Srimad Bhagavatam 8.24.15-17

[makarand]

TEXT 15

tam ātmano ’nugrahārthaṁ

prītyā matsya-vapur-dharam

ajānan rakṣaṇārthāya

śapharyāḥ sa mano dadhe

SYNONYMS

tam—unto the fish; ātmanaḥ—personal; anugraha-artham—to show favor; prītyā—very much pleased; matsya-vapuḥ-dharam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had assumed the form of a fish; ajānan—without knowledge of this; rakṣaṇa-arthāya—just to give protection; śapharyāḥ—of the fish; saḥ—the King; manaḥ—mind; dadhe—decided.

TRANSLATION

To please himself, King Satyavrata, not knowing that the fish was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, decided with great pleasure to give the fish protection.

TEXT 16

tasyā dīnataraṁ vākyam

āśrutya sa mahīpatiḥ

kalaśāpsu nidhāyaināṁ

dayālur ninya āśramam

SYNONYMS

tasyāḥ—of the fish; dīna-taram—pitiable; vākyam—words; āśrutya—hearing; saḥ—that; mahī-patiḥ—the King; kalaśa-apsu—in the water contained in the water jug; nidhāya—taking; enām—the fish; dayāluḥ—merciful; ninye—brought; āśramam—to his residence.

TRANSLATION

The merciful King, being moved by the pitiable words of the fish, placed the fish in a water jug and brought Him to his own residence.

TEXT 17

sā tu tatraika-rātreṇa

vardhamānā kamaṇḍalau

alabdhvātmāvakāśaṁ vā

idam āha mahīpatim

SYNONYMS

sā—that fish; tu—but; tatra—therein; eka-rātreṇa—in one night; vardhamānā—expanding; kamaṇḍalau—in the waterpot; alabdhvā—without attaining; ātma-avakāśam—a comfortable position for His body; vā—either; idam—this; āha—said; mahī-patim—unto the King.

TRANSLATION

But in one night that fish grew so much that He could not move His body comfortably in the water of the pot. He then spoke to the King as follows.