View source for The King of the elephants (Gajendra), in his condition of danger, decided to seek shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. After considerable thought, he intelligently arrived at this correct decision. Such a decision is not reached by a sinful man

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{{terms|"The King of the elephants, in his condition of danger, decided to seek shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. After considerable thought, he intelligently arrived at this correct decision. Such a decision is not reached by a sinful man"}}
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[[Category:King]]
[[Category:Elephant]]
[[Category:Gajendra]]
[[Category:Condition]]
[[Category:Danger for Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Decisions of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Seeking God]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Take Shelter of God]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Take Shelter at God's Lotus Feet]]
[[Category:Considerations of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Thoughts of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Intelligence of a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:Arrive]]
[[Category:Correct]]
[[Category:Decision]]
[[Category:Cannot Reach]]
[[Category:Sinful Men]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 08 Chapter 02 Purports - The Elephant Gajendra's Crisis]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 08 Purports]]
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<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
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<h3>SB Canto 8</h3>
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Four kinds of pious men—namely, one who is in danger, one who is in need of money, one who is searching for knowledge and one who is inquisitive—begin to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to be saved or to advance. The King of the elephants, in his condition of danger, decided to seek shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. After considerable thought, he intelligently arrived at this correct decision. Such a decision is not reached by a sinful man.
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[[Vanisource:SB 8.2.31|SB 8.2.31, Translation and Purport]]
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When the King of the elephants saw that he was under the clutches of the crocodile by the will of providence and, being embodied and circumstantially helpless, could not save himself from danger, he was extremely afraid of being killed. He consequently thought for a long time and finally reached the following decision.
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Everyone in the material world is engaged in a struggle for existence. Everyone tries to save himself from danger, but when one is unable to save himself, if he is pious, he then takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.16 (1972)|BG 7.16]]):

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:catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
:janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna
:ārto jijñāsur arthārthī 
:jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
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Four kinds of pious men—namely, one who is in danger, one who is in need of money, one who is searching for knowledge and one who is inquisitive—begin to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to be saved or to advance. The King of the elephants, in his condition of danger, decided to seek shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. After considerable thought, he intelligently arrived at this correct decision. Such a decision is not reached by a sinful man. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā it is said that those who are pious (sukṛtī) can decide that in a dangerous or awkward condition one should seek shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
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