śrī-gajendra uvāca
oṁ namo bhagavate tasmai
yata etac cid-ātmakam
puruṣāyādi-bījāya
pareśāyābhidhīmahi

yasminn idaṁ yataś cedaṁ
yenedaṁ ya idaṁ svayam
yo ’smāt parasmāc ca paras
taṁ prapadye svayambhuvam

yaḥ svātmanīdaṁ nija-māyayārpitaṁ
kvacid vibhātaṁ kva ca tat tirohitam
aviddha-dṛk sākṣy ubhayaṁ tad īkṣate
sa ātma-mūlo ’vatu māṁ parāt-paraḥ

kālena paṣcatvam iteṣu kṛtsnaśo
lokeṣu pāleṣu ca sarva-hetuṣu
tamas tadāsīd gahanaṁ gabhīraṁ
yas tasya pāre ’bhivirājate vibhuḥ

na yasya devā ṛṣayaḥ padaṁ vidur
jantuḥ punaḥ ko ’rhati gantum īritum
yathā naṭasyākṛtibhir viceṣṭato
duratyayānukramaṇaḥ sa māvatu

didṛkṣavo yasya padaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ
vimukta-saṅgā munayaḥ susādhavaḥ
caranty aloka-vratam avraṇaṁ vane
bhūtātma-bhūtāḥ suhṛdaḥ sa me gatiḥ

na vidyate yasya ca janma karma vā
na nāma-rūpe guṇa-doṣa eva vā
tathāpi lokāpyaya-sambhavāya yaḥ
sva-māyayā tāny anukālam ṛcchati

tasmai namaḥ pareśāya
brahmaṇe ’nanta-śaktaye
arūpāyoru-rūpāya
nama āścarya-karmaṇe

nama ātma-pradīpāya
sākṣiṇe paramātmane
namo girāṁ vidūrāya
manasaś cetasām api

sattvena pratilabhyāya
naiṣkarmyeṇa vipaścitā
namaḥ kaivalya-nāthāya
nirvāṇa-sukha-saṁvide

namaḥ śāntāya ghorāya
ghūḍhāya guṇa-dharmiṇe
nirviśeṣāya sāmyāya
namo jñāna-ghanāya ca

kṣetra-jñāya namas tubhyaṁ
sarvādhyakṣāya sākṣiṇe
puruṣāyātma-mūlāya
mūla-prakṛtaye namaḥ

sarvendriya-guṇa-draṣṭre
sarva-pratyaya-hetave
asatā cchāyayoktāya
sad-ābhāsāya te namaḥ

namo namas te ’khila-kāraṇāya
niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya
sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya
namo ’pavargāya parāyaṇāya

guṇāraṇi-cchanna-cid-uṣmapāya
tat-kṣobha-visphūrjita-mānasāya
naiṣkarmya-bhāvena vivarjitāgama-
svayaṁ-prakāśāya namas karomi

mādṛk prapanna-paśu-pāśa-vimokṣaṇāya
muktāya bhūri-karuṇāya namo ’layāya
svāṁśena sarva-tanu-bhṛn-manasi pratīta-
pratyag-dṛśe bhagavate bṛhate namas te

ātmātma-jāpta-gṛha-vitta-janeṣu saktair
duṣprāpaṇāya guṇa-saṅga-vivarjitāya
muktātmabhiḥ sva-hṛdaye paribhāvitāya
jñānātmane bhagavate nama īśvarāya

yaṁ dharma-kāmārtha-vimukti-kāmā
bhajanta iṣṭāṁ gatim āpnuvanti
kiṁ cāśiṣo rāty api deham avyayaṁ
karotu me ’dabhra-dayo vimokṣaṇam

ekāntino yasya na kañcanārthaṁ
vāñchanti ye vai bhagavat-prapannāḥ
aty-adbhutaṁ tac-caritaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ
gāyanta ānanda-samudra-magnāḥ

tam akṣaraṁ brahma paraṁ pareśam
avyaktam ādhyātmika-yoga-gamyam
atīndriyaṁ sūkṣmam ivātidūram
anantam ādyaṁ paripūrṇam īḍe

yasya brahmādayo deva
vedā lokāś carācarāḥ
nāma-rūpa-vibhedena
phalgvyā ca kalayā kṛtāḥ

yathārciṣo ’gneḥ savitur gabhastayo
niryānti saṁyānty asakṛt sva-rociṣaḥ
tathā yato ’yaṁ guṇa-sampravāho
buddhir manaḥ khāni śarīra-sargāḥ

