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
- yathā
- just as
- svayam-vare
- in (your) svayaṁvara ceremony
- rājñi
- O Queen
- matsyaḥ
- a fish
- pārtha
- Arjuna
- īpsayā
- with the desire of obtaining
- kṛtaḥ
- made (into a target)
- ayam
- this (fish)
- tu
- however
- bahiḥ
- outwardly
- ācchannaḥ
- covered
- dṛśyate
- was seen
- saḥ
- it
- jale
- in water
- param
- only
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.