MATSYA PURANA

CONTENTS
-> Purana
-> Introduction
-> Story
-> Conclusion
-> References

PURANA
The oldest puranas date from the middle of the first
millennium B.C., but the basic texts that have come down to us
appeared chiefly in the second half of the first millennium. The most
valuable, by literary and historical considerations, are the
Markandeya Purana, Vayu Purana, Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana,
and Matsya Purana. Depending on which god the purana is dedicated
to, there are Vishnuite, Saiva, and Brahmanic puranas, but, as a
whole, they express the basic religious, social, and ethical principles
of Hinduism.
In content and form, the puranas resemble ancient Indian epic
poetry. They present cosmogonic legends, myths about the origins of
all creatures, and the genealogy of the gods, divine sages, and
legendary dynasties. The ethical and metaphysical ideas of the
puranas influenced most of the philosophers of medieval India. Poets
and dramatists also used the myths of the puranas in their works.
The Bhagavata Purana, in which the cult of ecstatic love for god
(bhakti) is preached and legends about the life of Krishna are retold,
has especially influenced religious and literary traditions in the
modern Indian languages.

INTRODUCTION

The Matsya purana is one of the eighteen major puranas and

among the oldest and better preserved in the puranic genre of
sanskrit literature in Hinduism.The text is Vaishnava text named
after the fish Avatar of Vishnu.The Matsya purana has survived into
the modern era in many versions,varying in the details but almost all
of the published versions have 291 chapters.It is also notable for
being encyclopedic in the topics it covers.Along with the five topics
the text defines a purana to be,it includes mythology,a guide for
building art work such as paintings and sculpture,features and
design guidelines for temples,objects and house architecture (Vastu-
shastra), various types of yoga,duties and ethics(Dharma)with
multiple chapters on the value of Dāna(charity),both shiva and
Vishnu related festivals, geography particularly around the Narmada
river, pilgrimage,duties of a king and good government and other
topics.

Wendy Doniger dates the Matsya purana to have been composed

between 250-500 CE.

Matsya Purana (Original Sanskrit Text)It’s the sixteenth Purana.

During the period of Mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya
avatar (fish incarnation) to save the seeds of all lives and Manu.
Matsya Purana contains a comprehensive description of Manu and
Matsya avatar.General contents of this Purana are descriptions of the
greatness of Narsimha incarnation,description of all the ten
incarnations of LordVishnu. Greatness of fasting like Anant Tritiya
and the places of pilgrimage like Prayag. Tales of Chandra vansh,
Surya vansh and Kuruvansh and the kings like Yayati etc.
Description of the Kalpa and Yugas,Appearance of idols,Appearance
and construction of Deva-mandapa (canopy for the deities). Tale of
Savitri and Satyavan,Results of auspicious and inauspicious motion of
the planets, Birth ofParvati, Immolation of Madan (Kamadeva),
Wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati,birth of Kartikeya, Duties of a
king, description of the future kings.This Purana is said to be
narrated by Matsya avatar of Lord Vishnu to Manu, who was awaiting
Lord’s arrival during Mahapralaya in his boat anchored on a very
high mountain.According to the Matsya Purana , 'When the end of an
Age rolls around and time has lost its strength, then Lord Vishnu is
born among men. When the gods and demons go to war, then Hari
Vishnuis born.' The Matsya Purana for instance,enumerates twelve
avatars.Matsya Purana prosperity for sake those who always dream
of fate and favors those who persevere.
One should therefore always be active and alert.Matsya Purana , even
the worst problems have solutions if one only perseveres.A Purana
has five characteristics as opposed to anAkhyana. (The scriptures are
divided into three classes - sattvika,rajasika, and tamasika.) The glory
of Lord Hari is greater in the sattvika Puranas; the glory of Lord
Brahma is more in the rajasikaPuranas; the glory of Lord Shiva and
Agni is more in the tamasika Puranas.In the mixed scriptures the
glory of Sarasvati and the Pitras is explained.' The verse cited from
the Matsya Purana refers to the five characteristics of a Purana.
These characteristics are given in another verse of the Matsya
Purana, sargasca prati sargasca vamsomanvantarani
cavamsyanucaritancaiva puranam pancalaksanam' Creation,
dissolution, genealogy, manvantaras and descriptions of the activities
of famous kings, these are the five characteristics of a Purana.' The
characteristics of Srimad Bhagavatam are given in the Matsya Purana
, 'That which explains the top most principles of religion, Basing it on
Gayatri, and which has the incident of the killing of Vratrasura is to
be known as the Srimad Bhagavatam.This Purana has eighteen
thousand verses. Whoever makes a copy of the Srimad Bhagavatam
and, placing it on a golden lion throne, donates it on the full moon
day in the month of Bhadra (August-September), will attain the
supreme goal'.According to Matsya Purana the Hayagriva avatar of
Visnu preceded Matsya; when the worlds were burnt down, Vishnu
in the form of a horse re-compiled the four Vedas, Vedangas, etc.
The Devi Bhagavata and the Skanda Purana in its
DharnmranyaKhanda, however,allude to two different accounts on
the origin of the Hayagriva form of Vishnu.This Purana consists of 20
chapters.

