Matsya
Matsya | |
---|---|
Member of Dashavatara | |
Devanagari | मत्स्य |
Affiliation | Avatar of Vishnu |
Mantra | Om Namo Bhagavate Matsya Devaya |
Weapon | Sudarshana Chakra, Kaumodaki |
Festivals | Matsya Jayanti |
Consort | Lakshmi[1] |
Dashavatara Sequence | |
---|---|
Predecessor | - |
Successor | Kurma |
Matsya (
The earliest account of Matsya is found in the Shatapatha Brahmana, where Matsya is not associated with any particular deity. The fish-saviour later merges with the identity of Brahma in post-Vedic era, and still later, becomes regarded with Vishnu. The legends associated with Matsya expand, evolve, and vary in Hindu texts. These legends have embedded symbolism, where a small fish with Manu's protection grows to become a big fish, and the fish saves the man who would be the progenitor of the next race of mankind.[4] In later versions, Matsya slays a demon named Hayagriva who steals the Vedas, and thus is lauded as the saviour of the scriptures.[5]
The tale is ascribed with the motif of
Etymology
The deity Matsya derives his name from the word matsya (
Legends and scriptural references
Vedic origins
The section 1.8.1 of the Shatapatha Brahmana (Yajur veda) is the earliest extant text to mention Matsya and the flood myth in Hinduism. It does not associate the fish Matsya with any other deity in particular.[13][14][15]
The central characters of this legend are the fish (Matsya) and Manu. The character Manu is presented as the legislator and ancestor king. One day, water is brought to Manu for his ablutions. 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.[15] 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.[15][16] The fish thanks him, tells him the timing of the great flood, and asks Manu to build a ship by that day, one he can attach to its horn. On the predicted day, Manu visits the fish with his boat. The devastating floods come. Manu ties the boat to the horn. 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 together initiate the race of Manu, the humans.[15][17][18][19]
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According to Bonnefoy, the Vedic story is symbolic. The little fish alludes to the Indian "law of the fishes", an equivalent to the "law of the jungle".[15] The small and weak would be devoured by the big and strong, and needs the dharmic protection of the legislator and king Manu to enable it to attain its full potential and be able to help later. Manu provides the protection, the little fish grows to become big and ultimately saves all existence. The boat that Manu builds to get help from the saviour fish, states Bonnefoy, is symbolism of the means to avert complete destruction and for human salvation. The mountains represent the doorway for ultimate refuge and liberation.[15] Edward Washburn Hopkins suggests that the favour of Manu rescuing the fish from death, is reciprocated by the fish.[13]
Though Matsya does not appear in older scriptures,[20][21] the seeds of the legend may be traced to the oldest Hindu scripture, the Rigveda. Manu (lit. "man"), the first man and progenitor of humanity, appears in the Rigveda. Manu is said to have performed the first sacrifice by kindling the sacrificial fire (Agni) with seven priests; Manu's sacrifice becomes the archetypal sacrifice.[21] Narayan Aiyangar suggests that the ship from the Matsya legend alludes to the ship of Sacrifice referred in the Rigveda and the Aitareya Brahmana. In this context, the fish denotes Agni - God as well as the sacrificial flames. The legend thus signifies how man (Manu) can sail the sea of sins and troubles with the ship of sacrifice and the fish-Agni as his guide.[22]
In a prayer to
Saviour of Manu from the Deluge
The tale of Matsya also appears in chapter 12.187 of the Book 3, the
The key difference between the Vedic version and the Mahabharata version of the allegorical legend are the latter's identification of Matsya with Brahma, a more explicit discussion of the "law of the fishes" where the weak needs the protection from the strong, and the fish asking Manu to bring along sages and grains.[15][16][28]
The
The Matsya Purana story is also symbolic. The fish is divine to begin with, and needs no protection, only recognition and devotion. It also ties the story to its cosmology, connecting two kalpas through the cosmic symbolic residue in the form of Shesha.[29] In this account, the ship of Manu is called the ship of the Vedas, thus signifying the rites and rituals of the Vedas. Roy further suggests that this may be an allusion to the gold ship of Manu in the Rigveda.[36]
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.[37] The Linga Purana praises Vishnu as the one who saved various beings as a fish by tying a boat to his tail.[38]
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 (identified with Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu, South India[39]). There he finds a little fish. The fish asks him to save him 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 seeds 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 Vasuki 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.[40] 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.[41][42][43]
The Agni Purana narrative is similar to the Bhagavata Purana version placed around Kritamala river and also records the rescue of Vedas from the demon Hayagriva. It mentions Vaivasvata Manu only collecting all seeds (not living beings) and assembling the seven sages similar to the Mahabharata version. It also adds the basis of the Matsya Purana, being the discourse of Matsya to Manu, similar to the Bhagavata Purana version.[44][45] While listing the Puranas, the Agni Purana states that the Matsya Purana was told by Matsya to Manu at the beginning of the kalpa.[46]