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

jijīviṣe nāham ihāmuyā kim
antar bahiś cāvṛtayebha-yonyā
icchāmi kālena na yasya viplavas
tasyātma-lokāvaraṇasya mokṣam

so ’haṁ viśva-sṛjaṁ viśvam
aviśvaṁ viśva-vedasam
viśvātmānam ajaṁ brahma
praṇato ’smi paraṁ padam
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.2-26)

Gajendra is praying to the Lord with the earnestness of his heart. While fighting with the crocodile he is experiencing pain. After fighting for one thousand years, he has lost the strength of his body, mind and senses. He is witnessing his imminent death in front of him. In such a precarious condition how could one offer prayers to the Lord? If we get the slightest discomfort to the body, we forget the Lord immediately. How come Gajendra is offering prayers in such a condition? This is because he was a devotee of the Lord in his previous life. Devotion never gets destroyed. He got the body of an elephant by the curse of Agastya Muni. He forgot all the devotional activities he performed in his previous life until the moment he came into the clutches of the crocodile. After fighting with the crocodile for thousands of years he remembered the prayers he used to utter in his past life. Devotion is a propensity of the soul that is beyond one’s body and mind. In this manner, causeless devotion for the Lord manifested in the heart of Gajendra. Devotion cannot be destroyed by any means. For this reason, even in such a crisis Gajendra is able to pray to the Lord in a quiet and calm manner. For us all this is impossible. If we perform a little more Kirtan than we usually do we fall sick. If we do not get proper sleep at night or if we do not get proper food then we fall sick and in such sick conditions, it is very difficult to perform bhajan. But Gajendra fought with the elephant for one thousand years and is still fighting with him where the crocodile has caught hold of his leg tightly with its mouth giving him immense pain. In such a precarious condition also, Gajendra is offering prayers to the Lord. It seems such a thing is impossible. Gajendra did not stop uttering prayers to the Lord due to the immense pain he was experiencing in his body and mind being tormented by the crocodile. If we shall be able to utter prayers to the Lord in the same way as Gajendra did, we shall also be able to get deliverance from this crocodile of material existence and will attain the Lotus feet of the Lord.

Gajendra did not take shelter of any worldly living being or object nor any exalted demigods like Brahma etc. They are only insignificant (phalgu) partial manifestations. Whatever exists in the universe all emerge from the Supreme Lord, remain for Him and ultimately enter into Him. You will find in Brihad-aranyaka Upanishada 2.1.20,

yathāgneḥ kśudrā visphulingā
vyūccaranti evam eva asmad ātmanaḥ
sarve praṇāḥ, sarve lokāḥ, sarve devāḥ,
sarvāṇi bhutani vyūccaranti

"Just as sparks manifest in a large fire, similarly all the living beings emanate from the Supreme Lord who is the soul of all the souls."

Sparks of fire emerge from fire and enter into it. Rays of Sun emerge from the Sun and enter into it. So Gajendra is not taking shelter to any Demigods like Brahma etc. who come from the Supreme Lord and culminate in Him only. They are only insignificant partial manifestations (phalgu-anśa). Guṇasampravāhaḥ—I am not submitting to any inanimate or animate objects which are under the three modes of material nature. Gajendra says, “I am not taking shelter to anyone of the following like—body, mind, sense organs, qualities of the living entities, Demigods, human beings, demonic entities, males, females, transgender, animals, etc, etc. Gajendra is saying ‘neti neti’, he is stressing repeatedly that he is not submitting to any of the above mentioned things or beings. He is submitting to one Who remains after negating everything (niṣedha ka śeṣa). He is aśeṣātmaka—the Endless, Boundless, paripūrṇa (complete in all). He is singing His glories and praying for His grace. Here Gajendra is explaining clearly who he is taking shelter of.

Gajendra continues, “I am not taking shelter to the Lord to get deliverance from the clutches of the crocodile and get back my life as an elephant. This body of an elephant is attained due to ignorance. I want to get liberation from this ignorance that binds me to this body and gives me the misconception of this body being my real self. So I not only want release from the clutches of the crocodile but also want the service of the Lotus Feet of the Lord.”

In the commentary, Viswanath Chakravarty Thakur writes that Gajendra firstly desired to get release from the covering of illusory energy and secondly desired all impediments on his way to Vaikuntha Dhama to be removed so that he may reach the abode of the Supreme Lord safely.

so ’haṁ viśva-sṛjaṁ viśvam
aviśvaṁ viśva-vedasam
viśvātmānam ajaṁ brahma
praṇato ’smi paraṁ padam
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.26)

Gajendra is not desirous of getting the elephant body. He wants to go to Bhagavad Dhama. The Lord may say to him, "If you want to come to My abode then you have to perform devotion. By devotion one attains My abode." In reply to that Gajendra is saying, “I am in trouble. Why? I am caught in the clutches of the crocodile. I am in the grip of the crocodile of material life. I do not know how to perform devotion. If it would have been known to me I would have performed devotion. But I am in trouble. I do not know how to perform devotion. I am seeing this world with my material senses. This world must have some creator. I am not in a condition where I can pay my obeisances to the creator by bowing down to Him. So I am offering my obeisances to Him mentally. I am a mere animal.”

