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# Agni purana (Chapter 2)  

# Agni purana (Chapter 2)  

# Bhagavata Purana (8th skandha, Chapter 24).<ref name=":0">Vettam Mani (1975), Puranic Encyclopaedia, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, See: [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/78 Avatara].</ref>

# Bhagavata Purana (8th skandha, Chapter 24).<ref name=":0">Vettam Mani (1975), Puranic Encyclopaedia, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, See: [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/78 Avatara].</ref>

== शतपथब्राह्मणे मत्यावतारकथा ॥ Story in the Shatapatha Brahmana ==

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

== शतपथब्राह्मणे मत्स्यावतारकथा ॥ Story in the Shatapatha Brahmana ==

Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, i. 8, 1, 1 (the famous fish of the deluge legend); (Vedic index of names and subjects)

Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, i. 8, 1, 1 (the famous fish of the deluge legend); (Vedic index of names and subjects)

Manu also gathered all the seeds, as advised, on a boat and thought of the fish. Knowing this, Lord in the form of a fish with horn came there. Manu tied the boat's rope to the horn on the head of Lord Matsya who pulled them through the salty waters for many years to come. When the entire universe was submerged in waters, only 9 people viz. the Saptarshis, Manu and Bhagavan Matsya were visible. Bhagavan Matsya pulled the boat towards the highest peak of the Himalayas asked the rishis to tie the boat to the peak. From then on, that peak came to be known as 'Naukabandhana'. Bhagavan Matsya the said to the Rishis, "I am Prajapati Brahma. I took the form of a fish in order to save you all from this calamity. Now Manu has to take up the responsibility of creating the everything movable and immovable, the power for which he will gain from serious tapas. And by my grace, he will be devoid of attachments (moha) while creating the universe. Saying thus, Bhagavan Matsya disappeared.   

Manu also gathered all the seeds, as advised, on a boat and thought of the fish. Knowing this, Lord in the form of a fish with horn came there. Manu tied the boat's rope to the horn on the head of Lord Matsya who pulled them through the salty waters for many years to come. When the entire universe was submerged in waters, only 9 people viz. the Saptarshis, Manu and Bhagavan Matsya were visible. Bhagavan Matsya pulled the boat towards the highest peak of the Himalayas asked the rishis to tie the boat to the peak. From then on, that peak came to be known as 'Naukabandhana'. Bhagavan Matsya the said to the Rishis, "I am Prajapati Brahma. I took the form of a fish in order to save you all from this calamity. Now Manu has to take up the responsibility of creating the everything movable and immovable, the power for which he will gain from serious tapas. And by my grace, he will be devoid of attachments (moha) while creating the universe. Saying thus, Bhagavan Matsya disappeared.   

The Mahabharata further enumerates that this story destroys all papas. One who hears this story of Manu everyday becomes happy, attains all his desires abd can travel to all lokas.<ref>Ramanarayanadatta Shastri Pandeya, Mahabharata ([https://archive.org/stream/MAHABHARATA_201902/MAHABHARATA-02#page/n595/mode/2up Vol.2]), Gorakhpur: Gita Press.</ref>  

The Mahabharata further enumerates that this story destroys all papas. One who hears this story of Manu everyday becomes happy, attains all his desires abd can travel to all lokas.<ref>Ramanarayanadatta Shastri Pandeya, Mahabharata ([https://archive.org/stream/MAHABHARATA_201902/MAHABHARATA-02#page/n595/mode/2up Vol.2]), Gorakhpur: Gita Press.</ref>

मत्स्यपुराणे १ अध्यायः ॥ दशावतारान्तर्गतप्रथमावतारः । (Kalpadruma)

मत्स्यपुराण - 1 (dcs frequency)

an अवतार् of विष्णु;

 

Once, Vaivasvata Manu was practising penance for gaining objects of enjoyment and for release from mundane existence. When he was offering water as a ritual in the river Krtamala, a small fish came from the waters into his folded palms. As he was about to throw it back into the waters, the fish requested him not to do so as there was fear of crocodiles in the waters. Having heard this, Manu put the fish into a vessel. When it grew in size, the fish requested for a bigger vessel. But soon, it outgrew the big vessel also and was put into a tank. And eventually, as it grew as big as the tank, Manu released the fish into the ocean and in a moment the fish grew in size extending to one lakh yojanas. Manu then realised the fish to be none other than Sri Vishnu and at his behest the lord in the form of a fish said, “I have manifested for the protection of this universe and for the destruction of the wicked. On the seventh day, the ocean would flood the earth. Having collected the seeds of creation in the boat that would approach you, you should spend a night of Brahma (equal to 1000 mortal years) on it being encircled by the saptarshis. And bind the boat to my horn with the big serpent (as the rope). Saying thus, the fish disappeared. As the appointed hour approached and the ocean began to swell, Manu boarded the boat as instructed. The fish now appeared with a single golden horn of one million yojanas in length. And Manu tied the boat to its horn. Manu praised the lord in the form of a fish with adorations. And it was at this hour that the Matsya Purana, capable of destroying papas, was revealed by the lord in the form of a fish to Manu. This story of the Matsya Avatara occurs in the second chapter of the Agni Purana.<ref>The Agni Purana ([https://archive.org/details/AgniPuranaUnabridgedEnglishMotilal/page/n7 Part 1]), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, First Edition: 1954, Reprint: 1998.</ref>

1: भा. I. १५. ३५; X. 2. ४०; XI. 4. १८;

Chapter 1

Br. III. 7. ४३३; २२. ६६; ५७. ६१; IV. 4. २२; २९. १३६;

In ancient times, Vaivasvata Manu, the first raja of the solar dynasty, after making over his kingdom to his son, devoted himself to rigid asceticism. 10-11

