Deity

Matsya

मत्स्य

verses
1,086
books
23
chapters
354
Avatar of
Vishnu
One of
Dashavatara

What the texts say

In the Matsya Purana, Matsya is the fish form Vishnu assumed, and the work opens by asking why he took it. Matsya Purana 1.1, 1.7 The Padma Purana says that Vishnu, in the form of a fish, slew the demon Shankha and safeguarded the Vedas. Padma Purana 5.22.33 In the Matsya Purana, the compassionate king Manu shelters a small fish in his hand, and in one night in a jar it grows three hand-spans. Matsya Purana 1.18, 1.20 In the Bhagavata Purana, the fish tells Manu to board the boat with the seven sages, and promises to pull it through the waters of devastation. Bhagavatam 8.24.34, 8.24.37 In the Mahabharata, the fish brings the boat to the highest peak of Himavat, the Himalayas. Mahabharata 3.185.44 After the flood, the Matsya Purana says, this Purana was spoken in the form of Matsya to Manu. Matsya Purana 2.20

Where to read

Every verse that names Matsya, book by book.

  1. Matsya Purana

    761 verses · 153 chapters

    All 761 verses in the Matsya Purana
    • 2.3

      Matsya ne kaha ki aaj se paani nahi barsenga duniya par. Sau saal tak bura time aayega. Khane-peene ki cheezein nahi milengi. Bada mushkil time hoga sabke liye.

    • 16.4

      Matsya ne kaha, roz shraaddh karna chahiye. Khana, paani se bhi ho sakta hai. Doodh, jad, phal se bhi ho jata hai. Isse pitron ko khushi milti hai.

    • 167.1

      Matsya ne kaha ki jab poori duniya ek samundar ban gayi thi, tab Narayan bhagwan ne hams roop liya tha. Woh paani mein let gaye the. Unhone dharti ko paani se dhak diya tha.

  2. Skanda Purana

    76 verses · 48 chapters

    All 76 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 6.1.263.45

      Maheshwar ne us machhli ko 'hum' shabd ke andar dekha. Usne apni taqat se use rok liya. Phir unhone yeh baat kahi.

    • 1.1.33.15

      Phir Pushkasa naam ka ek bura aadmi ped se neeche utra. Woh paani ke paas gaya aur machhliyon ko maarna shuru kar diya.

    • 1.2.13.194

      Parad ko Shiva Devi kehte hain. Tryambak bhi naam hai. Matsya aur doosri cheezein shastra-linga hain. Vrishakapi bhi ek naam hai.

  3. Bhagavatam

    62 verses · 16 chapters

    All 62 verses in the Bhagavatam
    • 8.24.2

      Bhagwan ne machhli ka roop kyun liya? Log to machhli ko achha nahi maante the. Woh bada dukhi roop tha. Aisa lagta tha jaise koi insaan apne karam mein phansa ho. Bhagwan, aap humein poora samjha do. Hari ki kahaani sunne se sabko sukh…

    • 10.40.17

      Matsya bhagwan ko namaste, jinhone machhli roop liya aur samundar mein taira. Hayagriv ko namaste, jinhone Madhu aur Kaitabh daanv maara. Kurma bhagwan ko namaste, jinhone Mandar parvat uthaya. Varah bhagwan ko namaste, jinhone suar roop…

    • 1.3.15

      Jab poori duniya paani mein doob gayi thi, bhagwan ne machhli ka roop liya. Yeh unka Matsya avatar tha. Unhone Vaivasvata Manu ko kashti pe bitha ke bacha liya.

  4. Padma Purana

    32 verses · 29 chapters

    All 32 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 1.3.29

      Jab unhone socha ki Vishnu ka roop lena padega, tab unhone apni taakat se dharti ko uthane ka irada kiya. Pehle machhli aur kachhua bane the, ab suar ka roop liya.

    • 1.75.90

      Bar-bar pranaam unko jinhone machhli ka roop liya. Pranaam unko jinhone kachhua ka roop liya. Pranaam unko Narasimha roop mein. Aur phir se pranaam unko Vaman roop mein.

    • 2.19.70

      Sab kuch jaanne wale Matsya ko naman. Ram, tumko naman. Krishna ko naman. Buddha ko naman. Jo log galat kaam karte hain, unko khatam karne wale ko naman.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Matsya matters most.

  1. Matsya-avatāra: The Lord as Fish Saves the Vedas and Guides Satyavrata

    Bhagavatam 8.24 · 43 verses

    Avatāra and rescuer

  2. Intermediate Dissolution (Antarakṣaya), Matsya’s Rescue of Manu, and the Opening Outline of Creation Topics

    Matsya Purana 2 · 12 verses

    Teacher and preserver

  3. Śrāddha Procedure: Types, Eligible Guests, Exclusions, and the Pārvaṇa-Anvāhāryaka Rite

    Matsya Purana 16 · 15 verses

    Teacher and ritual authority

  4. Nārāyaṇa as Haṃsa in the Cosmic Ocean: Vedic Yajña-Puruṣa and Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vision within Pralaya

    Matsya Purana 167 · 12 verses

    Primary teacher-narrator in dialogue with Manu

  5. Soma, the Pitṛs, and the Science of Śrāddha: Why Purūravas Ascends on Amāvāsyā + Parva-Sandhi Time Rules

    Matsya Purana 141 · 10 verses

    Primary teacher

  6. War of Devas and Asuras; Birth of Aurva Fire; Countering Tamasī Māyā through Soma

    Matsya Purana 175 · 9 verses

    Primary narrator and theological guide to Manu

  7. Rite and Layout for Consecrating Ponds, Wells, and Water-Reservoirs (Taḍāga-vidhi)

    Matsya Purana 58 · 9 verses

    Primary teacher

  8. Saubhagya-Śayana Vow: Lalitā/Gaurī-Śiva Worship, Saubhāgya-Aṣṭaka Offerings, and Bed Donation

    Matsya Purana 60 · 9 verses

    Primary teacher-narrator

  9. Brahmā-Gāyatrī as a Divine Pair and the Early Genealogies of Creation (Manu to Dakṣa)

    Matsya Purana 4 · 8 verses

    Teacher-narrator

  10. Catalogue of the Eighteen Puranas, Their Measures, and the Dharma of Donating Sacred Texts

    Matsya Purana 53 · 8 verses

    Divine preserver of śāstra during pralaya

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q328872