From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article concerns the Hindu avatar. For the ancient kingdom, see Matsya Rajya. For other uses, see Matsya (disambiguation).
| Matsya |
Incarnation of Vishnu as a Fish, from a devotional text |
| Devanagari |
मत्स्य |
| Affiliation |
Avatar of Vishnu |
| Weapon |
Chakra and Mace |
Matsya (Sanskrit: मत्स्य) (Fish in Sanskrit) was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hindu mythology. Once while lord Brahma was sleeping and the vedas were not under guard, the demon hayagriva stole them. According to the Matsya Purana, the king of pre-ancient Dravida and a devotee of Lord Vishnu, Satyavrata who later becomes known as Manu was washing his hands in a river when a little fish swam into his hands and pleaded with him to save its life. He put it in a jar, which it soon outgrew. He then moved it to a tank, a river and then finally the ocean but to no avail. The fish then revealed himself to be Lord Vishnu and told him that a deluge would occur within seven days that would destroy all life. Therefore, Satyavrata was instructed to take "all medicinal herbs, all the varieties of seeds, and accompanied by the seven saints”[1] along with the serpent Vasuki and other animals. then it dived into the ocean to kill hayagriva and restore the vedas. he found hayagriva and a battle ensued. finally, matsya won and restored the vedas. The deluge occurred and the lord reappeared as promised and advised Satyavrata to board the boat and fasten the serpent Vasuki to his horn as a rope to the boat.
Matsya is generally represented as a four-armed figure with the upper torso of a man and the lower of a fish.
- ^ Asiatic Soc. Res, Sir William Jones, Vol.i.230ff
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[edit] See also
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Avatars of Vishnu |
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| Daśāvatāra |
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| Other avatars |
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| *Buddha or Balarama is considered the ninth avatar of Vishnu, depending on the tradition. In North India, Buddha is included and in south India, Balarama. |
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