Gajendra Moksha Stotram
गजेन्द्रमोक्ष स्तोत्रम्
What is the Gajendra Moksha Stotram?
Gajendra Moksha Stotram The Gajendra Moksha Stotram is the prayer of surrender sung by Gajendra, the elephant king, when a crocodile seized his leg in a forest lake. Recorded in the Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 8, Chapter 3), its 28 verses praise Lord Vishnu as the formless supreme cause and beg for rescue, after which Vishnu appears and frees him. It is chanted in moments of crisis as a plea for divine deliverance.
The Gajendra Moksha Stotram is one of the most loved prayers of surrender in the Bhagavata Purana. It comes from the eighth Skandha, third chapter, where Gajendra, the king of elephants, is caught by a crocodile while drinking at a lake and cannot free himself despite a struggle that lasts, in the telling, for a thousand years.At the end of his own strength, Gajendra stops fighting the water and turns inward. Holding up a lotus, he sings these verses to the Supreme Person, whom he addresses not by a familiar name but as the formless cause of all that exists. The moment his surrender becomes complete, Lord Vishnu arrives on Garuda, draws him out, and grants him liberation. The hymn has since become the prayer people reach for when they are trapped by a situation larger than themselves.
Gajendra Moksha Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
The 28 verses below are Gajendra's prayer as it appears in the Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 8, Chapter 3 (verses 2 to 29 in the Purana's own numbering, shown here as 1 to 28). The closing verse marked Phalashruti is the fruit-of-recitation shloka that Sage Suka speaks to King Parikshit in chapter 4, traditionally recited to conclude the paath.
oṁ namo bhagavate tasmai yata etac cid-ātmakam
puruṣāyādi-bījāya pareśāyābhidhīmahi
ओं नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम्।
पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि॥
Meaning
Salutation to the Lord signified by Om, from whom this whole conscious universe arises. I meditate on the Supreme Person, the first seed of all, the ruler who stands above everything.
yasminn idaṁ yataś cedaṁ yenedaṁ ya idaṁ svayam
yo ‘smāt parasmāc ca paras taṁ prapadye svayambhuvam
यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम्।
योऽस्मात्परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम्॥
Meaning
I take refuge in the self-born One in whom this world rests, from whom it comes forth, by whom it is upheld, and who is himself this world, yet who stands beyond both this creation and its unseen source.
yaḥ svātmanīdaṁ nija-māyayārpitaṁ kvacid vibhātaṁ kva ca tat tirohitam
aviddha-dṛk sākṣy ubhayaṁ tad īkṣate sa ātma-mūlo ‘vatu māṁ parāt-paraḥ
यः स्वात्मनीदं निजमाययार्पितं क्वचिद्विभातं क्व च तत्तिरोहितम्।
अविद्धदृक्साक्ष्युभयं तदीक्षते स आत्ममूलोऽवतु मां परात्परः॥
Meaning
He within whom this world, projected by his own power, at times shines forth and at times is withdrawn, and who, as the untouched witness, observes both its rising and its rest. May that self-rooted Lord, higher than the highest, protect me.
kālena pañcatvam iteṣu kṛtsnaśo lokeṣu pāleṣu ca sarva-hetuṣu
tamas tadāsīd gahanaṁ gabhīraṁ yas tasya pāre ‘bhivirājate vibhuḥ
कालेन पञ्चत्वमितेषु कृत्स्नशो लोकेषु पालेषु च सर्वहेतुषु।
तमस्तदासीद्गहनं गभीरं यस्तस्य पारेऽभिविराजते विभुः॥
Meaning
When in the course of time all the worlds, their guardians, and every cause dissolve completely, and a dense and fathomless darkness alone remains, the all-pervading Lord shines forth on the far shore beyond even that.
na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṁ vidur jantuḥ punaḥ ko ‘rhati gantum īritum
yathā naṭasyākṛtibhir viceṣṭato duratyayānukramaṇaḥ sa māvatu
न यस्य देवा ऋषयः पदं विदुर्जन्तुः पुनः कोऽर्हति गन्तुमीरितुम्।
यथा नटस्याकृतिभिर्विचेष्टतो दुरत्ययानुक्रमणः स मावतु॥
Meaning
Neither the gods nor the sages know his true station, so how could an ordinary creature reach it or even describe it? Like an actor moving through changing roles, his course cannot be followed. May that Lord protect me.
