SB 10.83.26 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

राजन्येषु निवृत्तेषु भग्नमानेषु मानिषु । भगवान् धनुरादाय सज्यं कृत्वाथ लीलया ॥ २५ ॥ तस्मिन् सन्धाय विशिखं मत्स्यं वीक्ष्य सकृज्जले । छित्त्वेषुणापातयत्तं सूर्ये चाभिजिति स्थिते ॥ २६ ॥

Verse text

rājanyeṣu nivṛtteṣu bhagna-māneṣu māniṣu bhagavān dhanur ādāya sajyaṁ kṛtvātha līlayā tasmin sandhāya viśikhaṁ matsyaṁ vīkṣya sakṛj jale chittveṣuṇāpātayat taṁ sūrye cābhijiti sthite

Synonyms

rājanyeṣu — when the kings ; nivṛtteṣu — had given up ; bhagna — defeated ; māneṣu — whose pride ; māniṣu — proud ; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord ; dhanuḥ — the bow ; ādāya — taking up ; sajyam kṛtvā — stringing it ; atha — then ; līlayā — as play ; tasmin — onto it ; sandhāya — fixing ; viśikham — the arrow ; matsyam — the fish ; vīkṣya — looking at ; sakṛt — only once ; jale — in the water ; chittvā — piercing ; iṣuṇā — with the arrow ; apātayat — He made fall ; tam — it ; sūrye — when the sun ; ca — and ; abhijite — in the constellation Abhijit ; sthite — situated .

Translation

After all the arrogant kings had given up, their pride broken, the Supreme Personality of Godhead picked up the bow, easily strung it and then fixed His arrow upon it. As the sun stood in the constellation Abhijit, He looked at the fish in the water only once and then pierced it with the arrow, knocking it to the ground.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

After all the arrogant kings had given up, their pride broken, the Supreme Personality of Godhead picked up the bow, easily strung it and then fixed His arrow upon it. As the sun stood in the constellation Abhijit, He looked at the fish in the water only once and then pierced it with the arrow, knocking it to the ground. KB 10.83.25-26 “All the princes who tried to pierce the target were disappointed, being baffled in their attempts, and some candidates even left the place without making an attempt, but when at last Lord Kṛṣṇa took up the bow, He was able to tie the bowstring very easily, just as a child plays with a toy. He placed the arrow, and looking only once at the reflection of the fish in the water, He shot the arrow, and the pierced fish immediately fell down.

Purport

Each day the sun passes once through the lunar constellation Abhijit, marking the period most auspicious for victory. As pointed out by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, on this particular day the muhūrta of Abhijit coincided with high noon, further emphasizing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s greatness by making the target all the more difficult to see.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Krsna pierced the fish at noon (abhijite). In spite of the fact that the fish was difficult to detect because the sun was overhead, Krsna pierced it.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

He looked at the fish playfully (vi—īkṣya). He pierced the fish at noon (abhijiti sthiti). With the sun high in the sky it was harder to aim.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The proud kings (māniṣu) had their pride broken. The Lord, possessing all powers (bhagavān), quickly strung the bow. He looked at the fish playfully (vi—īkṣya). He pierced the fish at noon (abhijiti sthiti). With the sun high in the sky it was harder to aim.