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.[47] In another instance, Narayana retrieves the Vedas from the Rasatala (netherworld) and grants them to Brahma.[48] The Purana also extols Narayana as the primordial fish who also bore the earth.[49] PPL
The Garuda Purana states that Matsya slew Hayagriva and rescued the Vedas as well as the Manu.[50] In another instance, it states that Vishnu as Matsya killed the demon Pralamba in the reign of the third Manu - Uttama.[51] The Narada Purana states that the demon Hayagriva (son of Kashyapa and Diti) seized the Vedas of the mouth of Brahma. Vishnu then takes the Matsya form and kills the demon, retrieving the Vedas. The incident is said to have happened in the Badari forest. The deluge and Manu are dropped in the narrative.[52] The Shiva Purana praises Vishnu as Matsya who rescued the Vedas via king Satyavrata and swam through the ocean of pralaya.[53]
The
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 re-compilation of the Vedas in this version. The Vedas are then returned to Brahma.[56]
The
The Purusottama-Ksetra-Mahatmya of Skanda Purana in relationship of 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.[60]
In avatar lists
Matsya is generally enlisted as the first avatar of Vishnu, especially in Dashavatara (ten major avatars of Vishnu) lists.[61] However, that was not always the case. Some lists do not list Matsya as first, and only later texts start the trend of Matsya as the first avatar.[34]
In the Garuda Purana listing of the Dashavatara, Matsya is the first.[62][63] The Linga Purana, the Narada Purana, the Shiva Purana, the Varaha Purana, the Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana also mention Matsya as the first of the ten classical avatars.[64][65][66][53][67][68]
The Bhagavata Purana and the Garuda Purana regard Matsya as the tenth of 22 avatars and describe him as the "support of the earth".[69][37]
The Ayidhya-Mahatmya of the Skanda Purana mentions 12 avatars of Vishnu, with Matsya as the 2nd avatar. Matsya is said to support Manu, plants and others like a boat at the end of Brahma's day (pralaya).[70]
Other scriptural references
The Vishnu Purana narrative of Vishnu's boar avatar Varaha alludes to the Matsya and Kurma avatars, saying that Brahma (identified with Narayana, an epithet transferred to Vishnu) took these forms in previous kalpas.[71]
The Agni Purana, the Brahma Purana and the Vishnu Purana suggests that Vishnu resides as Matsya in Kuru-varsha, one of the regions outside the mountains surrounding Mount Meru.[72][73][74]
Iconography
Matsya is depicted in two forms: as a
In the anthropomorphic form, the upper half is that of the four-armed man and the lower half is a fish. The upper half resembles Vishnu and wears the traditional ornaments and the kirita-mukuta (tall conical crown) as worn by Vishnu. He holds in two of his hands the
In some representations, Matsya is shown with four hands like Vishnu, one holding the chakra, another the shankha, while the front two hands hold a sword and a book signifying the Vedas he recovered from the demon. Over his elbows is an
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
Matsya may be 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 of them may be depicted in the ocean, while the god Brahma and/or manuscripts or four men, symbolizing the Vedas, may be depicted in the background.[78] In some scenes, Matsya is depicted as a fish pulling the boat with Manu and the seven sages in it.
Evolution and symbolism
The story of a great deluge is found in many civilizations across the earth. It is often compared with the
The flood was a recurring natural calamity in
Even if the idea of the flood myth and the fish-god may be imported from another culture, it is cognate with the Vedic and Puranic cosmogonic tale of Creation through the waters. In the Mahabharata and the Puranas, the flood myth is in fact a cosmogonic myth. The deluge symbolizes dissolution of universe (pralaya); while Matsya "allegorizes" the Creator-god (Brahma or Vishnu), who recreates the universe after the great destruction. This link to Creation may be associated with Matsya regarded as Vishnu's first avatar.[84]
Matsya is believed to symbolise the aquatic life as the first beings on earth.[85][34] Another symbolic interpretation of the Matsya mythology is, states Bonnefoy, to consider Manu's boat to represent moksha (salvation), which helps one to cross over. The Himalayas are treated as a boundary between the earthly existence and land of salvation beyond. The protection of the fish and its horn represent the sacrifices that help guide Manu to salvation. Treated as a parable, the tale advises a good king should protect the weak from the mighty, reversing the "law of fishes" and uphold dharma, like Manu, who defines an ideal king.[15] In the tales where the demon hides the Vedas, dharma is threatened and Vishnu as the divine Saviour rescues dharma, aided by his earthly counterpart, Manu - the king.[29]
Another theory suggests that the boat of Manu and the fish represents the
Worship
Matsya is invoked as a form of Vishnu in various hymns in scriptures. In a prayer in the Bhagavata Purana, Matsya is invoked for protection from the aquatic animals and the waters.
