rājanyeṣu nivṛtteṣu
bhagna-māneṣu māniṣu
bhagavān dhanur ādāya
sajyaḿ kṛtvātha līlayā
tasmin sandhāya viśikhaḿ
matsyaḿ vīkṣya sakṛj jale
chittveṣuṇāpātayat taḿ
sūrye cābhijiti sthite
rajanyeshu -- when the kings; nivritteshu -- had given up; bhagna -- defeated; maneshu -- whose pride; manishu -- proud; bhagavan -- the Supreme Lord; dhanuh -- the bow; adaya -- taking up; sajyam kritva -- stringing it; atha -- then; lilaya -- as play; tasmin -- onto it; sandhaya -- fixing; visikham -- the arrow; matsyam -- the fish; vikshya -- looking at; sakrit -- only once; jale -- in the water; chittva -- piercing; ishuna -- with the arrow; apatayat -- He made fall; tam -- it; surye -- when the sun; ca -- and; abhijite -- in the constellation Abhijit; sthite -- situated.
After all the arrogant kings had given up, their pride broken, the Supreme Personality of Godhead picked up the bow, easily strung it and then fixed His arrow upon it. As the sun stood in the constellation Abhijit, He looked at the fish in the water only once and then pierced it with the arrow, knocking it to the ground.
Each day the sun passes once through the lunar constellation Abhijit, marking the period most auspicious for victory. As pointed out by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, on this particular day the muhurta of Abhijit coincided with high noon, further emphasizing Lord Krishna's greatness by making the target all the more difficult to see.
