Matsya Purana — Intermediate Dissolution
काले यथोक्ते संजाते वासुदेवमुखोद्गते शृङ्गी प्रादुर्बभूवाथ मत्स्यरूपी जनार्दनः //
kāle yathokte saṃjāte vāsudevamukhodgate śṛṅgī prādurbabhūvātha matsyarūpī janārdanaḥ //
Quando chegou o tempo predito—tal como fora proferido da própria boca de Vāsudeva—Janārdana então se manifestou na forma de um peixe, portando um chifre.
It signals the exact, foretold timing of the divine intervention preceding the Flood narrative: Vishnu manifests as Matsya precisely when the prophesied time arrives, indicating pralaya unfolds under cosmic order rather than randomness.
Indirectly, it emphasizes obedience to dharmic instruction and preparedness: since the Lord’s words prove true “in due time,” rulers and householders are urged to heed authoritative counsel (āpta-vākya) and act before crisis—an ethic central to the Manu episode.
No direct Vāstu or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its practical takeaway is iconographic—Matsya is described as “horned” (śṛṅgī), a feature often linked in the wider flood account to fastening or guiding the vessel, informing how Matsya may be visualized in Purāṇic imagery.