The Supreme Lord is the world Himself (viśva). This world has manifested from His external potency. There is nothing wrong in calling the world (viśva) as Lord's form (rūpa). The world is Lord's rūpa but not swarūp, His actual form. This world is one of the forms of the Lord (rūpa) but not His actual form (swarūpa). Gajendra is also calling Him aviśvam—He is immanent and transcendental. The Supreme Lord is All-Pervading. Gajendra further says, viśva-vedasam—He contains all the knowledge of this world and is the soul of the world Himself. Gajendra prays, “I offer my obeisances unto Him. I am a mere animal filled with ignorance. The Supreme Lord Who is the soul of this world and Who is the world Himself. He is devoid of birth and death. His form is not material but transcendental. I pay my obeisances to that Parabrahma (Supreme Lord).”

yoga-randhita-karmāṇo
hṛdi yoga-vibhāvite
yogino yaṁ prapaśyanti
yogeśaṁ taṁ nato ’smy aham
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 8.3.27)

When the fire has been lit up, the firewood automatically gets burnt. There is no separate effort required to burn it. The purpose of lighting up the fire was to cook the food but simultaneously it burnt the firewood. Lord Krishna tells Uddhava,

yathāgniḥ susamṛddhārciḥ
karoty eDhamasi bhasmasāt
tathā mad-viṣayā bhaktir
uddhavaināṁsi kṛtsnaśaḥ
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.19)

The unconditional devotion unto the Supreme Lord is like a blazing fire which burns all the sins completely. This will happen only by unconditional devotion not by the one in which the aspirant desires fruitive results like getting the higher planates or to get merged oneself into the Brahman effluent or to get mystic powers (siddhi). Pure devotion is like the blazing fire which burns everything—karma, gyāna, yoga, etc. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, the Supersoul, the master of all mystic yoga, who is seen in the core of the heart by perfect mystics when they are completely purified and freed from the reactions of fruitive activity by practicing bhakti-yoga. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says to Arjun,

tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogi
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogi
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ
(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 6.46-47)

Krishna says, "According to My opinion amongst all the yogīs, that yogī is topmost who has causeless devotion to Me." Here, Krishna is saying that one who worships 'HIM', meaning His personal form not nirākār-nirviśeṣ-brahma. The Lord is the worshipable object for the pure devotees. Gajendra is praying, "I offer my obeisance to that Parameswara."

namo namas tubhyam asahya-vega-
śakti-trayāyākhila-dhī-guṇāya
prapanna-pālāya duranta-śaktaye
kad-indriyāṇām anavāpya-vartmane
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.28)

It is not possible to cross over the external potency consisting of the three modes of material nature.

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
(Bhagavad Gita 7.14)

Gajendra prays, "I am under the control of the external potency consisting of the three modes of material nature. The Lord will rescue the fully surrendered devotee from the clutches of His illusory energy. But I am not a pure devotee. I am not a surrendered devotee. I am under the grip of illusory energy and it is difficult for me to win over it." Gajendra is praying so out of humility. The Lord's devotees are not under the control of illusory energy. They are transcendental, their senses are also transcendental. By those senses they relish the transcendental sound, touch, form, taste, smell, etc. Our senses are material. They have the tendency to enjoy. From where did the tendency to enjoy come because of which we have come to this world? Actually, the tendency to relish the sound, touch, form, taste, smell is there in our nature. But that tendency has got misplaced. And in such a condition, the living entity sees a mirage of happiness like the mirage of water seen in the desert. The rays of the sun reflect off the desert sand. From a distance, a clean sheet of water can be perceived. The beasts in the desert, being very thirsty, see this "water," a mirage, and think that if they run toward it they will get it. So they move forward further and further, but the water continuously recedes further and further into the distance. But, it is an illusion of water only. Likewise our material senses will take us to illusory energy only. But those persons who have the real knowledge about the transcendence (akhila-dhī) are relishing the objects of senses by transcendental senses. The conditioned souls are not attracted towards the transcendental objects. Only the one who has transcendental senses can see the transcendental qualities of the Lord. By our senses which are called 'kad-indriya' (kutsita-indriya)—the senses having the tendency to enjoy, we cannot attain the Lord.

