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
Lạy Chúa tể, chỉ trong một ngày Ngài đã tự mở rộng đến hàng trăm do-tuần, bao trùm nước sông và biển. Trước đây chúng con chưa từng thấy hay nghe về loài thủy sinh nào như vậy.
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.