didṛkṣavo yasya padaṁ su-maṅgalaṁ vimukta-saṅgā munayaḥ su-sādhavaḥ
caranty aloka-vratam avraṇaṁ vane bhūtātma-bhūtāḥ suhṛdaḥ sa me gatiḥ
दिदृक्षवो यस्य पदं सुमङ्गलं विमुक्तसङ्गा मुनयः सुसाधवः।
चरन्त्यलोकव्रतमव्रणं वने भूतात्मभूताः सुहृदः स मे गतिः॥
Meaning
Sages freed of all attachment, longing to see his wholly auspicious feet, wander in the forest keeping a vow the world does not know, unblemished, having become one in spirit with all beings and a friend to them. He is my only goal.
na vidyate yasya ca janma karma vā na nāma-rūpe guṇa-doṣa eva vā
tathāpi lokāpyaya-sambhavāya yaḥ sva-māyayā tāny anukālam ṛcchati
न विद्यते यस्य च जन्म कर्म वा न नामरूपे गुणदोष एव वा।
तथापि लोकाप्ययसम्भवाय यः स्वमायया तान्यनुकालमृच्छति॥
Meaning
He has no birth and no action, no name or form, no virtue or flaw. Yet for the creation and dissolution of the worlds he takes on all of these, age after age, through his own power.
tasmai namaḥ pareśāya brahmaṇe ‘nanta-śaktaye
arūpāyoru-rūpāya nama āścarya-karmaṇe
तस्मै नमः परेशाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये।
अरूपायोरुरूपाय नम आश्चर्यकर्मणे॥
Meaning
Salutation to that supreme ruler, the Absolute of endless power, who is without form and yet holds countless forms, and whose every deed is a wonder.
nama ātma-pradīpāya sākṣiṇe paramātmane
namo girāṁ vidūrāya manasaś cetasām api
नम आत्मप्रदीपाय साक्षिणे परमात्मने।
नमो गिरां विदूराय मनसश्चेतसामपि॥
Meaning
Salutation to the self-luminous One, the witness, the Supreme Self, who lies far beyond the reach of speech, and beyond the mind and the thinking faculty as well.
sattvena pratilabhyāya naiṣkarmyeṇa vipaścitā
namaḥ kaivalya-nāthāya nirvāṇa-sukha-saṁvide
सत्त्वेन प्रतिलभ्याय नैष्कर्म्येण विपश्चिता।
नमः कैवल्यनाथाय निर्वाणसुखसंविदे॥
Meaning
To be reached by the wise through purity and through action free of self-interest. Salutation to the Lord of liberation, who is the very awareness of the bliss of release.
namaḥ śāntāya ghorāya mūḍhāya guṇa-dharmiṇe
nirviśeṣāya sāmyāya namo jñāna-ghanāya ca
नमः शान्ताय घोराय मूढाय गुणधर्मिणे।
निर्विशेषाय साम्याय नमो ज्ञानघनाय च॥
Meaning
Salutation to him who appears as peace, as terror, and as dullness, taking on the nature of the three qualities; and salutation to him as the undifferentiated, the ever-balanced, dense with pure consciousness.
kṣetra-jñāya namas tubhyaṁ sarvādhyakṣāya sākṣiṇe
puruṣāyātma-mūlāya mūla-prakṛtaye namaḥ
क्षेत्रज्ञाय नमस्तुभ्यं सर्वाध्यक्षाय साक्षिणे।
पुरुषायात्ममूलाय मूलप्रकृतये नमः॥
Meaning
Salutation to you, the knower of the field of the body, the overseer of all, the witness. Salutation to the Person who is the root of the self and the very source of primal nature.
sarvendriya-guṇa-draṣṭre sarva-pratyaya-hetave
asatā cchāyayoktāya sad-ābhāsāya te namaḥ
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणद्रष्ट्रे सर्वप्रत्ययहेतवे।
असता च्छाययोक्ताय सदाभासाय ते नमः॥
Meaning
Salutation to you, the seer of all the senses and their objects, the ground of every cognition; indicated through the unreal as if by a shadow, yet shining always as the one reality.
namo namas te ‘khila-kāraṇāya niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya
sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya namo ‘pavargāya parāyaṇāya
नमो नमस्तेऽखिलकारणाय निष्कारणायाद्भुतकारणाय।
सर्वागमाम्नायमहार्णवाय नमोऽपवर्गाय परायणाय॥
Meaning
Salutation again and again to you, the cause of everything who is himself without cause, the wondrous cause; the great ocean of all scripture and sacred tradition; the goal that is liberation, the supreme refuge.