M. २६०. ३९; २८५. 6; २९०. २३; Vi. I. 4. 8.  

After a period of a million of years of continued asceticism, Lord Brahma became pleased towards him and told him to ask for a boon. 12

once during a Pralaya an Asura, हयग्रीव, carried off the Vedas when Hari took the form of a fish with one horn and fell into the palm of the द्रविड king Satyavrata, performing ablutions; finding that it outgrew the size of his palm he took it to a pond; it outgrew the size of the pond when it was taken to a lake; it was also too small to hold it; hence after many trials it was taken to the sea; addressed by the king the fish revealed to him his true form and warned him of the Pralaya coming in a week and prepared him to get into a boat to be sent by him and have it tied to its horn; the deluge came and Satyavrata did as was directed; when they were all floating on the sea, Matsya Hari narrated to him the मत्स्य पुराण; after the deluge Matsya killed the demon, हयग्रीव and recovered the Vedas; through his blessings Satyavrata became Vaivasvata Manu;

Having been thus addressed by Brahma, the raja, after saluting Him, said: "Lord! I have only one boon to beg of you, which is above all other boons. May I have power sufficient for the protection of the whole creation, movable and immovable, when the hour of Pralaya will come. 13-14

2: भा. VIII. ch. २४ (whole). appeared to Vaivasvata Manu during deluge; protected Manu and others;

Lord Brahma, the atman of the universe, after granting the prayer of the raja saying, "Be it so", disappeared then and there and the devas profusely showered a rain of flowers from the ethereal regions.15

3: Ib. II. 7. १२; XI. 4. १८; M. २२. ९२. the form of विष्णु worshipped in Ramyaka.  

One day, in his hermitage, when the raja was making a libation of water to the manes of his deceased ancestors, a carp (small fish) fell into his hands along with the water. 16

4: भा. V. १८. २४. (Purana Index Dev.)

On seeing that tiny fish, the merciful raja, out of compassion, wanted to preserve it and put it into his water jar. That tiny fish, in course of a day and night, grew into the form of a large fish, measuring sixteen fingers in length, and feeling uncomfortable inside the water jar where it was placed by the raja, cried for deliverance. 17-18

कृति-दृष्ट्या-

The raja took it out of the water jar and put it in a large pitcher but there also, in course of a night, it grew three hands in length. "I am at your mercy, come to my succour." The raja, again hearing these cries of the fish took it out of the pitcher and deposited it in a well. Later on, the well also proved insufficient. The raja then accommodated it in a tank. 19-20

अग्निपुराण - 1

In the tank, again, the fish grew a yojana (eight miles) in length, and again appealed to the raja, in a plaintive tone, to help it out of the tank. Then the raja put the fish in the Ganges and, finding that it increased there too, he placed it in the ocean. The fish went on increasing and increasing in bulk, until it very nearly filled the vast expanse of the great ocean. The raja, seeing this, was awe-stricken and said, "Are you the chief of the Asuras ? Or are you Vasudeva; who else has such an extraordinary power to assume such a tremendously big form extending to sixteen hundred miles ? 22-25

Works on Matsyavatara - Matsyavatara kathana and Matsyavatara Prabandha

Being thus addressed, Bhagavan Janasdana, in the form of a fish, complimented him and said: "O Spotless One, I have been truly known by you. In a few days time, O raja, the universe shall be deluged with water, along with the mountains and forests. The Devas have made this boat to rescue the creation from such a calamity, placing in it svedajas, andajas, udbhijas and jarayujas. O raja ! you tae charge of this boat and help the distressed at the time of the impending danger. When you find the boat in danger of being blown away by the strong gusts of wind, tie it to my horn. By rescuing the afflicted from such an awful misfortune, you will be rendering a great paternal service to the creation. And O blessed sovereign ! You shall reign for one Manvantara, from the beginning of the Krtayuga, and shall be venerated by all the devas.

[https://archive.org/stream/Sacred_Books_of_the_Hindus/SBH%2017%20-%20Matsyapurana%20English%20Translation%20Part%201%20-%20Taluqdar%20of%20Oudh%201916#page/n23/mode/2up Chapter 2]

Once, Vaivasvata Manu was practising penance for gaining objects of enjoyment and for release from mundane existence. When he was offering water as a ritual in the river Krtamala, a small fish came from the waters into his folded palms. As he was about to throw it back into the waters, the fish requested him not to do so as there was fear of crocodiles in the waters. Having heard this, Manu put the fish into a vessel. When it grew in size, the fish requested for a bigger vessel. But soon, it outgrew the big vessel also and was put into a tank. And eventually, as it grew as big as the tank, Manu released the fish into the ocean and in a moment the fish grew in size extending to one lakh yojanas. Manu then realised the fish to be none other than Sri Vishnu and at his behest the lord in the form of a fish said, “I have manifested for the protection of this universe and for the destruction of the wicked. On the seventh day, the ocean would flood the earth. Having collected the seeds of creation in the boat that would approach you, you should spend a night of Brahma (equal to 1000 mortal years) on it being encircled by the saptarshis. And bind the boat to my horn with the big serpent (as the rope). Saying thus, the fish disappeared. As the appointed hour approached and the ocean began to swell, Manu boarded the boat as instructed. The fish now appeared with a single golden horn of one million yojanas in length. And Manu tied the boat to its horn. Manu praised the lord in the form of a fish with adorations. And it was at this hour that the Matsya Purana, capable of destroying papas, was revealed by the lord in the form of a fish to Manu. This story of the Matsya Avatara occurs in the second chapter of the Agni Purana.<ref>The Agni Purana ([https://archive.org/details/AgniPuranaUnabridgedEnglishMotilal/page/n7 Part 1]), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, First Edition: 1954, Reprint: 1998.</ref>

== References ==

== References ==