The third day in the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Chaitra is celebrated as Matsya Jayanti, the birthday of Matsya, when his worship is recommended.[65] Vishnu devotees observe a fast from a day before the holy day; take a holy bath on Matsya Jayanti and worship Matsya or Vishnu in the evening, ending their fast. Vishnu temples organize a special Puja.[92] The Meena community claim a mythological descent from Matsya, who is called Meenesh ("Lord of the Meenas"/ "Fish-Lord").[93] Matsya Jayanti is celebrated as Meenesh Jayanti by the Meenas.[94][95]
The Varaha Purana and the Margashirsha-Mahatmya of the Padma Purana recommends a
There are very few temples dedicated to Matsya. Prominent ones include the Shankhodara temple in Bet Dwarka and Vedanarayana Temple in Nagalapuram.[85] Matsya Narayana Temple, Bangalore also exists. The Brahma Purana describes that Matsya-madhava (Vishnu as Matsya) is worshipped with Shveta-madhava (King Shveta) in the Shveta-madhava temple of Vishnu near the sacred Shweta ganga pond in Puri.[57][98][58] A temple to Machhenarayan (Matsya) is found in Machhegaun, Nepal, where an annual fair is held in honour of the deity.[99] The Koneswaram Matsyakeswaram temple in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka is now destroyed.
There are three temples dedicated to Matsya in Kerala. The Sree Malsyavathara Mahavishnu Temple is located in the small town of Meenangadi situated on the highway between Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad. Matsyamurti is the name of the principal deity, though the idol itself is that of Vishnu. The second temple dedicated to Matsya in the state is the Mootoli Sree Mahavishnu Temple in Kakkodi, Kozhikode. The third temple is the Perumeenpuram Vishnu Temple in Kakkur, Kozhikode. The idol is that of Matsya. The main ceremony of this temple for devotees is called mīnūt (feeding the fish).
Notes
- ^ Manu is presented as the ancestor of two mythical royal dynasties (solar or son-based, lunar or daughter-based)[30][31]
- ^ As per Hindu time cycles, a kalpa is a period of 4.32 billion years, equivalent to a day in the life of Brahma. Each kalpa is divided into 14 manvantaras, each reigned by a Manu, who becomes progenitor of mankind. Brahma creates the worlds and life in his day - the kalpa and sleeps in his night - the pralaya, when Brahma's creation is destroyed. Brahma reawakens at the start of the new kalpa (day) and recreates.
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Further reading
- Aiyangar, Narayan (1901). Essays On Indo Aryan Mythology. Madras: Addison and Company.
- Bonnefoy, Yves (1993). Asian Mythologies. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-06456-7.
- Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1935). Matsya Purana a study.
- Roy, J. (2002). Theory of Avatāra and Divinity of Chaitanya. Atlantic. ISBN 978-81-269-0169-2.
- Krishna, Nanditha (2009). The Book of Vishnu. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-306762-7.
- Rao, T.A. Gopinatha (1914). Elements of Hindu iconography. Vol. 1: Part I. Madras: Law Printing House.
- George M. Williams (2008). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533261-2.
- ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
- Shah, Priyabala (1990). Shri Vishnudharmottara. The New Order Book Co.
- H H Wilson (1911). Puranas. p. 84.
- Shastri, J. L.; Tagare, G. V. (1999) [1950]. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Motilal Banarsidas.
- Shastri, J. L.; Bhatt, G. P.; Gangadharan, N. (1998) [1954]. Agni Purana. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
- Wilson, H. H. (Horace Hayman) (1862). The Vishnu Purána : a system of Hindu mythology and tradition. Works by the late Horace Hayman Wilson. Vol. VI. Princeton Theological Seminary Library. London : Trübner.
- Wilson, H. H. (Horace Hayman) (1862a). The Vishnu Purána : a system of Hindu mythology and tradition. Works by the late Horace Hayman Wilson. Vol. VII. Princeton Theological Seminary Library. London : Trübner.
- Brahma Purana. UNESCO collection of Representative Works - Indian Series. Motilal Banarsidass. 1955.
- Nagar, Shanti Lal (2005). Brahmavaivarta Purana. Parimal Publications.
- The Garuda Purana. Vol. 1. Motilal Banarsidas. 2002 [1957].
- The Garuda Purana. Vol. 3. Motilal Banarsidas. 2002 [1957].
- Shastri, J.L. (1990) [1951]. Linga Purana. Vol. 2. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
- The Narada Purana. Vol. 4. Motilal Banarsidas. 1997 [1952].
- The Narada Purana. Vol. 5. Motilal Banarsidas. 1952.
- The Varaha Purana. UNESCO collection of Representative Works - Indian Series. Vol. 1. Motilal Banarsidas. 1960.
- Shastri, J. L. (2000) [1950]. The Śiva Purāṇa. Vol. 2. Motilal Banarsidas.
- Padma Purana. Vol. 8. Motilal Banarsidas. 1956.
- Padma Purana. Vol. 9. Motilal Banarsidas. 1956.
- The Skanda Purana. Vol. 5. Motilal Banarsidas. 1998 [1951].
- The Skanda Purana. Vol. 6. Motilal Banarsidas. 1998 [1951].
- The Skanda Purana. Vol. 15. Motilal Banarsidas. 2003 [1957].
- The Skanda Purana. Vol. 12. Motilal Banarsidas. 2003 [1955].
External links
- Media related to Matsya at Wikimedia Commons