Text 12] Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World
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śrī-śukaḥ uvāca —Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said;  evam —thus;  śaptvā —after cursing;  gataḥ —left that place;  agastyaḥ —Agastya Muni;  bhagavān —so powerful;  nṛpa —O King;  sa-anugaḥ —with his associates;  indradyumnaḥ —King Indradyumna;  api —also;  rājarṣiḥ —although he was a  rājarṣi ;  diṣṭam —because of past deeds;  tat —that curse;  upadhārayan —considering;  āpannaḥ —got;  kauñjarīm —of an elephant;  yonim —the species;  ātma-smṛti —remembrance of one's identity;  vināśinīm —which destroys;  hari —the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  arcana-anubhāvena —because of worshiping;  yat —that;  gajatve —in the body of an elephant;  api —although;  anusmṛtiḥ —the opportunity to remember his past devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:  My dear King, after Agastya Muni had thus cursed King Indradyumna, the Muni left that place along with his disciples. Since the King was a devotee, he accepted Agastya Muni's curse as welcome because it was the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, although in his next life he got the body of an elephant, because of devotional service he remembered how to worship and offer prayers to the Lord.
PURPORT
This is the unique position of a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although the King was cursed, he welcomed the curse because a devotee is always aware that nothing can happen without the desire of the Supreme Lord. Although the King was not at fault, Agastya Muni cursed him, and when this happened the King considered it to be due to his past misdeeds.  Tat te 'nukampāṁ susamikṣamāṇaḥ  ( Bhāg.  10.14.8). This is a practical example of how a devotee thinks. He regards any reverses in life as blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, instead of being agitated by such reverses, he continues his activities of devotional service, and  Kṛṣṇa  takes care of him and enables him to be promoted to the spiritual world, back to Godhead. If a devotee has to suffer the reactions of his past misdeeds, the Supreme Lord arranges for him to be given only a token of these reactions, and very soon he is freed from all the reactions of material contamination. One should