Read the story carefully!

Activity 5
King Gajendra

Gajendra Moksha is an important story found in

the Bhagavad Purana and it demonstrates the
significance of ‘Bhakti’, prayer and true devotion.

Once there was an elephant whose name was

Gajendra. He was the king of a huge herd of
elephants. He had thousands of queen elephants
and was proud about his position. One hot
summer day, Gajendra went down the mountain
with his family and friends to the foothills, where
there was a big lake with cold water and many
lotuses blossoming in it. Gajendra entered the
lake to drink cold water.

He then decided to take a bath and started

playing in the water. His activities disturbed the
crocodile who lived there. Out of anger, the crocodile caught him by the leg and
tried to pull him to the bottom of the lake. Gajendra, in spite of being an elephant
could not break free. He struggled hard to get rid of the crocodile for years but all
his efforts went in vain. Meanwhile, all his friends and queens abandoned him.
Gajendra tried for a long time but soon he realized that only God could help him.
Lord Vishnu heard.

Gajendra’s cries for help and appeared before him. He jumped down from the
Garuda and dragged Gajendra and the crocodile out of the water. He then tore the
jaws of the crocodile by his chakra and saved Gajendra. Gajendra plucked a lotus
with his trunk and offered it to the Lord to thank him.

Strange as it may seem, the crocodile then turned into a gandharva (musician of
heaven). His name was Huhu. He had been cursed by a sage that he would become
a crocodile. In fact, the elephant had also been a king named Indradyumna in his
previous birth. As he was an ardent devotee of God, he had abandoned his
kingdom. One day he was immersed in his worship when sage Agastya arrived
there. For not getting his due welcome from the king, Agastya cursed him that he
would become an elephant in his next birth. Both the elephant and the crocodile
were freed from their curses by Lord Vishnu and taken to spiritual world (moksha).
Theme : Who We Are
Topic : Hindu worship
Task 5
What is the moral message of the story?

Compare the personal traits of the characters.

Gajendra Crocodile

List types of Hindu worship appeared in that story and show its part.

Make your own worship to save your family and world from Corona Virus. Start your prayers by

drawing as a call to God.

Note:
After finishing your works, take your time to practice retelling the story.
Keep the sequences of the story in your mind. Then, ask your mother
or father to take your presentation video.
Importance: What you need to tell is only the 5-finger retell part.

Rubric Guidelines
Retelling Story Rubric
Aspects Grades
My retelling starts with the beginning of the story /5
I use my own words to retell the story /5
My retelling includes the 5 elements of the story (Characters, /5
setting, problems, events and solution)
I used details from the story /5
You retell the story with clear and fluent voice /5
You submitted the task on time /2
Your presentation demonstrated IB learner profiles /5
(communicator, thinker and knowledgeable)
Your presentation showed IB attitudes (enthusiasm, creativity /5
and confidence)
Total /37

Scale:
Excellent Very Good Fair Developing Need Assistance
37-32 31-26 25-20 19-14 13-1