Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मत्स्यबन्धैश् च मत्स्यो ऽसौ मत्स्यैर् अन्यैः सह द्विज घातितो ऽसुरवर्याय शम्बराय निवेदितः

Transliteration

matsyabandhaiś ca matsyo 'sau matsyair anyaiḥ saha dvija ghātito 'suravaryāya śambarāya niveditaḥ

Translation

Oh, dvija: aquel pez—atrapado por los pescadores junto con otros peces—fue muerto y luego ofrecido como oblación a Śambara, el más eminente entre los asuras.

Word by Word

मत्स्यबन्धैःby fishermen

चand

मत्स्यःthe fish

असौthat (one)

मत्स्यैःwith fishes

अन्यैःother

सहtogether with

द्विजO brahmin

घातितःwas killed

असुरवर्यायto the foremost asura

शम्बरायto Śambara

निवेदितःwas presented/reported

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

Śambara

Asuras

fishermen (matsyabandha)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering the fish to Śambara in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the fish as entering an Asura-controlled context, setting up later consequences in the narrative where hidden destiny unfolds within worldly transactions.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the unfolding of events in such episodes?

Parāśara narrates cause-and-effect through human actions (catching, killing, offering) while implying a larger providential order in which outcomes mature under the supreme governance of Vishnu.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic frame treats historical and demonic power as subordinate to the higher cosmic order ultimately upheld by Vishnu.