Matsya Avatar is the first avatar of the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Dashavatara is a story of 10 primary incarnations of lord Vishnu taken in order to restore the cosmic order in the universe. The word Dashavatara can be broken down in the following way for better understanding – Dasha meaning ten and avatar meaning incarnations. Hence, the legendary ten incarnations of the supreme lord.
Speaking in length about the first incarnation of the lord, we must begin with a story unknown to many. This article will take you through the what, why and where of this first incarnation. Matsya means a fish. When Lord Vishnu took the avatar of a big fish, it was to do a greater deed and save some of the most precious writings in the history of humankind. Let’s dive right into the story and explore the “Matsya Avatar”.
The story dates back to a long time ago when King Vaivasvata Manu (some writings have considered it to be emperor Satyavrata) found a fish in the Kritmala river. When he was about to put the fish back into the water, the fish spoke to him and told him to save him from the big fishes who could eat the small fish in seconds.
The king took this fish and placed him in a jug only to find the fish being grown to the size of jug the very next day. The fish pleaded with the king to transfer him to a more comfortable home. Manu then transferred the fish to a well but the fish soon outgrew that too and was shifted to a pond and then a small lake. When the fish grew too big to fit in the lake, the king had no option but to transfer him to the sea.
While king Manu was releasing the fish into the sea, the fish spoke to him again. Manu being extremely confused with this situation begged the fish to reveal its original form. Upon hearing that, Lord Vishnu told Manu about how impressed he was seeing the devotion of king Manu and decided to come to him in the form of a fish.
Before swimming off into the sea, the Matsya avatar warned the emperor of the forthcoming destruction through floods and storm. Manu was told to gather herbs, seeds, all different kinds of living beings, seven holy men and board a ship. The ship would be tied to the giant horn of the fish. In the grand scheme of things, this was lord Vishnu’s way of educating men about devotion towards god and the greatest scriptures of Vedas.
King waited patiently for the day he had to fulfil his responsibilities. 7 days later the deadly storm had arrived and king Manu did exactly as he was instructed. The huge waves tossed the boat right and left. Soon, the king saw a magnificent golden fish swim towards the boat. He tied the boat to the avatar’s horn with the help of a Vasuki snake. The fish swam through the rough storm and kept everyone safe.
Lord Vishnu started to enlighten the men with Vedas and the important teachings of life during their journey. He made sure that they understood the importance of devotion and spirituality. Souls live forever even after the bodies are long gone. One’s soul can be peaceful when it is happily expressing its devotion to the supreme Lord with a pure and selfless heart.
Stay tuned to this blog page for an informative and interesting journey explaining the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Click here to read about the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Comments are closed.