Matsya Avatar, the Deluge and all that

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Matsya Avatar

 

The VEDAS, with the aid of which, BRAHMA, the creator God, performs

his role, happened to slip out of his possession at a moment of his

respite. An ASURA (Enemy of God) who was alert observed it and

instantly devoured them. But, Vishnu, the preserver-God, was

watching this. Since PRALAYA - Dissolution - was to follow soon, the

VEDAS would be lost for the next spell of Creation, unless they were

retrieved.

 

As God was wondering what was to be done, he noticed Sage

Satyavrata, who was doing penance subsisting on water alone, making

the ritual offering of water of God. God immediately assumed the

form of a Fish. As satyavrata scooped water from the flowing river,

he espied a tiny fish in the water he had scooped. When he tried to

put it back into the river, the Fish entered the sage not to do so

as it would be eaten up by the big fishes in the river. Satyavrata

took pity and took it into his KAMANDALU and went back to his

hermitage. Overnight, the Fish grew too big to be in the Kamandalu.

 

The next morning when the sage looked it up, the Fish requested him

to remove him to a larger vessel. Satyavarta did so but soon the

fish became too big for the larger vessel also. Addressing the Sage,

the Fish said that he should protect him and find a suitable living

space for it. Satyavarta then emptied the vessel into a large pond

near the hermitage along with the Fish. But, in no time the Fish

grew as large as the pond and filled it. Then the Fish exhorted the

Sage to take it to a large and deep lake. Although Satyavarta took

it to several lakes, one larger than the other, the Fish kept

growing and bigger and bigger. It went on asking for larger and

larger living space.

 

Sathyavarata got vexed and decided to put it into the ocean. While

he reached the ocean, the Fish addressed him thus: " oh Sage, do not

put me into the ocean, I am sure to be swallowed by the gigantic

creature there. " Satyavarta became suspicious now. He was despairing

to know how a fish could in a day grow so big as the largest lake

and still find it not big enough for it to live there. In a flash,

he realised that it was Lord Vishnu in the form of Fish. Satyavrata

immediately prostrated before the Fish and prayed to be told why God

had appeared in the form of Fish. The Lord told his devotee, " Just a

week from now, the ocean will rise and inundate the entire Universe

for the dissolution of creation. At that time you will see a

spacious boat approaching you. Do collect all the seeds, plants and

animals required for the next spell of creation and get into the

boat and await me. Take VASUKI, the kind of Serpents, also with you.

The SAPTHA RISHIS (seven Sages) will also be with you " .

 

The Fish left for fulfilling its mission. Hayagriva saw the gigantic

fish approaching him and was overtaken by fear. He held the VEDAS

tightly in his mouth. But soon the Divine Fish slew him and

recovered the VEDAS and restored them to BRAHMA for him to resume

the function of CREATION at the appropriate time.

 

As foretold by the DIVINE FISH, PRALAYA (deluge) set in and on the

turbulent waters, a boat appeared. Sage Satyavrata, the Saptha

Rishis and all the living creatures found haven in the boat. The

Fish in the colour of gold and now with a horn came by and ordered

that the boat be tied to its horn using VASUKI as a rope. While the

boat floated safely on the rising and enveloping waters, VISHNU

taught the Rishis the highest form of Truth. This collection of

truth has come to us in the form of MATSYA PURANA.

 

Lord VISHNU in this manner saved his True Devotees from dissolution

so as to hand down divine knowledge and saved the VEDAS from

destruction so as ensure CREATION after the DISSOLUTION.

 

Extracts from the Fingerprints of the Gods – the quest continues –

by Graham Hancock

 

More than 500 deluge legends are known around the world and , in a

survey of 86 of these (20 Asiatic, 3 European, 7 African, 46

American and 10 from Australia and the Pacific), the specialist

researacher Dr Richard Andree concluded that 62 were entirely

independent of the Mesopotomian and Hebrew accounts.

