Gajendra, Gaja-indra: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Gajendra means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
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In Hinduism
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र).—The king of the elephants. He was saved from a crocodile by Lord Viṣṇu and awarded liberation.
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) refers to a “lordly elephant” (given by Indra), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.5 (“Kārttikeya is crowned”).—Accordingly, after the Kṛttikās spoke to Kārttikeya: “[...] Then Śiva, the lord of the universe, following the worldly convention delightedly placed Kārttikeya on a beautiful gemset throne. [...] Then Indra gave him a lordly elephant (gajendra) and a thunderbolt. The lord of the waters, Varuṇa, gave him a white umbrella and a necklace of gems to wear. The sun gave him a chariot as fast as the mind and a coat of mail with great equipments; Yama his own staff: the moon a vessel full of nectar. [...]”.
1a) Gajendra (गजेन्द्र).—The legend of Viṣṇu freeing the elephant in trouble. While wandering in the hills, this lord of elephants felt thirsty and entered a lake in the Trikūṭa hill. While drinking water, a crocodile caught hold of its feet. Finding himself on the brink of death, Gajendra bestowed his thought on Hari on account of the vāsana of the previous birth. Pleased with his prayer, Hari flew on Garuḍa with his cakra and released the animal from the crocodile. The elephant attained a form like that of Hari. This elephant was in his previous birth a Pāṇḍyan king by name Indradyumna devoted to Hari but cursed by Agastya to be born as elephant.1 Hari blessed Gajendra who got mokṣa by satsaṅga.2 Hence Gajendramokṣa.3
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa III. 19. 35: VIII. 1. 30: 2. 20-33: 3 (whole): 4. 6-25.
- 2) ibid. X. 71. 9: XI. 12. 6.
- 3) ibid. II. 7. 15-16.
1b) The Airāvata which came out of the churning of the ocean of milk. It was taken up by Indra.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 251. 3.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) refers to the “Lord of the Elephants”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “[...] The Seat of Gesture is the Lord of the Elephants (i.e. KHPHREṂ) [i.e., gajendra], the pure Cave of the Moon that has fashioned itself in Kāmarūpa. Above is the seat Trisrota that generates the bliss of the teaching. It is the half-measure of the Seed of Sound (HSAUṂ). The seat of Meru is in the Point. It is power, the seed of bliss (AIṂ), which is the mouth of the Lotus of Kula. There is the Divine Current divine, that of the seats and above that the entire Current of the Siddhas and the Current of Kula. The Current of the Teachers is in Candrapurī, and the authority is in Koṅkaṇa at the beginning of the Age of Strife. It is this Tradition that is present in the three lineages. I bow constantly to (this) maṇḍala made of six parts)”.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) refers to one of the twelve disciples of Matsyendranātha, according to Abhinava in his Tantrāloka verse 29.25-43.—Matsyendranātha and his consort had twelve disciples. Out of these twelve ‘princes’ (rājaputra), six were ‘celibate’, that is, they did not have spiritual offspring. The other six founded the six lineages (ovalli also called kulas) mentioned above. They are worshipped along with Matsyendranātha and his consort in the Wheel of the Siddhas at the beginning of the Kaula ritual described by Abhinava in his Tantrāloka. These six—[e.g., Gajendra]—are celibate and so do not possess authority, as authority is the expansion of vitality along the path of Kula.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
1) Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) is the name of an ancient Pāñcarātra Saṃhitā mentioned in the Kapiñjalasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra work consisting of 1550 verses dealing with a variety of topics such as worship in a temple, choosing an Ācārya, architecture, town-planning and iconography.—For the list of works, see chapter 1, verses 14b-27. The list [including Gajendra-saṃhitā] was said to have comprised “108” titles, these, different saṃhitās named after different manifestations of the Lord or different teachers. They are all said to be authoritative as the ultimate promulgator of all these is the same Nārāyaṇa.
2) Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) or Gajendrasaṃhitā is also mentioned in the Puruṣottamasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra text consisting of more than 1800 verses devoted to temple-building and the practical concerns of the Pāñcarātra priestly community.
3) Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) or Gajendrasaṃhitā is also mentioned in the Bhāradvājasaṃhitā or “Bhāradvāja-kaṇva-saṃhitā”: a Pāñcarātra text comprising some 230 ślokas mainly concerned with basic details concerning temple construction and icon consecration.
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र).—
1) an excellent elephant, a lordly elephant; किं रुष्टासि गजेन्द्रमन्दगमने (kiṃ ruṣṭāsi gajendramandagamane) Ś. Til.7; ऐरावतं गजेन्द्राणां (airāvataṃ gajendrāṇāṃ) Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 1.27.
2) Airāvata, Indra's elephant.
3) Name of a tree; गजेन्द्र- कुसुमाकीर्णम् (gajendra- kusumākīrṇam) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 13.132.12. °कर्णः (karṇaḥ) an epithet of Śiva.
Derivable forms: gajendraḥ (गजेन्द्रः).
Gajendra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms gaja and indra (इन्द्र).
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र).—m.
(-ndraḥ) 1. A large and excellent elephant. 2. Indra'S elephant E. gaja, and indra chief.
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र).—[masculine] a noble elephant (lit. chief of the elephants).
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र):—[from gaja > gaj] m. = ja-rāja, [Mahābhārata i; Nalopākhyāna xii, 40]
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र):—[gaje+ndra] (ndraḥ) 1. m. Indra's elephant.
[Sanskrit to German]
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Gaiṃda, Gayaṃda.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Nepali dictionary
Gajendra (गजेन्द्र):—n. 1. king of elephants; a big elephant; 2. Mythol. Indra's vehicle; Airavat; 3. the leader of a herd of elephants;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Gajendracarma, Gajendrakarna, Gajendramoksh, Gajendramoksha, Gajendramoksham, Gajendramokshana, Gajendramokshanastotra, Gajendranatha, Gajendrapada, Gajendrasamhita, Gajendrasya, Gajendravikrama.
Full-text (+14): Gajendramokshana, Gajendrakarna, Gajendranatha, Gajendravikrama, Kacentiran, Gayamda, Gaimda, Lohajala, Gajendrapada, Vatagajendra, Kavittalam, Grahanigajendra, Gajendrasamhita, Huhu, Panagadi, Nada, Attapuyakkaram, Urdhvaretas, Manidatta, Satyadhara.
Relevant text
Search found 68 books and stories containing Gajendra, Gaja-indra; (plurals include: Gajendras, indras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Matangalila and Hastyayurveda (study) (by Chandrima Das)
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Verse 2.13.280 < [Chapter 13 - The Deliverance of Jagāi and Mādhāi]
Verse 2.23.45-046 < [Chapter 23 - Wandering about Navadvīpa On the Day the Lord Delivered the Kazi]
Verse 3.1.257 < [Chapter 1 - Meeting Again at the House of Śrī Advaita Ācārya]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Bauhinia purpurea (kanchanara) < [2019: Volume 8, March special issue 4]
A review on ebola virus < [2017: Volume 6, December issue 16]
Ideal ayurvedic food in all season < [2019: Volume 8, December issue 13]
Tiruvaymoli (Thiruvaimozhi): English translation (by S. Satyamurthi Ayyangar)
Pasuram 8.7.2 < [Section 7 - Seventh Tiruvaymoli (Iruttum, viyantu)]
Pasuram 3.5.1 < [Section 5 - Fifth Tiruvaymoli (Moym mam pum polil)]
Pasuram 3.2.5 < [Section 2 - Second Tiruvaymoli (Munnir nalam)]
Sucindrasthala-mahatmya (critical edition and study) (by Anand Dilip Raj)
Puranic legends: Story of Gajendra Moksha < [Chapter 4 - Sucindrasthalamahatmya: a critical study]
Chapter 12 - Dvadasha Adhyaya (dvadaso'dhyayah) < [Chapter 5 - Sucindrasthalamahatmya: Sanskrit critical edition]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 8.9.6 < [Chapter 9 - Lord Balarāma’s Rāsa Dance]
Verse 6.10.17 < [Chapter 10 - In the Description of the Gomatī River, the Glories of Cakra-tīrtha]
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