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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 10 · Chapter 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

10.83.18 10.83.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.83.19

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śrī Lakṣmaṇāsince 10.83.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा स्वयंवरे राज्ञि मत्स्य: पार्थेप्सया कृत: ।

अयं तु बहिराच्छन्नो द‍ृश्यते स जले परम् ॥ १९ ॥

yathā svayaṁ-vare rājñi

matsyaḥ pārthepsayā kṛtaḥ

ayaṁ tu bahir ācchanno

dṛśyate sa jale param

Translation

Just as a fish was used as a target in your svayaṁvara ceremony, O Queen, to assure that you would obtain Arjuna as your husband, so a fish was also used in my ceremony. In my case, however, it was concealed on all sides, and only its reflection could be seen in a pot of water below.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Only Kṛṣṇa Could Strike the Target

1
Both ceremonies used a fish target, but Lakṣmaṇā’s was concealed on all sides. Only its reflection in water below could be seen.
2
The purport explains that Draupadī’s target was only partially covered. A marksman could see it by looking straight up the pillar.
3
Lakṣmaṇā’s target required aiming while looking up and down at the same time, an impossible feat for any mortal. Only Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could strike it.

Key points from the purport

Why, then, could he not hit the fish target at Śrīmatī Lakṣmaṇā’s svayaṁvara ceremony just as he had done once before to win Draupadī?
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains: The target at Draupadī’s svayaṁvara had been covered only partially, so that a marksman could see it if he looked straight up the pillar on which it was placed.
To shoot Lakṣmaṇā’s target, however, it was necessary to aim by looking up and down at the same time, an impossible feat for any mortal.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Humility and separation → Friendship and reunion. The sweetness of relationship outweighs prestige.

Chapters 80–86 of Canto 10: Sudāmā and reunion with the residents of Vraja. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 83: Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But in my case the fish was concealed on all sides, and only its reflection could be seen in a pot of water below. Several kings tried to hit the fish with an arrow but failed.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.83