The Lord has come to the rescue of those who have
sought His help. We see many such examples, as in the cases of Draupadi, the snake Kaliya, Kakasura
and the Pandavas. But the saving of the elephant Gajendra was special, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi. Every one of the above mentioned persons had sought something from the Lord. The Pandavas wanted their kingdom to be restored to them.
Draupadi had cried out to the Lord to provide her with a dress and save her from being shamed in Duryodhana’s court.
Kakasura surrendered to the Lord to save his life. Kaliya had wanted his life to be spared.When Gajendra’s foot was caught by the crocodile in its
jaws, and the elephant had cried out to the Lord, the Lord appeared before him. But Gajendra
did not ask for any personal favour. He had not called out to the Lord so that his life should
be saved. Nor had he called out in fear. His purpose in seeking the help was an unselfish one.
He had always worshipped the Lord by offering a flower at His feet and the elephant was sorry
that because it was caught by the crocodile, it could not worship the Lord. Thus even in distress,
the elephant’s thoughts were not about its own pain or agony. Its thoughts were about how to serve the Lord. In this respect the elephant was completely different from others who had sought the Lord’s help. The Lord could as well have saved the elephant from His abode. He did not have to come down to Earth in such haste. But He came hastily, so hastily in fact, that He did not even take leave of Goddess Mahalakshmi.
He did not even fix His clothes properly. He came rushing heeding the cries of the elephant. Parasara
Bhattar said that he worshipped the speed with
which the Lord came to the elephant’s rescue. Had the Lord remained in Sri Vaikunta, He could still have saved Gajendra, but would the elephant’s greatness as a devotee been showcased to the world? It was to show the world the selflessness of Gajendra that the Lord came rushing. Nammazhwar attaches
great importance to the flower that Gajendra offered to the Lord. If the Lord had not come
in person, would He have been able to receive the flower, offered with so much love?
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