The Lord’s appearance on Garuda to save the elephant Gajendra is one of the most celebrated of His acts of mercy, said M.A Venkatakrishnan, in a discourse. But, there are some questions that this incident raises. Foremost among them is the question — why did He have to come in person? Considering that He is Omnipotent, could He not have accomplished the act of saving from Paramapada itself?
While describing this act of the Lord, Thirumangai Azhvar, in his Tiruvallikeni pasuram, says that He arrived on His mount Garuda, and touched His discus. The verse does not say He flung it at the crocodile, but merely touched it. This is to show just a touch from Him is enough for Sudarsana to know what is required of Him. He will do the job at once. The Lord once merely observed that in the netherworld, asuras were torturing the virtuous. Immediately, Sudarsana went to the netherworld and destroyed all the asuras. So, His touch or even His will are enough to get Sudarsana to do his duty. So, what was the need for His appearance to save Gajendra? The answer lies in one of the names of Lord Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama. In the Sahasranama, the Lord is extolled as Ruchirangadah — the One who makes it possible for His devotees to behold His lovely form and to delight in seeing it. Now if He has to live up to this name, how can He do so if He stays on in Paramapada, and accomplishes things by will? Yes, He could have saved the elephant without lifting a finger. Yes, He could have destroyed the crocodile, without moving out of His divine abode. But how could Gajendra have seen Him, if He had stayed back? That is why He came in answer to Gajendra’s calls. Moreover, Gajendra wanted to offer the flower at the Lord’s feet. This was possible only if He came in person.