guṇāraṇi-cchanna-cid-uṣmapāya tat-kṣobha-visphūrjita-mānasāya
naiṣkarmya-bhāvena vivarjitāgama svayaṁ-prakāśāya namas-karomi
गुणारणिच्छन्नचिदुष्मपाय तत्क्षोभविस्फूर्जितमानसाय।
नैष्कर्म्यभावेन विवर्जितागम स्वयंप्रकाशाय नमस्करोमि॥
Meaning
To him whose warmth of consciousness lies hidden beneath the kindling wood of the three qualities, whose creative mind blazes out when they are stirred; who, through the state of desireless action, is beyond the reach of scripture and shines by his own light, I offer my salutation.
mādṛk prapanna-paśu-pāśa-vimokṣaṇāya muktāya bhūri-karuṇāya namo ‘layāya
svāṁśena sarva-tanu-bhṛn-manasi pratīta pratyag-dṛśe bhagavate bṛhate namas te
मादृक्प्रपन्नपशुपाशविमोक्षणाय मुक्ताय भूरिकरुणाय नमोऽलयाय।
स्वांशेन सर्वतनुभृन्मनसि प्रतीत प्रत्यग्दृशे भगवते बृहते नमस्ते॥
Meaning
Salutation to him who releases a surrendered, bound creature like me from its snare; ever-free, boundlessly merciful, never wavering. By his own portion he is present within the mind of every embodied being as the inward seer. Salutation to you, the vast and glorious Lord.
ātmātmajāpta-gṛha-vitta-janeṣu saktair duṣprāpaṇāya guṇa-saṅga-vivarjitāya
muktātmabhiḥ sva-hṛdaye paribhāvitāya jñānātmane bhagavate nama īśvarāya
आत्मात्मजाप्तगृहवित्तजनेषु सक्तैर्दुष्प्रापणाय गुणसङ्गविवर्जिताय।
मुक्तात्मभिः स्वहृदये परिभाविताय ज्ञानात्मने भगवते नम ईश्वराय॥
Meaning
Salutation to the Lord who cannot be reached by those clinging to body, children, kin, home, wealth, and followers; who is untouched by contact with the qualities, meditated on in the heart by the liberated, whose very nature is knowledge.
yaṁ dharma-kāmārtha-vimukti-kāmā bhajanta iṣṭāṁ gatim āpnuvanti
kiṁ cāśiṣo rāty api deham avyayaṁ karotu me ‘dabhra-dayo vimokṣaṇam
यं धर्मकामार्थविमुक्तिकामा भजन्त इष्टां गतिमाप्नुवन्ति।
किं चाशिषो रात्यपि देहमव्ययं करोतु मेऽदभ्रदयो विमोक्षणम्॥
Meaning
By worshiping whom those who seek duty, pleasure, wealth, or liberation each attain the end they desire, and who grants even an imperishable form. May that Lord of unfailing compassion grant me release.
ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ
aty-adbhutaṁ tac-caritaṁ su-maṅgalaṁ gāyanta ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ
एकान्तिनो यस्य न कञ्चनार्थं वाञ्छन्ति ये वै भगवत्प्रपन्नाः।
अत्यद्भुतं तच्चरितं सुमङ्गलं गायन्त आनन्दसमुद्रमग्नाः॥
Meaning
His wholly devoted ones, surrendered to the Lord, ask for nothing at all. Singing his utterly wonderful and blessed deeds, they remain immersed in an ocean of joy.
tam akṣaraṁ brahma paraṁ pareśam avyaktam ādhyātmika-yoga-gamyam
atīndriyaṁ sūkṣmam ivāti-dūram anantam ādyaṁ paripūrṇam īḍe
तमक्षरं ब्रह्म परं परेशमव्यक्तमाध्यात्मिकयोगगम्यम्।
अतीन्द्रियं सूक्ष्ममिवातिदूरमनन्तमाद्यं परिपूर्णमीडे॥
Meaning
I praise that imperishable Absolute, supreme, the ruler of rulers, unmanifest, approached through inner yoga; beyond the senses, subtle yet seeming far away, endless, the primeval one, complete in himself.
yasya brahmādayo devā vedā lokāś carācarāḥ
nāma-rūpa-vibhedena phalgvyā ca kalayā kṛtāḥ
यस्य ब्रह्मादयो देवा वेदा लोकाश्चराचराः।
नामरूपविभेदेन फल्ग्व्या च कलया कृताः॥
Meaning
By whose slight and fragmentary power Brahma and the other gods, the Vedas, the worlds, and all things moving and unmoving are fashioned through distinctions of name and form.
