124
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 4]
प्रणम्य शिरसाधीशमुत्तमश्लोकमव्ययम् ।  
 अगायत यशोधाम कीर्तन्यगुणसत्कथम् ॥ ४ ॥
yo 'sau grāhaḥ sa vai sadyaḥ 
    paramāścarya-rūpa-dhṛk 
    mukto devala-śāpena 
    hūhūr gandharva-sattamaḥ
praṇamya śirasādhīśam 
    uttama-ślokam avyayam 
    agāyata yaśo-dhāma 
    kīrtanya-guṇa-sat-katham
yaḥ—he who; asau—that; grāhaḥ—became a crocodile; saḥ—he; 
    vai—indeed; sadyaḥ—immediately; parama—very nice; āścarya— 
    wonderful; rūpa-dhṛk—possessing the form (of his original Gandharva 
    position); muktaḥ—was delivered; devala-śāpena—by the cursing of 
    Devala Rṣi; hūhūḥ—whose name was formerly Hūhū; gandharva-sat- 
    tamaḥ—the best of Gandharvaloka; praṇamya—offering his obei- 
    sances; śirasā—by the head; adhīśam—unto the supreme master; ut- 
    tama-ślokam—who is worshiped by the choicest verses; avyayam—who 
    is the supreme eternal; agāyata—he began to chant; yaśaḥ-dhāma—the 
    glories of the Lord; kīrtanya-guṇa-sat-katham—whose transcendental 
    pastimes and qualities are glorious.
TRANSLATION
The best of the Gandharvas, King Hūhū, having been cursed by Devala Muni, had become a crocodile. Now, having been delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he assumed a very beautiful form as a Gandharva. Understanding by whose mercy this had happened, he immediately offered his respectful obeisances with his head and began chanting prayers just suitable for the transcendental Lord, the supreme eternal, who is worshiped by the choicest verses.
PURPORT
The story of how the Gandharva had become a crocodile will be described later. The curse by which the Gandharva took this position was