kintv asmābhiḥ kṛtaḥ pūrvaḿ
samayaḥ sātvatarṣabha
puḿsāḿ vīrya-parīkṣārthaḿ
kanyā-vara-parīpsayā
kintu -- but; asmabhih -- by us (her family); kritah -- made; purvam -- previously; samayah -- a stipulation; satvata-rishabha -- O chief of the Satvatas; pumsam -- of the men (who came as suitors); virya -- the prowess; pariksha -- of testing; artham -- for the purpose; kanya -- for my daughter; vara -- the husband; paripsaya -- with the desire of finding.
But to ascertain the proper husband for my daughter, O chief of the Satvatas, we previously set a condition to test the prowess of her suitors.
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, the King's actual purpose in setting up the test was to obtain Sri Krishna as his son-in-law, since only He could subdue the bulls. Without such a test it would have been difficult for Nagnajit to refuse the many apparently qualified princes and kings who came to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.
