Hinduism - Who Is Indradyumna In Hindu Mythology?


 A good ruler who is a big devotee (bhakta) of the deity Vishnu in Hindu mythology.

The sage Agastya, enraged that the monarch, deep in concentration, fails to meet the sage with customary reverence, has cursed him to become a gigantic elephant.

Agastya declares that the curse will be lifted when Vishnu touches the elephant on the back after much begging.

As a consequence of the curse, Indradyumna spends many years roaming the globe as an elephant.

His hind limb gets kidnapped by a big crocodile one time as he is drinking at a lake.

The crocodile is really Huhu, a gandharva or heavenly musician condemned to become a crocodile by another sage.

The elephant is unable to break free, and the crocodile is unable to defeat the elephant after a thousand years of fighting.

Finally, Vishnu arrives, kills the crocodile, and transforms Indradyumna back into his former self.

Gajendramoksha, or "liberation of the elephant king," refers to Indradyumna's escape from both the curse and the crocodile.



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