To many in the social-media circuit who watched the above video-clip, it brought to their mind instantly the purana parable of “Gajendra moksham” – a fascinating story in the Srimadh Bhaagavatham that has been told and retold by parents and grandparents in the homes of millions of Hindu families in India to all children and grandchildren over the centuries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gajendra_Moksha
The Gajendra Moksham story and video-clip seen above however underscore 2 related but different themes . I know that might sound puzzling . But please look at it this way :
In the video we see the heroism (heroineism?!) of the mother elephant in saving her calf — just in the nick of time — from the jaws of the crocodile.
In the Gajendra moksham parable it is the he-elephant that is the victim . Despite his valiant , titanic struggle he slowly loses the battle with the crocodile . He looks around pathetically and beseeches his herd to save him … but none steps forward to attempt a rescue fearing the terrible jaws of the croc !
We must imagine that the herd possible might have included Gajendra’s wife, his offspring, his siblings … why , even his mother and father too … would it not ?
If so , why did not one of them dare venture to go to the rescue ? Why was even the mother-elephant paralysed by mortal fear ?
The answer is that despite a mother’s powerful protective instinct and despite her extraordinary love for her offspring , there can be dire or fatal occasions in life when even a mother’s strong instinctive will and solicitide for the safety and well being of her child — witnessed in the video — can fail . (Or, we could also ask ourselves who is there after our mothers depart from this world that can or will give us the same love and protection we know only she can?) And we see that happening, don’t we, in the Gajendra Moksham story?
Now, we must pause and ponder over this : when even what is nature-driven protection— given by what we know is such powerful primal maternal instinct — can fail to save us in life , then to whom else or to what other primal force of nature or instinct do we turn to in our moment of desperation?
Gajendra losing all hope of ever being saved by father, mother, spouse, sibling or offspring … what does he do? He throws up his hands (or trunk! ) in complete, abject submission and cries out for divine help… The elephant then at last turns to Narayana and beseeches him for protection … And we all know the happy ending of the story!
What the Bhagavatham story thus tells us is this : maternal love, care and protection is of course indeed the greatest gift given to by Nature to any soul or jeevaatma. But then there is a love-giver , care-giver and protector who is beyond and above Nature even … he who is ever more loving, caring and protective of you than your mother even. He is Sriman Naaraayana !
That significant lesson of Srimadh Bhagavatham is precisely what gets conveyed in a single extraordinarily significant line in the very first hymn (paasuram) of Periya-Tirumozhi of Thirumangai Azhwar :
பெற்ற தாயினும் ஆயின செய்யும்*
நலம் தரும் சொல்லை நான் கண்டுகொண்டேன்* நாராயணா என்னும் நாமம். (2)
Naaraayana! Naaraayana!
Sudarshan Madabushi