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
Ô mon Seigneur, en un seul jour Vous Vous êtes étendu sur des centaines de yojanas, couvrant les eaux du fleuve et de l’océan. Jamais nous n’avons vu ni entendu parler d’un être aquatique d’une telle puissance.
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.