Text 30] The Elephant Gajendra’s Crisis 61
posite; abhitt—became; sakalam—all of them; jala-okasah—the cro-
codile, whose home is the water.
TRANSLATION

Thereafter, because of being pulled into the water and fighting
for many long years, the elephant became diminished in his men-
tal, physical and sensual strength. The crocodile, on the contrary,
being an animal of the water, increased in enthusiasm, physical
strength and sensual power.

PURPORT

In the fighting between the elephant and the crocodile, the difference
was that although the elephant was extremely powerful, he was in a
foreign place, in the water. During one thousand years of fighting, he
could not get any food, and under the circumstances his bodily strength
diminished, and because his bodily strength diminished, his mind also
became weak and his senses less powerful. The crocodile, however, being
an animal of the water, had no difficulties. He was getting food and was
therefore getting mental strength and sensual encouragement. Thus
while the elephant became reduced in strength, the crocodile became
more and more powerful. Now, from this we may take the lesson that in
our fight with maya we should not be in a position in which our strength,
enthusiasm and senses will be unable to fight vigorously. Our Krsna con-
sciousness movement has actually declared war against the illusory en-
ergy, in which all the living entities are rotting in a false understanding
of civilization. The soldiers in this Krsna consciousness movement must
always possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power. To keep
themselves fit, they must therefore place themselves in a normal condi-
tion of life. What constitutes a normal condition will not be the same for
everyone, and therefore there are divisions of varnasrama —brahmana,
ksatriya, vaisya, Sidra, brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and san-
nydsa. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, it is advised that no one take
sannyasa.

asvamedham gavalambham
sannydsam pala-paitrkam