 

Story of Utnapishtim – Ancient Sumer

Noah and the Deluge – Bible

Coxcoxtli and Xochiquetzal – Aztec mythology

Tezpi and the wrath of Tezcatilpoca – Central American tradition

Yamana legend Tierra del Feugan tribe

Inuit tradition of Alaska

 

Many deluge and catastrophe myths contain references contain

references to not only to the onset of a great darkness but to other

changes in the appearance of the heavens….the sun and moon fell from

the sky…the planets altered their courses. The sun, moon and stars

changed their motions….Fire often follows or precedes the

flood….volcanism and earthquakes are also mentioned frequently in

association with the flood, particularly in the Americas….Phaeton,

child of Sun, harnessed his father's chariot but was unable to guide

it along his father's course….a monster chased the sun….the face of

the world was darkened and a black rain began to fall.

 

One pair each of the male and female of various species survived to

re-populate the world after the great deluge.

 

Suppose that a tremendous cataclysm were to overtake the earth

today, obliterating the achievements of our civilization and wiping

out almost all of us. Suppose, to paraphrase Plato, that we were

forced by this cataclysm 'to begin again like children, in complete

ignorance of what had happened in early times'. Under such

circumstances, ten or twelve thousand years from now (with all

written records and film archives long since destroyed) what

testimony might our descendants still preserve concerning the events

at the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 of

the Christian era?

 

It is easy to imagine how they might speak in mystical terms of

explosions that gave off a 'terrible glare of light' and 'immense

heat'. Nor would we be too surprised to find that they might have

formulated a 'mythical' account something like this:

 

The flames of the Brahmastra-charged missiles mingled with each

other and surrounded by fiery arrows they covered the earth, heaven

and space between and increased the conflagration like the fire and

the Sun at the end of the world ... All beings who were scorched by

the Brahmastras, and saw the terrible fire of their missiles, felt

that it was the fire of Pralaya [the cataclysm] that burns down the

world.

 

And what of the Enola Gay which carried the Hiroshima bomb? How

might our descendants remember that strange aircraft and the

squadrons of others like it that swarmed through the skies of planet

earth during the twentieth century of the Christian era? Isn't it

possible, probable even, that they might preserve traditions

of 'celestial cars' and 'heavenly chariots' and 'spacious flying

machines', and even of 'aerial cities'. If they did, would they

perhaps speak of such wonders in mythical terms a little like these:

 

• 'Oh you, Uparicara Vasu, the spacious aerial flying machine

will come to you - and you alone, of all the mortals, seated on that

vehicle will look like a deity.'

• 'Visvakarma, the architect among the Gods, built aerial

vehicles for the Gods.'

• 'Oh you descendant of the Kurus, that wicked fellow came on

that all-traversing automatic flying vehicle known as Saubhapura and

pierced me with weapons.'

• 'He entered into the favourite divine palace of Indra and

saw thousands of flying vehicles intended for the Gods lying at

rest.'

• 'The Gods came in their respective flying vehicles to

witness the battle between Kripacarya and Arjuna. Even Indra, the

Lord of Heaven, came with a special type of flying vehicle which

could accommodate 33 divine beings.'

 

All these quotations have been taken from the Bhagavata Puranu and

from the Mahabaratha, two drops in the ocean of the ancient wisdom

literature of the Indian subcontinent. And such images are

replicated in many other archaic traditions.

 

Some questions based on the above:

 

WILL SIGNIFICANT HAPPENINGS OF TODAY BECOME MYTHOLOGIES OF TOMORROW

(IF TIME IS COMPRESSED)?

 

IS THERE A COMMON THREAD IN SOME OF THE MYTHOLOGIES ACROSS THE

WORLD? i.e., these mythologies are not unique to India?

TO WHAT EXTENT DO THE DASAVATARS REFLECT EVOLUTION AFTER THE FIFTH

AVATAR?

 

VISHNU TOOK BIRTH AS OTHER AVATARS SUCH AS WELL SUCH AS DATTATREYA

AND DHANVANTARI WHO ARE NOT INCLUDED AMONG THE FAMOUS 10 – IS THERE

A CLASSICAL REFERENCE TO THE 10 AVATARS OF VISHNU OR IS THIS A LATER

INVENTION?