Text 14
tam āha sātikaruṇaṁ
mahā-kāruṇikaṁ nṛpam
yādobhyo jñāti-ghātibhyo
dīnāṁ māṁ dīna-vatsala
kathaṁ visṛjase rājan
bhītām asmin sarij-jale
tam — unto him (Satyavrata); āha — said; sā — that small fish; ati-karuṇam — extremely compassionate; mahā-kāruṇikam — extremely merciful; nṛpam — unto King Satyavrata; yādobhyaḥ — to the aquatics; jñāti-ghātibhyaḥ — who are always eager to kill the smaller fish; dīnām — very poor; mām — me; dīna-vatsala — O protector of the poor; katham — why; visṛjase — you are throwing; rājan — O King; bhītām — very much afraid; asmin — within this; sarit-jale — in the water of the river.
With an appealing voice, the poor small fish said to King Satyavrata, who was very merciful: My dear King, protector of the poor, why are you throwing Me in the water of the river, where there are other aquatics who can kill Me? I am very much afraid of them.
In the Matsya Purāṇa it is said:
ananta-śaktir bhagavān
matsya-rūpī janārdanaḥ
krīḍārthaṁ yācayām āsa
svayaṁ satyavrataṁ nṛpam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses unlimited potency. Nonetheless, in His pastime in the form of a fish He begged protection from King Satyavrata.”