yathārciṣo ‘gneḥ savitur gabhastayo niryānti saṁyānty asakṛt sva-rociṣaḥ
tathā yato ‘yaṁ guṇa-sampravāho buddhir manaḥ khāni śarīra-sargāḥ
यथार्चिषोऽग्नेः सवितुर्गभस्तयो निर्यान्ति संयान्त्यसकृत्स्वरोचिषः।
तथा यतोऽयं गुणसम्प्रवाहो बुद्धिर्मनः खानि शरीरसर्गाः॥
Meaning
As the flames of a fire and the rays of the sun, born of their own light, go forth and return again and again, so from him streams this flow of the qualities: intellect, mind, the senses, and all the forms of the body.
sa vai na devāsura-martya-tiryaṅ na strī na ṣaṇḍho na pumān na jantuḥ
nāyaṁ guṇaḥ karma na san na cāsan niṣedha-śeṣo jayatād aśeṣaḥ
स वै न देवासुरमर्त्यतिर्यङ्न स्त्री न षण्ढो न पुमान्न जन्तुः।
नायं गुणः कर्म न सन्न चासन्निषेधशेषो जयतादशेषः॥
Meaning
He is not god, demon, mortal, or beast; not woman, neuter, or man; not any creature. He is not quality, not action, not being or non-being. As what alone remains when all else is negated, may that infinite One be victorious.
jijīviṣe nāham ihāmuyā kim antar bahiś cāvṛtaye ‘bha-yonyā
icchāmi kālena na yasya viplavas tasyātma-lokāvaraṇasya mokṣam
जिजीविषे नाहमिहामुया किमन्तर्बहिश्चावृतयेभयोन्या।
इच्छामि कालेन न यस्य विप्लवस्तस्यात्मलोकावरणस्य मोक्षम्॥
Meaning
I have no wish to go on living in this elephant birth, wrapped in coverings within and without. What I long for is release from the veil over the self and its world, a freedom that no passage of time can undo.
so ‘haṁ viśva-sṛjaṁ viśvam aviśvaṁ viśva-vedasam
viśvātmānam ajaṁ brahma praṇato ‘smi paraṁ padam
सोऽहं विश्वसृजं विश्वमविश्वं विश्ववेदसम्।
विश्वात्मानमजं ब्रह्म प्रणतोऽस्मि परं पदम्॥
Meaning
So I bow down: to the maker of the universe, who is the universe and yet not the universe, the knower of the universe, the soul of the universe, the unborn Absolute, the supreme abode.
yoga-randhita-karmāṇo hṛdi yoga-vibhāvite
yogino yaṁ prapaśyanti yogeśaṁ taṁ nato ‘smy aham
योगरन्धितकर्माणो हृदि योगविभाविते।
योगिनो यं प्रपश्यन्ति योगेशं तं नतोऽस्म्यहम्॥
Meaning
I bow to that Lord of yoga whom the yogis, their past actions burnt away by yoga, behold within the heart made luminous by yoga.
namo namas tubhyam asahya-vega śakti-trayāyākhila-dhī-guṇāya
prapanna-pālāya duranta-śaktaye kad-indriyāṇām anavāpya-vartmane
नमो नमस्तुभ्यमसह्यवेग शक्तित्रयायाखिलधीगुणाय।
प्रपन्नपालाय दुरन्तशक्तये कदिन्द्रियाणामनवाप्यवर्त्मने॥
Meaning
Salutation again and again to you of irresistible force, who are the three powers and the whole of intellect and its qualities; protector of the surrendered, of endless might, the path that cannot be reached by the unruly senses.
nāyaṁ veda svam ātmānaṁ yac-chaktyāhaṁ dhiyā hatam
taṁ duratyaya-māhātmyaṁ bhagavantam ito ‘smy aham
नायं वेद स्वमात्मानं यच्छक्त्याहं धिया हतम्।
तं दुरत्ययमाहात्म्यं भगवन्तमितोऽस्म्यहम्॥
Meaning
This creature does not know its own true self, its understanding overpowered by his very energy. To that Lord of greatness beyond all crossing I have now come for refuge.
Phalashruti
etan mahā-rāja taverito mayā kṛṣṇānubhāvo gaja-rāja-mokṣaṇam
svargyaṁ yaśasyaṁ kali-kalmaṣāpahaṁ duḥsvapna-nāśaṁ kuru-varya śṛṇvatām
एतन्महाराज तवेरितो मया कृष्णानुभावो गजराजमोक्षणम्।
स्वर्ग्यं यशस्यं कलिकल्मषापहं दुःस्वप्ननाशं कुरुवर्यशृण्वताम्॥
Meaning
O great king, I have described to you this power of Krishna, the deliverance of the elephant king. For those who hear it, best of the Kurus, it brings elevation and good repute, washes away the taints of the age of Kali, and destroys bad dreams. (Sage Suka to King Parikshit, Bhagavata Purana 8.4.14.)
