Nammazhvar, in his Tiruvaimozhi, talks of the sharp edge of Lord Narayana’s discus. Nampillai explains why His discus is always sharp. It is because it is constantly being sharpened on the necks of the enemies. And who are the Lord’s enemies? Those who hurt or harm His devotees are His enemies, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan, in a discourse.
When the crocodile grabbed the elephant Gajendra’s foot, the elephant’s cries for help were not so much because of its pain but because of its worry that it would not be able to offer the flower at the Lord’s feet. Such love for the Lord naturally had to be reciprocated by the Lord, whose soft spot for His devotees is well known.
The Gajendra moksha episode is celebrated by the Azhvars. Poigai Azhvar says that when something is difficult, all we have to do is to seek His feet. That will have the effect of converting the near impossible into something we can easily do. And to sustain this argument, Poigai Azhvar quotes the Gajendra moksha episode. Gajendra tried to free himself from the jaws of the crocodile, but failed to extricate his foot. Finally, he called out to Lord Narayana, the One who is the primordial cause of everything, and what had been difficult until then was accomplished easily, for the Lord came rushing, killed the crocodile, nursed the injuries on the elephant’s foot, and showered His love on the animal.
This verse, which begins talking about the sharpness of the Lord’s Sudarsana, brings out the glory of the Lord, who came to rescue the elephant Gajendra from the crocodile. When He did that, the message that went out to the world was that He could be relied upon to save His devotees. Nampillai’s explanation further shows us that the very sharpness of His Sudarsana is because of His concern for His devotees.