Chapter 24
श्रीराजोवाच भगवञ्छ्रोतुमिच्छामि हरेरद्भुतकर्मण: । अवतारकथामाद्यां मायामत्स्यविडम्बनम् ॥ १ ॥
Transliteration
śrī-rājovāca bhagavañ chrotum icchāmi harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ avatāra-kathām ādyāṁ māyā-matsya-viḍambanam
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
śrī-rājā uvāca — King Parīkṣit said; bhagavan — O most powerful; śrotum — to hear; icchāmi — I desire; hareḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari; adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ — whose activities are wonderful; avatāra-kathām — pastimes of the incarnation; ādyām — first; māyā-matsya-viḍambanam — which is simply an imitation of a fish.
Translation
“Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is eternally situated in His transcendental position, yet He descends to this material world and manifests Himself in various incarnations. His first incarnation was that of a great fish. O most powerful Śukadeva Gosvāmī, I wish to hear from you the pastimes of that fish incarnation.”