SB 8.24.14 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तमाह सातिकरुणं महाकारुणिकं नृपम् । यादोभ्यो ज्ञातिघातिभ्यो दीनां मां दीनवत्सल । कथं विसृजसे राजन् भीतामस्मिन् सरिज्जले ॥ १४ ॥

Verse text

tam āha sātikaruṇaṁ mahā-kāruṇikaṁ nṛpam yādobhyo jṣāti-ghātibhyo dīnāṁ māṁ dīna-vatsala kathaṁ visṛjase rājan bhītām asmin sarij-jale

Synonyms

tam — unto him (Satyavrata) ; āha — said ; sā — that small fish ; ati — karuṇam — extremely compassionate ; mahā — kāruṇikam — extremely merciful ; nṛpam — unto King Satyavrata ; yādobhyaḥ — to the aquatics ; jṣāti — ghātibhyaḥ — who are always eager to kill the smaller fish ; dīnām — very poor ; mām — me ; dīna — vatsala — O protector of the poor ; katham — why ; visṛjase — you are throwing ; rājan — O King ; bhītām — very much afraid ; asmin — within this ; sarit — jale — in the water of the river .

Translation

With an appealing voice, the poor small fish said to King Satyavrata, who was very merciful: My dear King, protector of the poor, why are you throwing Me in the water of the river, where there are other aquatics who can kill Me? I am very much afraid of them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

With an appealing voice, the poor small fish said to merciful King Satyavrata: O King! Protector of the poor! Why are you throwing me in the water of the river, where I fear other aquatics which can kill me?

Purport

In the Matsya Purāṇa it is said: ananta-śaktir bhagavān matsya-rūpī janārdanaḥ krīḍārthaṁ yācayām āsa svayaṁ satyavrataṁ nṛpam “The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses unlimited potency. Nonetheless, in His pastime in the form of a fish He begged protection from King Satyavrata.”