As we know, Narada Goswami also was enchanted and infatuated by seeing Krishna's māyā. Once he expressed his desire to see the illusory potency to Krishna. Krishna warned him saying that he too shall be trapped by it. Krishna said, “You too shall be trapped by My illusory energy. What is your need to see it? You sing the glories of My Holy Names and deliver the world.” Narada Goswami said, “I am not Your devotee. If there is an iota of devotion in me, You please fulfill my desire. I have heard that all the living beings of this world are experiencing immense miseries due to Your māyā, the illusory external potency. I want to see that illusion and know what kind of afflictions they are undergoing.” Then the Lord showed Narada Goswami His māyā. As long as the Lord was present in front of Narada it was not possible to show him the illusory energy. In order to see the illusory energy one has to forget the Lord. So, the Lord disappeared from his vision. Narada Goswami took a dip in the waters of one lake and the Lord converted that lake into an ocean. Not only that, the Lord converted the body of Narada Goswami into a female body. When Narada emerged from the waters of the ocean, he saw himself as a woman drowning in the rough waters of the ocean. He started calling out for help, “Anybody please rescue me from here.” A king was passing by with his army who spotted her and rescued her. The illusory energy of the Lord caught hold of Narada Goswami. Till now he was depending only on the Lord for shelter. Now in his new form as a woman given by the māyā of the Lord Narada took shelter of a king. The king took her to his kingdom and married her. She gave birth to fifty sons. Narada as a woman forgot all his previous identity and now took the king and her sons to be her everything. The king had a temple of Lord Krishna. During Janmasthami (appearance festival of the Lord) the priest of the temple approached her and invited her to attend the appearance festival of the Lord. But Narada in the body of a queen said to him, “I have many responsibilities. I cannot go; I have to look after fifty children. You take some money and engage it in the festival.”

When all the fifty sons grew up, they got married in great pomp and grandeur. When the daughters-in-law came, rivalry started between the sons. Rivalry soon converted to fight for property between the brothers and all of them died in mutual battle.

When one son dies the parents grieve so much and here there were fifty sons who were all killed in mutual battle. Narada Goswami as a queen was grief stricken beyond imagination. She lost all her interest in material opulence and started lamenting loudly for her dead sons. Krishna appeared in the disguise of a Brahmin in front of her. The queen paid him obeisances. The Brahmin asked, “Is everything all right?”

The queen said, “I have lost everything. I have lost all my sons.”

The Lord in the guise of a brahmin said to her, “Are they your sons? Did you bring them? All the living beings come by the will of the Lord and go by His will only.”

The more he tried to convince her and calm her down by giving scriptural evidence her pain did not subside. She kept quiet for some time and again started crying. Finally, the Lord said to her, “Even if you lament you shall not get back your sons. You should take a dip in the waters of that lake. I am assuring you that all your sons shall get auspiciousness.” The queen said, “Oh Brahmin please bless me so that I may die. I do not want to live anymore. I do want to die. I am going to take a bath as per your will, but I have no desire to live anymore.”

Saying so she took a dip in the waters of the lake and got back the form of Narada Goswami. On seeing Krishna in front of him he immediately remembered everything. On being asked by Narada about what has transpired, the Lord said to him, “This is My māyā. Do you want to see it again?” Narada said, “No, I do not want to see it anymore.” So, when Narada remembered the Lord, he got back his transcendental form and started perceiving the transcendental names, forms and qualities again. All the illusory energy left Narada immediately the moment he remembered the Lord. When he forgot the Lord, the illusory energy enveloped him and he got the misconception of self and with it got entangled in all sorts of worldly sorrows and pains.

Gajendra says, “I am a mere animal who is under the grip of material senses. For this reason, it is not possible for me to liberate myself from the desire to enjoy this world. But You are the Lord and possess infinite strength. You are most merciful and nothing is impossible for You. I take shelter at Your lotus feet. You can easily rescue a fallen soul like me. You are the protector of the surrendered. You are infinitely potent. For this reason, I take shelter at Your lotus feet.”

nāyaṁ veda svam ātmānaṁ
yac-chaktyāhaṁ-dhiyā hatam
taṁ duratyaya-māhātmyaṁ
bhagavantam ito ’smy aham
(Srimad Bhagavatam 8.3.29)

Gajendra says, “I have nothing to pray from You except causeless devotion to Your feet. I have no other qualifications. I take shelter at Your feet and pray for Your grace.”

Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur in one of his hymns prays 'mārabi rākhabi — yo icchā tohārā nitya-dāsa-prati tuyā adhikāra'—As I am Your eternal servant, You have the right to do everything; if You wish You can keep me alive or else You can kill me. Gajendra had this sort of ‘śaraṇāgati’ (submission to the Lord).