Meaning & Significance
The stotra moves along a clear inner arc. Gajendra does not begin by naming a familiar deity or asking for anything. He first tries to point at the One who is the source of the whole conscious universe, the seed before all seeds, praising the Lord as formless yet holder of every form, the witness who watches creation appear and dissolve.
Verse after verse is built on the single word namaḥ, salutation. Gajendra bows to the Lord as peace and as terror, as the knower of the body, as the cause without a cause, as the goal reached only by those who have let go of home, wealth, and kin. Only near the end does his own need surface, and even then it is not a demand for a longer life. He asks instead to be freed from the covering over the self, and admits plainly that his mind has been struck down and he does not know his own true nature. That confession of helplessness is the turning point: it is complete surrender, not clever words, that draws the Lord to him.
How to Chant Gajendra Moksha Stotram
- Purify and settle – Bathe or wash, sit facing east or north before an image of Vishnu, and let the breath grow steady before you begin.
- Invoke Hari – Start with the opening line om namo bhagavate tasmai, fixing the mind on the Lord as the one refuge.
- Recite with meaning – Read the 28 verses slowly. Let each namaḥ register as a real act of bowing rather than a word rushed past.
- Place your difficulty before him – If you chant during danger or worry, set that trouble before the Lord as Gajendra set his, and then release the demand for a particular outcome.
- Close with the phalashruti – End with the phalashruti verse and a short silence of trust, then offer the merit of the recitation.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Tradition, drawing on the phalashruti that Sage Suka narrates to King Parikshit, connects sincere recitation to these fruits:
- Deliverance in crisis: The stotra is the classic prayer for rescue; devotees turn to it when caught by a situation they cannot escape by their own effort.
- Freedom from fear: Reciting Gajendra's surrender is held to loosen the grip of dread, exchanging panic for reliance on the divine.
- Cleansing of the age's faults: The phalashruti calls it kali-kalmaṣa-apaham, the remover of the taints of the Kali age.
- Protection from bad dreams: Suka states that those who hear it at dawn are freed from duhsvapna, troubling dreams.
- A settled, devotional mind: Its steady rhythm of salutations turns attention away from the self and its troubles toward the supreme, cultivating calm.
- Merit and good name: The phalashruti describes it as svargya and yasasya, conducive to higher attainment and to good standing among the devout.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The account appears in the Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 8. Gajendra was once a king named Indradyumna who, through a curse, was reborn as the leader of a herd of elephants living on a mountain called Trikuta. One hot day he entered a lake to drink and bathe, and a powerful crocodile seized his leg and would not let go.
The struggle went on for a very long time. The other elephants could not help, and Gajendra’s own great strength slowly failed. When nothing of his own remained to draw on, he lifted a lotus flower in his trunk and turned entirely toward the Supreme, singing these verses. The Bhagavata says the Lord, hearing a devotee who wanted nothing but him, came at once on Garuda, cut down the crocodile with his discus, lifted Gajendra out, and granted him liberation. The crocodile, freed of an old curse of its own, regained its true form as a Gandharva. The episode is read as a teaching that deliverance comes when the ego finally stops fighting and hands itself over completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gajendra Moksha Stotram about?
It is the prayer that Gajendra, the elephant king, sings to Lord Vishnu when a crocodile has seized him in a lake and his own strength has run out. The 28 verses praise the Lord as the formless supreme cause and end in complete surrender, after which Vishnu comes and frees him.
Where does the Gajendra Moksha Stotram come from?
It is found in the Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 8, Chapter 3 (verses 2 to 29). The fruit-of-recitation verse commonly added at the end is from chapter 4, verse 14, spoken by Sage Suka to King Parikshit.
How many verses does it have?
Gajendra's prayer itself has 28 verses. Many recitation texts add one closing phalashruti verse from the following chapter, making 29 verses in all.
When should the Gajendra Moksha Stotram be chanted?
It is traditionally recited at dawn in the Brahma Muhurta and on Ekadashi and other days sacred to Vishnu. Beyond a daily practice, it is the prayer people reach for in moments of danger, illness, or deep difficulty.
What are the benefits of reciting the Gajendra Moksha Stotram?
The phalashruti describes it as removing the faults of the Kali age, ending bad dreams, and granting elevation and good repute. Devotees chant it for deliverance from crisis, relief from fear, and a mind that rests in trust rather than struggle.
Which deity does the Gajendra Moksha Stotram address?
It is addressed to Lord Vishnu, called Hari in the narrative. Notably, Gajendra does not open with a familiar name but praises the supreme, formless cause of all existence, and Vishnu answers that prayer of pure surrender.
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