yathā svayaḿ-vare rājñi
matsyaḥ pārthepsayā kṛtaḥ
ayaḿ tu bahir ācchanno
dṛśyate sa jale param
yatha -- just as; svayam-vare -- in (your) svayam-vara ceremony; rajni -- O Queen; matsyah -- a fish; partha -- Arjuna; ipsaya -- with the desire of obtaining; kritah -- made (into a target); ayam -- this (fish); tu -- however; bahih -- outwardly; acchannah -- covered; drisyate -- was seen; sah -- it; jale -- in water; param -- only.
Just as a fish was used as a target in your svayam-vara 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.
Arjuna is famous as the most expert bowman. Why, then, could he not hit the fish target at Srimati Lakshmana's svayam-vara ceremony just as he had done once before to win Draupadi? Srila Sridhara Svami explains: The target at Draupadi's svayam-vara had been covered only partially, so that a marksman could see it if he looked straight up the pillar on which it was placed. To shoot Lakshmana's target, however, it was necessary to aim by looking up and down at the same time, an impossible feat for any mortal. Therefore only Krishna could strike the target.
