Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 26
Matsya-avatāra: The Lord as Fish Saves the Vedas and Guides Satyavrata
नैवंवीर्यो जलचरो दृष्टोऽस्माभि: श्रुतोऽपि वा । यो भवान् योजनशतमह्नाभिव्यानशे सर: ॥ २६ ॥
naivaṁ vīryo jalacaro dṛṣṭo ’smābhiḥ śruto ’pi vā yo bhavān yojana-śatam ahnābhivyānaśe saraḥ
Señor mío, en un solo día te has expandido por cientos de yojanas, cubriendo las aguas del río y del océano. Jamás hemos visto ni oído de un ser acuático con tal poder.
FAQs
This verse highlights Matsya’s extraordinary potency: He can dry up an immense lake (a hundred yojanas wide) in a single day, showing the Lord’s supreme aishvarya beyond any ordinary creature.
Satyavrata had been protecting the small fish, but as it rapidly grew and displayed impossible feats—like draining a vast lake—he recognized it as no ordinary being and expressed astonishment and reverence.
It teaches discernment and humility: when confronted with the extraordinary, a devotee learns to see the hand of the Divine and respond with reverence rather than pride or dismissal.