Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54
जले जलेचरो मत्स्यो महानद्यां भविष्यसि । आदाय वेदान्वेगेन मम त्वं दातुमर्हसि
jale jalecaro matsyo mahānadyāṃ bhaviṣyasi | ādāya vedānvegena mama tvaṃ dātumarhasi
Dans les eaux tu deviendras un poisson, se mouvant dans les eaux du grand fleuve. Saisis promptement les Veda et tu dois me les remettre.
Brahmā (addressing Hari/Viṣṇu, commissioning the Matsya avatāra)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A divine voice commissions Hari to become Matsya: a majestic fish in vast waters, speeding through a ‘great river’ current, carrying the Vedas as radiant scrolls toward Brahmā.
FAQs
When wisdom is submerged, the Divine assumes a fitting form to recover and re-establish it—avatāra is dharma’s rescue.
The episode is narrated within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, connecting avatāra-power to the kṣetra’s sacred authority.
No explicit ritual; the focus is on safeguarding the Vedas as the foundation of dharma.