SB 8.4.1
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 1
śrī-śuka uvāca
tadā devarṣi-gandharvā
brahmeśāna-purogamāḥ
mumucuḥ kusumāsāraṁ
śaṁsantaḥ karma tad dhareḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; tadā—at that time (when Gajendra was delivered); deva-ṛṣi-gandharvāḥ—the demigods, sages and Gandharvas; brahma-īśāna-purogamāḥ—headed by Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva; mumucuḥ—showered; kusuma-āsāram—a covering of flowers; śaṁsantaḥ—while praising; karma—transcendental activity; tat—that (gajendra-mokṣaṇa); hareḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When the Lord delivered Gajendra, King of the elephants, all the demigods, sages and Gandharvas, headed by Brahmā and Śiva, praised this activity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and showered flowers upon both the Lord and Gajendra.
PURPORT
It is evident from this chapter that great sages like Devala Ṛṣi, Nārada Muni and Agastya Muni will sometimes curse someone. The curse of such a personality, however, is in fact a benediction. Both the crocodile, who had been a Gandharva in his previous life, and Gajendra, who had been a king named Indradyumna, were cursed, but both of them benefited. Indradyumna, in his birth as an elephant, attained salvation and became a personal associate of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha, and the crocodile regained his status as a Gandharva. We find evidence in many places that the curse of a great saint or devotee is not a curse but a benediction.