Yoga aims at the complete withdrawal of the self or ego from the world of its creation. In symbolic language it is the annihilation of the elephant or varana nasam. Varanam is another name for elephant and its nasam means, its destruction. Varananasam was corrupted as Varanasi and the name was adopted for a great centre of learning disseminating esoteric knowledge on the banks of Ganges which at present goes by the name of Benares. This centre is also called as Kasi which means enlightenment. Buddha preached his first sermon near about this centre. Adi Sankara established a mutt there to preach his Adwaitha philosophy. In course of time Varanasi which taught people how to annihilate the elephant lost its sanctity and became infested with unscrupulous pandas and credulous pilgrims. The pilgrims do not crave for any learning. They go there to have a dip in the Ganges in the hope that they would go to heaven.

On the banks of Ganges there is another Kasi on the Himalayan heights known as Uttar Kasi visited by many pilgrims. This mountain height bears the name of Varanavatham which also means the destruction of the elephant. The names Varanasi and Varana Vatham are not there by accident. These names are deliberately given as symbol names to denote the sublime ideal underlying the destruction of the elephant.

The allegory symbolised by the killing of the elephant is also narrated in the story of Krishna destroying Kuvalayapitam (support of the world) the terrible tusker owned by the egoist Kamsa. Krishna in another story plays the role of saving Gajendra from the clutches of a crocodile. Gajendra in this story is the reincarnation of the egoistic Pandya King Indra Dyumna who was cursed by sage Agastya to be born as an elephant. It may be noted that the destruction of Kuvalayapitam and its master is a purposeful annihilation like the complete destruction of Gomorrah and sodom by God. There was no other go. The people there were so wicked. But Gajendra was saved as a result of its fervent prayer to the lord and the consequent down pour of his grace which is a fundamental doctrine of the Hindu Dharma. The taming of Madagiri, the mad elephant, by Buddha is another allegory of a different nature to show how enlightenment of mind could be used to bring peace to the mad humanity. Shiva the Lord of Yoga is wearing an elephant skin. Shiva is also called Gajari meaning the Killer of the Elephant, esoterically meaning the annihilation of the Ego. The ceremony of carrying the image of God on the back of the elephant in Hindu Temples is to remind people that God is the Lord of the Earth, the earth being represented by the Elephant.