SB 9.6.52 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

एकस्तपस्व्यहमथाम्भसि मत्स्यसङ्गात्

पञ्चाशदासमुत पञ्चसहस्रसर्ग: ।

नान्तं व्रजाम्युभयकृत्यमनोरथानां

मायागुणैर्हृतमतिर्विषयेऽर्थभाव: ॥ ५२ ॥

Verse text

ekas tapasvy aham athāmbhasi matsya-saṅgāt

pañcāśad āsam uta pañca-sahasra-sargaḥ

nāntaṁ vrajāmy ubhaya-kṛtya-manorathānāṁ

māyā-guṇair hṛta-matir viṣaye ’rtha-bhāvaḥ

Synonyms

ekaḥ — one only ; tapasvī — great sage ; aham — I ; atha — thus ; ambhasi — in the deep water ; matsya-saṅgāt — by associating with the fish ; pañcāśat — fifty ; āsam — got wives ; uta — and what to speak of begetting one hundred sons in each of them ; pañca-sahasra-sargaḥ — procreation of five thousand ; na antam — no end ; vrajāmi — I can find ; ubhaya-kṛtya — duties of this life and the next ; manorathānām — mental concoctions ; māyā-guṇaiḥ — influenced by the modes of material nature ; hṛta — lost ; matiḥ viṣaye — great attraction for material things ; artha-bhāvaḥ — matters of self-interest.

Translation

In the beginning I was alone and engaged in performing the austerities of mystic yoga, but later, because of the association of fish engaged in sex, I desired to marry. Then I became the husband of fifty wives, and in each of them I begot one hundred sons, and thus my family increased to five thousand members. By the influence of the modes of material nature, I became fallen and thought that I would be happy in material life. Thus there is no end to my material desires for enjoyment, in this life and the next.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In the beginning I was alone and engaged in performing austerities but later, because of the association of fish, I became fifty members, and then increased to five thousand members. My intelligence destroyed by the guṇas, thinking enjoyment as the goal of life, I obtained no end to my desires in this and next life. He explains further the fault of association. By association with fifty wives I became fifty. By sons I became five thousand since he had a hundred sons by each wife. Thinking that enjoyment is the goal of life (artha-bhāvaḥ), I obtained no end to desires for performing actions for this and next life (ubhaya-kṛtya).