Gajendra moksham 2022 - ஆனையின் துயரம் தீரப்புள்ளூர்ந்து

Decades ago, on 16.8.1930 was released a movie at Bombay Venus Cinema, Byculla  containing  – 8 reels 2393 meters  !!!  

Efforts to conserve elephants in Africa are the subject of a global debate.   Several countries in the continent are struggling to safeguard their elephant numbers. Still, many other countries are finding it hard to manage their vast population and reporting a rise in cases of human-wildlife conflict.  The uneven distribution of the jumbos on the continent appears to be the primary source of the disagreement between 19 countries with elephant ranges. While six southern African states have more than 70 per cent of the total population, the rest are battling to save theirs from slipping into extinction.  

There are a total of around 450,000 elephants on the continent. About 130,000 of them are in Botswana and another estimated 100,000 in Zimbabwe. South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Angola also have a huge number of jumbos. These southern African nations are struggling to manage the elephant population, while countries like Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are anxiously trying to stabilise and even increase their dwindling elephant populations. .. .. and sadly, we read that more than 20,000 African elephants are killed each year in order to meet demand for ivory trinkets and ornamental objects. As nations like China close their physical markets, those sales increasingly happen online.  

Israeli archaeologists recently  displayed a rare tusk half a million years old, from an enormous now-extinct elephant, which scholars see as testament to a social ritual by prehistoric humans. The 2.6-metre (8.5-foot) artifact, weighing approximately 150 kilos (330 pounds), was discovered by biologist Eitan Mor at an excavation site near Revadim, a village in southern Israel.  

Back home, the  lives of a herd of elephants of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand were saved after the loco pilot applied the brake right in time and stopped the train 60 meters from the herd.  The Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express was travelling toward West Bengal through a PTR forest at a speed of about 70 kph when suddenly the locomotive pilots noticed an elephant herd of a dozen elephants including calves crossing the tracks between Chipadohar and Hehegara railway stations, according to the railroad officials. The elephant herd in the train’s way were saved by both the pilot's prompt action. The pilots mentioned that the train stopped around 60 metres away from the herd !!  "Loco pilot A K Vidyarthi and I swiftly pulled the emergency brake, and the train stopped around 60 metres from the herd," Rajnikant Choubey, assistant loco pilot, told PTI. The existing double-line passes through an 11-km stretch between Chhipadohar and Hehegara in the core area of the reserve, a PTR official said. Spread over a 1,129.93 sq km area, the reserve houses 47 species of mammals and 174 species of birds. There are around 250 elephants in the reserve.

On  11^th Aug 2022   occurred grand purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni ……  even a child would know having heard so many times the puranic legend of ‘Gajendra moksham [salvation of elephant Gajendra]’ ~ whence   Lord Maha Vishnu Himself  came down to earth to protect Gajendra (elephant) from the death clutches of Makara (Crocodile).   It also offers us great learning – the  otherwise mighty elephant too could get into difficulty and in its extreme distress the elephant after testing its power and understanding  its futility, still had the presence of mind to think of  bhatki (devotion) and gnana (spiritual knowledge) ….. the plea of elephant was immediately answered by Lord Sriman Narayanan, who came rushing in to protect  His devotee – making the earthly human beings realise that if God does so for an elephant, He sure would protect  all of us too.  

கானமர் வேழம் கையெடுத்தலறக் கராவதன் காலினைக் கதுவ,*

ஆனையின் துயரம் தீரப்புள்ளூர்ந்து சென்று நின்றாழி தொட்டானை,* 

Gajendra moksham also explains that one who falls under the divine feet of Lord [prapathi – surrender] seeking salvation will surely be taken care of. The reenactment of Gajendra moksha takes place during the full moon in the month of Aadi.   During Theppothsavam, Lord Varadhar has sarruppadi of  ‘Gajendra moksha thirukolam’. In Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam, Lord Devathirajar (the Moolavar) is giving us darshan on Garuda vahanam – “aanaiyin thuyaram theera pul oornthu sendru nindru aazhi thottanai” [the one who transcended on the bird to wipe out the trouble of elephant] in the words of Thirumangai Mannan.  Here are some photos of Garuda vahana purappadu.  

That movie mentioned in first para is ‘Gajendra Moksham’ described as a Religious-Devotional-Emotional-Romantic Musical Family Melodrama Film exceptionally crafted with excellence !!    The Story revolves around the life of a kind and simple man living with his family and dedicates his life for the sake of devotion and worship of God and wanted a fortune for mankind- but he faces strings of trouble from evil and cruel beings- but he overcomes the odds with his fate and faith, leading to consequences. Its starcast was : Starcast-V.V. Rao and R. Prakash according to Indianfilmhistory.  Raghupati Surya Prakash Rao (R.S. Prakash), son of the renowned travelling cinema exhibitor and builder of the first permanent cinema hall in Madras, Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu, was sent by his father to London to learn filmmaking. Travelling thence to Germany he got an opportunity to view the early cinema master F.W. Murnau at work. He is also said to have visited Hollywood, eventually returning with a 35 mm.  His films include :  -  ‘Gajendra Moksham’, ‘Bhakta Nandan’, ‘Samudra Madanam’ (all 1923), ‘Mohini Avatar’ (1926), ‘Dashavatar’, ‘Stage Girl’. The 1930 remake of ‘Gajendra Moksham’ featured the eminent director Y.V. Rao in his early days.  

11^th Aug 2022   was Yajur Upakarma too and here are some photos of Gajendra moksham purappadu taken by Sri Kanakarajkumar.  

adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
5^th Sept. 2022