“Om Namo Bhagavate Matsya Devaya”
Matsya is the fish avatar of Lord Vishnu and his first avatar among the great dash avatars i.e. 10 primary avatars.
The Agni Purana, the Brahma Purana and the Vishnu Purana suggest that Vishnu resides as Matsya in Kuru-varsha, one of the regions outside the mountains surrounding Mount Meru.
The third day in the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Chaitra is celebrated as Matsya Jayanti, the birthday of Matsya.
The iconography of Matsya Avatar:
In the anthropomorphic form, the upper half is that of the four-armed man and the lower half is a fish.
The upper half looks like Vishnu who wears the traditional ornaments and the kirita-mukuta (tall conical crown). He holds the Sudarshana chakra (discus) and a shankha (conch) in two of his hands. The other two hands make the gestures of varadamudra, which grants boons to the devotee, and abhayamudra, which reassures the devotee of protection.
In some representations, he might have all four attributes of Vishnu, namely the Sudarshana chakra, a shankha, a gada (mace) and a lotus.
Sometimes, Matsya is shown with four hands like Vishnu, one holding the chakra, another the Sankha, while the front two hands hold a sword and a book signifying the Vedas he recovered from the demon. Over his elbows is an angavastra draped, while a dhoti-like draping covers his hips.
In rare representations, his lower half is human while the upper body (or just the face) is of a fish. The fish-face version is found in a relief at the Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura.
Matsya is depicted alone or in a scene depicting his combat with a demon. A demon called Shankhasura emerging from a conch is sometimes depicted attacking Matsya with a sword as Matsya combats or kills him. Both may be portrayed in the ocean, while the god Brahma and/or manuscripts or four men, representing the Vedas, may be depicted in the background. Sometimes, Matsya is depicted as a fish pulling the boat with Manu and the seven sages in it.
Legends:
There are many versions of the myth of Matsya in the Puranas.
Vedic Story of Manu and the Great Flood:
Section 1.8.1 of the Shatapatha Brahmana (Yajur Veda) is the earliest extant text to mention Matsya and the flood myth in Hinduism.
One day, water is brought to Manu for his bathing. In the water is a tiny fish. The fish states that it fears being swallowed by a larger fish and appeals to Manu to protect it. In return, the fish promises to rescue Manu from an impending flood. Manu accepts the request. He puts the fish in a pot of water where it grows. Then he prepares a ditch filled with water and transfers it there where it can grow freely. Once the fish grows further to be big enough to be free from danger, Manu transfers it into the ocean. The fish thanks him tells him the timing of the great flood, and asks Manu to build a ship by that day. On the predicted day, Manu visits the fish with his boat. The devastating floods come. Manu ties the boat to the horn of the fish. The fish carries the boat with Manu to the high grounds of the northern mountains (interpreted as the Himalayas). The lone survivor Manu then re-establishes life by performing austerities and yajna (sacrifices). The goddess Ida appears from the sacrifice and both initiate the race of Manu, the humans.
Mahabharata story of the Saviour of Manu from the Flood
The tale of Matsya also appears in Sec. 186 of Book 3 (the Vana Parva) of the epic Mahabharata.
The legend begins with Manu (specifically Vaivasvata Manu, the present Manu. Manu is envisioned as a title, rather than an individual) performing religious rituals on the banks of the Chirini River in Vishala forest. A little fish comes to him and asks for his protection, promising to save him from a deluge in the future. Manu places him in the jar. Once it outgrows the jar, the fish asks to be put into a tank which Manu helps with. Then the fish outgrows the tank, and with Manu’s help reaches the Ganges River (Ganga), finally to the ocean. Manu is asked by the fish, as in the Shatapatha Brahmana version, to build a ship and additionally, to be in it with Saptarishi (seven sages) and all sorts of seeds, on the day of the expected deluge. Manu accepts the fish’s advice. The deluge begins. The fish arrives at Manu’s aid. He ties the ship with a rope to the horn of the fish, who then steers the ship to the Himalayas, carrying Manu through a turbulent storm. The danger passes. The fish then reveals himself as Brahma and gives the power of creation to Manu.
