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Gajendra is Rescued by Lord Srihari

  For a very long time, Gajendra the elephant struggled to escape from the powerful alligator. Slowly he became weak and helpless. At that moment, he remembered the spiritual wisdom from his previous birth. In his earlier life, Gajendra was King Indradyumna of the Pandya kingdom. He was wise and devoted to God. After ruling well, he gave the kingdom to his sons and spent time in prayer. One day, Sage Agastya came to meet him, but the king was so deeply absorbed in meditation that he failed to welcome the sage. Feeling ignored, Sage Agastya cursed him to be born as an elephant. Now, in the elephant’s body, Gajendra prayed sincerely to Lord Srihari. He said, “O Lord, You created the whole world. Everything comes from You and finally returns to You. I may be an elephant, but I surrender to You completely. I do not ask for wealth or even freedom from danger. Please remove my ignorance and show me the truth.” Hearing this heartfelt prayer, Lord Srihari quickly arrived on Garuda. Seeing ...
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Gajendra, the Elephant is Caught by an Alligator

  Long ago, there stood a beautiful mountain called Trikuta. It had shining peaks of gold, silver, and steel. Celestial beings often visited this lovely place filled with trees, flowers, lakes, and precious stones. In that forest lived Gajendra, the mighty king of elephants. One day, he was roaming proudly with his herd of elephants. As they walked, they broke bamboo trees and frightened lions, tigers, and snakes. Soon, they smelled the sweet fragrance of lotuses from a nearby lake and happily rushed towards it. The elephants drank cool water, bathed, and played joyfully in the lake. Gajendra was enjoying himself and never imagined danger nearby. Suddenly, a powerful alligator hiding in the water caught Gajendra’s leg tightly! Gajendra fought bravely to free himself. The other elephants tried to help, but they could not rescue him. The struggle continued for a very long time. Slowly, Gajendra became weak and tired. Realizing that no one could save him, he finally prayed sincerely t...
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Story of Rantideva

 63. Srimad Bhagavatam – The Kind King Rantideva Long ago, there lived a kind king named Rantideva. Even though he was very rich, he never cared for wealth. He loved helping others and shared whatever he had. One time, Rantideva and his family had no food or water for 48 days. They became very weak and hungry. On the 49th day, they finally received a little sweet payasam and some water. Just as they were about to eat, a Brahmana guest arrived. Rantideva welcomed him happily and gave him food. After the guest left, another hungry man came. Rantideva shared more food with him too. Soon, a poor man arrived with his dogs and asked for food. The king thought, “Animals also feel hungry like us.” He gave away all the remaining payasam. Now only a little water was left. Just then, a thirsty Chandala came asking for water. Though Rantideva himself was very thirsty, he kindly gave away the last drop. Rantideva said, “I do not want riches or even heaven. I only want to remove the suffering of...
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The Story of Bhakti

  Srimad Bhagavatam – The Story of Bhakti  Once, the wise sage Narada travelled across the Earth to visit holy places. But he felt very sad. Even in sacred places like Ganga, Rameshwaram, and Srirangam, people had forgotten true devotion. Narada saw that this was because of Kali Yuga. People were not speaking the truth, not being kind, and not living pure lives.  Many were only thinking about food and comfort. Temples looked grand, but real devotion was missing. Feeling worried, Narada went to Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna. Bhakti and Her Sons In Mathura, Narada saw a young woman crying. She was Bhakti. Beside her were her two very old sons—Jnana and Vairagya. They were sleeping deeply and would not wake up. Bhakti said sadly, “Please help me wake my sons.” Narada tried his best. He chanted the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, but still they did not wake up. Narada felt very upset. Just then, he heard a voice from the sky: “Go to the great sages. They wi...
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Garuda Gets Nectar From Heaven

How did Garuda get nectar from heaven? When Garuda went to heaven, there was uneasiness in the denizens of heaven. Devaguru Brihaspathi said “Garuda is heading towards heaven to take nectar. None can oppose him, yet it is your duty to protect it. Be prepared for the event”. Garuda carried heavy dust that blinded the whole area, and none were able to see. He defeated Gods and went to heavily guarded nectar. Its outer peripheral is protected by fire. Garuda took the form of 100 faces, collected water from holy rivers, and extinguished the fire.  Going further, he saw lotus shaped iron rods with sharp spokes. Garuda reduced himself to a tiny size and passed through the blockage without getting hurt. Further, two poisonous snakes with sharp eyes were protecting the nectar. Garuda threw dust on its eyes and killed them. Garuda took the nectar and was flying back. Maha Vishnu observed that Garuda had no intention to consume nectar, though he possessed it. He was carrying it solely to ge...
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Birth of Aruna and Garuda

 ______________ Birth of  Aruna and Garuda Who is Garuda? Garuda was born to Sage Kashyapa and Aditi. Sage Kashyapa is the son of Marici and the grandson of Lord Brahma. The Sage was married to 13 daughters of Prajapathi Daksha. Kadru and Vinata were among them. Who is the mother of serpents and that of eagles? Kadru is the mother of 1000 mighty serpents and Vinata is the mother of 2 eagle sons. Who is Aruna and why is he disabled? At the designated time Kadru’s 1000 eggs hatched, and serpents were born. Vinata was anxious as her eggs were yet to hatch.  Vinata, in a haste, broke open one of the egg and a half grown eagle, Aruna, was born. He blamed his mother for his plight. He cursed her that she would serve as a slave of Kadru. Aruna went away and served as charioteer to Sun God ( his half-brother). Aruna was equally powerful as Sun God.  Arunodaya is the time just before sunrise and immediately after sunset. Aruna advised his mother to protect the other egg an...
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Prahlada and his Teachings

 Prahlada  and his Teachings to Demon Boys  Prahlada, son of Demon Hiranyakashipu, was studious and learned all the lessons taught by his gurus, Chanda and Amaka, sons of Shukracharya He contemplated it but had his own views.  When Chanda and Amaka questioned Prahlada as to who had taught him devotion to Srihari, he replied that it is Srihari in me who is prompting to spread the message of devotion. Just as iron pieces get attracted towards magnets, so also my thoughts are always with Srihari.  When teachers were away for a break, fellow students desired to play games. Prahlad called them and began to teach on spiritual enlightenment. Prahlad’s Teaching to Demon Boys   Man must make total surrender to Srihari, and that is the only course for lasting happiness. Sensual pleasures are obtained in every birth by destiny and are without any effort. Hence, no effort should be made as it is a mere waste of one’s life. When the body is young and sound, one mu...
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