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
പ്രഭോ! ഒരേ ദിവസത്തിൽ നിങ്ങൾ നൂറുകണക്കിന് യോജന വ്യാപിച്ച് നദിയുടെയും സമുദ്രത്തിന്റെയും ജലം മുഴുവൻ മൂടി. ഇത്തരമൊരു ശക്തിയുള്ള ജലചരനെ ഞങ്ങൾ കണ്ടതുമില്ല, കേട്ടതുമില്ല।
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.