STORY

Along with Brahma, the creator and Shiva, the destroyer, Lord
Vishnu is one of the three main male deities in Hinduism and they
are together known as the TRIMURTI. Being a part of the Trinity, He
has taken ten incarnations and the ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu or the
Dashavatara are the several forms He took whenever the universe
was in turmoil. Each of Vishnu’s Avatars had the same purpose which
they achieved by different means. This divine purpose was the
restoration of Dharma or righteousness and to save the planet and
the good people from the hands of evils, demons or Asuras.

Matsya (Fish in Sanskrit) was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism.

The great flood finds mention in Hindu mythology texts like the
Satapatha Brahmana , where in the Matsya Avatar takes place to save
the pious and the first man, Manu and advices him to build a giant
boat. Lord Matsya is generally represented as a four-armed figure
with the upper torso of a man and the lower of a fish.

It is said that, during the Satya Yuga, the people on earth had become
irreligious and disorderly in the way they lived their lives. This is
when the Gods collectively decided to flood the earth and prepare it
for the process of renovation. Lord Brahma, the creator, had been
given the guidelines to remodel the earth by Lord Vishnu. These
guidelines were the Vedas, the four principle books of Hinduism.
Lord Brahma decided to rest before this grand task as he was quite
tired from the process of creation.At this time, a horse-headed
demon named Hayagriva ( not t be confused with Lord Hayagriva, the
avatar of Vishnu who is considered as a symbol of wisdom and
knowledge) came out of Brahma’s nose and stole the Vedas from him.
Then Hayagriva went and hid himself deep in the oceans of the earth.
Meanwhile, a pious king named Satyavrata who was a great admirer
of Lord Vishnu, regularly worshipped Lord Vishnu and wished to
meet Him. So Lord Vishnu decided to pay a visit to Manu.
Satyavrata,the king of pre-ancient Dravida and a devotee of
Vishnu, who later was 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 Vishnu and told him that a deluge would
occur within seven days that would destroy all life. The fish told
Manu that at the end of Kali yug, the mare who lived at the bottom of
the ocean would open her mouth to release a poisonous fire. This
very fire will burn the whole universe, Gods, constellations and
everything. The seven clouds of doomsday would then flood the earth
until everything was a single ocean. Therefore, the fish instructed
Satyavrata to build an ark to take “all medicinal herbs, all the
varieties of seeds, and accompanied by the seven saints” along with
the serpent Vasuki and other animals. As the time of the flood
approached, Manu’s ark was complete. As the flood swept over the
land, Manu asked Vishnu why mankind had to meet such a deadly
fate to which Matsya Vishnu told Manu that he was the only moral
man alive and that he would be the father of the future generations of
men. Matsya killed Hayagriva and returned the Vedas to Brahma.
Then he tied himself to Manu’s ark using Vasuki as a rope and
protected them from the storm and the floods. When the storms
ended and the water subsided, Matsya Vishnu left Manu and the
others at the Himalayas, where they could begin human civilization
again.

CONCLUSION

-> Lord Vishnu is present in all living

creatures.Those who are engaged
 in the welfare of all beings never
find themselves alone in the time
of need.
-> Preservation of knowledge is esse-
ntial for creation.Without proper
Knowledge,any creation will be
incomplete and flawed.
-> Yayati in Matysa purana states
about the seven qualities that are
gates to heaven(bliss)
-> Asceticism: severe
self-discipline and avoiding all
forms of indulgence, typically
for religious reasons.
-> Charity: Kindness and tolerance
in judging others.
-> Self-control: Ability to regulate
one's emotions, thoughts and
behaviour.
-> Modesty: The quality of not being
too proud or confident about
yourself.
-> Honesty: The quality of being
honest, uprightness.
-> Restraint:The quality of
behaving in a calm way.
 -> kindness: The quality of being
gentle, caring and helpful.

REFERENCES:

-> Wilson, H. H. Puranas or an

Account of Their Contents and
Nature. Calcutta, 1911.
-> Pusalker, A. D. Studies in the Epics
and Puranas. Bombay, 1955.
-> An Anthology of the Epics and
Puranas. Edited by S. K. De and
R.C.Hazra. New Delhi, 1959.
-chandu.Manasa
-b171184
-EEE