Mahabharata identifies Matsya with Brahma, a more explicit discussion of the “law of the fishes” where the weak need protection from the strong, and the fish asks Manu to bring along sages and grains.
The Matsya Purana identifies the fish-savior (Matsya) with Vishnu, instead of Brahma. In the Garuda Purana, Matsya is said to have rescued the seventh Manu, Vaivasvata Manu, from the great deluge by placing him in a boat. The Linga Purana praises Vishnu as the one who saved various beings as a fish by tying a boat to his tail.
Saviour of the Vedas
The Bhagavata Purana adds another reason for the Matsya avatar. At the end of the Kalpa, a demon Hayagriva (“horse-necked”) steals the Vedas, which escape from the yawn of a sleepy Brahma. Vishnu discovers the theft. He descends to earth in the form of a little saphari fish, or the Matsya avatar.
One day, the king of Dravida country (South India) named Satyavrata cups water in his hand for libation in the Kritamala river (Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, South India). There he finds a little fish. The fish asks him to save it from predators and let it grow. Satyavrata is filled with compassion for the little fish. He puts the fish in a pot, from there to a well, then a tank, and when it outgrows the tank, he transfers the fish finally to the sea. The fish rapidly outgrows the sea. Satyavrata asks the supernatural fish to reveal its true identity but soon realizes it to be Vishnu. Matsya-Vishnu informs the king of the impending flood coming in seven days. The king is asked to collect every species of animal, plant, and seed as well as the seven sages (Saptarshi) in a boat. The fish asks the king to tie the boat to its horn with the help of the Shesha serpent. The deluge comes. While carrying them to safety, the fish avatar teaches the highest knowledge to the sages and Satyavrata to prepare them for the next cycle of existence. The Bhagavata Purana states that this knowledge was compiled as a Purana, interpreted as an allusion to the Matsya Purana. After the deluge, Matsya slays the demon and rescues the Vedas, restoring them to Brahma, who has woken from his sleep to restart creation afresh. Satyavrata becomes Vaivasvata Manu and is installed as the Manu of the current Kalpa.
The Agni Purana narrative is similar to the Bhagavata Purana version placed around the Kritamala river and also records the rescue of Vedas from the demon Hayagriva.
The Varaha Purana equates Narayana (identified with Vishnu) as the creator-god, instead of Brahma. Narayana creates the universe. At the start of a new Kalpa, Narayana wakes from his slumber and thinks about the Vedas. He realizes that they are in the cosmic waters. He takes the form of a gigantic fish and rescues the Vedas and other scriptures. In another instance, Narayana retrieves the Vedas from the Rasatala (netherworld) and grants them to Brahma.
The Padma Purana replaces Manu with the sage Kashyapa, who finds the little fish that expands miraculously. Another major divergence is the absence of the deluge. Vishnu as Matsya slays the demon Shankha. Matsya-Vishnu then orders the sages to gather the Vedas from the waters and then presents the same to Brahma in Prayag.
The Karttikamsa-Mahatmya in the Skanda Purana narrates the slaying of the asura (demon) Shankha by Matsya. Shankha (lit. “conch”), the son of Sagara (the ocean), snatches the powers of various gods. Shankha, wishing to acquire more power, steals the Vedas from Brahma, while Vishnu is sleeping. The Vedas escape from his clutches and hide in the ocean. Implored by the gods, Vishnu wakes on Prabodhini Ekadashi and takes the form of a saphari fish and annihilates the demon. Similar to the Padma Purana, the sages re-compile the scattered Vedas from the oceans.
Another account in the Padma Purana mentions that a demon son called Makara steals the Vedas from Brahma and hides them in the cosmic ocean. Beseeched by Brahma and the gods, Vishnu takes the Matsya form and enters the waters, then turns into a crocodile and destroys the demon. The sage Vyasa is credited with the re-compilation of the Vedas in this version. The Vedas are then returned to Brahma.
The Purusottama-Ksetra-Mahatmya of Skanda Purana in relationship to the origin of the herb Damanaka states that a daitya (demon) named Damanaka tormented people and wandered in the waters. On the request of Brahma, Vishnu takes the Matsya form, pulls the demon from the waters and crushes him on land. The demon transforms into a fragrant herb called Damanaka, which Vishnu wears in his flower garland.
