Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 26
Draupadī Meets Kṛṣṇa’s Queens — Narratives of the Lord’s Marriages and the Queens’ Bhakti
राजन्येषु निवृत्तेषु भग्नमानेषु मानिषु । भगवान् धनुरादाय सज्यं कृत्वाथ लीलया ॥ २५ ॥ तस्मिन् सन्धाय विशिखं मत्स्यं वीक्ष्य सकृज्जले । छित्त्वेषुणापातयत्तं सूर्ये चाभिजिति स्थिते ॥ २६ ॥
rājanyeṣu nivṛtteṣu bhagna-māneṣu māniṣu bhagavān dhanur ādāya sajyaṁ kṛtvātha līlayā
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.
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.
FAQs
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa effortlessly strings the bow and brings down the fish target with a single shot, after the proud kings retreat with their pride broken—showing His supremacy and the futility of arrogance.
The verse highlights the difficulty of the challenge—aiming at the fish by looking at its reflection—yet Kṛṣṇa succeeds with a single glance and shot, emphasizing His divine competence.
It teaches humility and reliance on the Lord: pride collapses before true excellence, while devotion cultivates calm focus and the ability to act skillfully without ego.