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 jñāti-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.”