipya sambuja-karam giram aha krcchran
narayanakhila-guro bhagavan namas te
SYNONYMS
sahhe (Gajendra); antah-sarasiin the water; uru-balenawith great force; grhitahwho had been captured by the crocodile; artahand severely suffering; drstvaupon seeing; garutmation the back of Garuda; harimthe Lord; khein the sky; upatta-cakramwielding His disc; utksipyaraising; sa-ambuja-karamhis trunk, along with a lotus flower; giram-ahauttered the words; krcchratwith great difficulty (because of his precarious position); narayanaO my Lord Narayana; akhila-guroO universal Lord; bhagavanO Supreme Personality of Godhead; namah teI offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
TRANSLATION
Gajendra had been forcefully captured by the crocodile in the water and was feeling acute pain, but when he saw that Narayana, wielding His disc, was coming in the sky on the back of Garuda, he immediately took a lotus flower in his trunk, and with great difficulty due to his painful condition, he uttered the following words: O my Lord, Narayana, master of the universe, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
PURPORT
The King of the elephants was so very eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead that when he saw the Lord coming in the sky, with great pain and in a feeble voice he offered respect to the Lord. A devotee does not consider a dangerous position to be dangerous, for in such a dangerous position he can fervently pray to the Lord in great ecstasy. Thus a devotee regards danger as a good opportunity. Tat tenukampam susamiksamanah. When a devotee is in great danger, he sees that danger to be the great mercy of the Lord because it is an opportunity to think of the Lord very sincerely and with undiverted attention. Tat te nukampam susamiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam (Bhag. 10.14.8). He does not accuse the Supreme Personality of Godhead for having let His devotee fall into such a dangerous condition. Rather, he considers that dangerous condition to be due to his past misdeeds and takes it as an opportunity to pray to the Lord and offer thanks for having been given such an opportunity. When a devotee lives in this way, his salvationhis going back home, back to Godheadis guaranteed. We can see this to be true from the example of Gajendra, who anxiously prayed to the Lord and thus received an immediate chance to return home, back to Godhead.

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