Elephants

Overview

Elephants play a prominent role in Hindu mythology, both literally and figuratively. In this episode, Devdutt Pattanaik describes the various elephants in Hindu mythology by beginning with how the elephant came into being. He explains that it was one of the symbols of Dhrama that was churned out of the Ocean of Milk during Samudra Manthan and then goes on to talk about Airavat, the white elephant and the carriage for Lord Indra. He narrates stories of Gajendra Moksha the liberation of Gajendra by Vishnu and Gajantaka the death of the elephant demon at the hands of Shiva. Devdutt also explains the importance of elephants in Jainism and Buddhism.