Chapter 4
स वै पूर्वमभूद् राजा पाण्ड्यो द्रविडसत्तम: । इन्द्रद्युम्न इति ख्यातो विष्णुव्रतपरायण: ॥ ७ ॥
Transliteration
sa vai pūrvam abhūd rājā pāṇḍyo draviḍa-sattamaḥ indradyumna iti khyāto viṣṇu-vrata-parāyaṇaḥ
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
saḥ — this elephant (Gajendra); vai — indeed; pūrvam — formerly; abhūt — was; rājā — a king; pāṇḍyaḥ — of the country known as Pāṇḍya; draviḍa-sat-tamaḥ — the best of those born in Draviḍa-deśa, South India; indradyumnaḥ — by the name Mahārāja Indradyumna; iti — thus; khyātaḥ — celebrated; viṣṇu-vrata-parāyaṇaḥ — who was a first-class Vaiṣṇava, always engaged in the service of the Lord.
Translation
“This Gajendra had formerly been a Vaiṣṇava and the king of the country known as Pāṇḍya, which is in the province of Draviḍa [South India]. In his previous life, he was known as Indradyumna Mahārāja.”