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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Hinduism - Who Is Huhu In The Hindu Pantheon?

Huhu is a particular gandharva, or celestial musician, in Hindu mythology.

When his amorous water play with some celestial damsels interrupts the sage's meditation, he has the misfortune to offend a Hindu sage.

Huhu is cursed by the sage to turn into a giant crocodile, which he does for many years.

The crocodile feeds on the lake's creatures, eventually capturing the leg of a giant elephant.

This elephant is actually King Indradyumna, who has taken on this appearance as a result of a curse.

For a thousand years, the elephant and the crocodile have been at odds, with neither being able to outsmart the other.

When the god Vishnu himself comes down from heaven and kills Huhu, he is finally freed from his curse.

Also see Gajendramoksha.

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Hinduism - What Is Gajendramoksha?

 ("the elephant-release") The name of a fight between king Indradyumna, who took the appearance of a large elephant, and a Gandharva (celestial musician) called Huhu, who took the form of a giant crocodile, in Hindu mythology.

As a consequence of a curse, both Indradyumna and Huhu have adopted these shapes.

The sage Agastya has cursed Indradyumna, who grows enraged when the meditating king fails to meet him with customary reverence.

The sage Devala cursed Huhu when the sage's concentration was disrupted by Huhu's passionate water play with several heavenly damsels.

The fight between the two animals starts as the elephant approaches the water to drink and is grabbed by the crocodile by the leg.

While the elephant fights to get free, the crocodile tries to drag him into deeper water.

They are so equally matched that none of them can outperform the other.

After a thousand years of war, the deity Vishnu arrives, kills the crocodile, and returns Indradyumna to his former state.

Because Indradyumna was released from the crocodile's hold and the curse's consequences, the narrative is known as "the deliverance of the elephant king." 

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