Text 38
gādha-vāri-carās tāpam
avindañ charad-arka-jam
yathā daridraḥ kṛpaṇaḥ
kuṭumby avijitendriyaḥ
gādha-vāri-carāḥ — those who were moving in shallow water; tāpam — suffering; avindan — experienced; śarat-arka-jam — due to the sun in the autumn season; yathā — as; daridraḥ — a poor person; kṛpaṇaḥ — miserly; kuṭumbī — absorbed in family life; avijita-indriyaḥ — who has not controlled the senses.
Just as a miserly, poverty-stricken person overly absorbed in family life suffers because he cannot control his senses, the fish swimming in the shallow water had to suffer the heat of the autumn sun.
Although, as described in the previous verse, unintelligent fish are not aware of the diminishing water, one may think these fish are still happy according to the old proverb “Ignorance is bliss.” But even the ignorant fish are scorched by the autumn sun. Similarly, although an attached family man may consider his ignorance of spiritual life blissful, he is constantly disturbed by the problems of family life, and, indeed, his uncontrolled senses lead him into a situation of unrelieved anguish.