The Matsya or Fish Avatar of Vishnu is the least regarded of all his avatars in the popular imagination. It is mentioned perfunctorily as the first avatar and then people hurry on to all the really important manifestations of Vishnu. While it may be true that there is no great documentation of this particular avatar, it remains significant for many reasons. It is the very first avatar in all Hindu literature and establishes a prototype for all the various incarnations of god that follow. Secondly, it shares with the rest of the world a generic belief that at one time the planet was threatened with a great flood and a savior in a boat preserved all life forms. Thirdly it establishes the concept of Manus for each Great Age or Yuga. And finally the task of this avatar was the most important of all, nothing less than the recovery of the lost Vedas. In Indian mythological terms there can be no more significant or heroic act. Taken all together then, we realize that the Matsya Avatar is not as inconspicuous an event as is mistakenly presumed.

The Matsya Avatar never made it into independent status for worship. There are no temples, no significant independent representations in art, and almost no memory of the events of this avatar. As already pointed out, all of the above would be a mistake in judging its importance. The concept of the avatar is interesting for it literally means "to descend". An avatar is a descent of god to the earthly plane in a physical form for the accomplishment of a particular task or task. Once the mission is over the avatar dissolves back into the cosmic matrix. The best definition of the parameters of the avatars has been given thus in the Bhagvad Gita by the avatar of Vishnu called Krishna.

In the Bhagvatam the story goes thus. One Cycle of Creation, Brahma's day, was about to be completed and Brahma himself about to fall asleep. When he does so all creation is dissolved except the Vedas, which are eternal, and outside the Cycle of Creation and dissolution. They lodge safely inside Brahma's body while he slumbers and are given back to the universe in the next Cycle of Creation. Unfortunately, Brahma gave a prodigious yawn and the Vedas flowed out of his lips. He was too sleepy to notice this catastrophe, but a cunning asura named Hayagriva had been hanging around observing the process of dissolution and determined to become eternal by any means necessary. This was his main chance and he literally swallowed it, i.e. gulped the Vedas down.

He correctly assumed that the eternal nature of the Vedas would rub off on him too and he was therefore free of the endless cycle of entropy and dissolution, he was not only immortal he was eternal! This was an unbearable situation as it violated the cosmic order in no uncertain terms. All that had form had to die someday but Hayagriva had found a way out. Not only that there was no way he would release the Vedas into the next Cycle of Creation, he would instantly die as he belonged to an earlier cycle and could not exist without this extraordinary support system. He would be like a chunk of anti-matter in the new universe immediately imploding it to destruction while safe himself because he had the Vedas within him. Not that it mattered to him. He was asura and could never think of anything beyond his own immediate personal benefit.

Vishnu determined to flush out this cosmic troublemaker and retrieve the Vedas at the same time. Hayagriva was skulking around in the depths of the cosmic ocean again correctly assuming that he would be difficult to find there while the universe was coming crashing down. (It is truly interesting that the first avatar myth begins by stating the essential impermanence of the universe Vishnu is dedicated to saving; it is not a myth of origin or genesis, it is a grim statement that all origins have endings, ad infinitum. It is a remarkable perspective and not even the Norse myths have such a take on life). Vishnu being a very efficient personality decided that this avatar might as well identify the Manu for the next Cycle of Creation or Kalpa. The Manu is a proto-Adam, responsible for overseeing the first hesitant stages of all life forms in the new Cycle of Creation and they live for the entire cycle as some sort of cosmic warden. They re-establish culture and civilization and above all ensure the Vedas are transmitted to the next Cycle. The Manu and his wife become the First Parents for each Cycle. Vishnu chose a great and pious king named Satyavrata to become the next Manu.

When Satyavrata was praying in the traditional manner, waist deep in flowing water, his cupped handful of the fluid found a little fish inside. The fish spoke to him and demanded his royal protection from the larger fish. Since Matsyanyaya, the law of the fish, - or big fish eat little fish and little fish eat littler fish and so on - has been a metaphor for social governance in India for aeons, Satyavrata was captivated by the magical talking fish and its reasons for wanting to come out of the water. He agreed but found out that 'fishy business' did not begin to cover what was happening. The fish began to grow and grow, pots and drums and tanks and ponds proving mere stopovers for minutes. The largest lake and the widest rivers were outgrown in one single day and the harassed king finally led it to the ocean where he realized it had been Vishnu himself playing this prank on him. One of the more delightful aspects of Vishnu is his innate Prankster God nature. By himself Satyavrata had not accumulated enough good karma to deserve to become the next Manu, but by helping Vishnu out so consistently he accelerated to the head of the list! The trouble he was put through was a favor Vishnu was doing for this devotee.

Vishnu filled in his devotee on the news that the universe was about to be dissolved in seven days time. He instructed Satyavrata to build a giant ark, fill it up with the entire flora and fauna on the earth and meet him again at a designated time. The Saptarishis or Seven Eternal Sages were his only human companions. While the pious king was so doing, Vishnu was hunting in the oceans for the Veda stealer. Hayagriva had chosen the better part of valor and almost managed to elude Vishnu. However he was found out and the usual thunderous and bombastic combat so beloved of Sanskrit literature ensued, with Hayagriva being finally torn apart and the Vedas liberated. This colossal fish form of Vishnu then turned to the problem of the imminent dissolution of the universe.

The giant fish arrived at the spot glowing with a golden light, it was the only illumination available as darkness had fallen across the cosmos and the rain had begun, the torrents of water that would sweep away the tired old creation. For the entire night, which is the equivalent of one Cycle of Creation, Vishnu towed the boat, which was tied to a horn he had manifested on his head. During that night he is supposed to have instructed Satyavrata and the seven sages on all the knotty problems of existence that plague Man. Unfortunately the teaching was strictly esoteric and never communicated to the next Cycle of Creation. The basis of the Sankya Philosophy is supposed to have been communicated in that mother of all night classes and the Matsya Purana deals with some of the teachings that were deemed allowable for humans to hear.

That's is more or less the story though some texts, notably the Mahabharatha and the Satapa Brahmana have a few minor variations. They really do not take away from the basic idea. The bad guys lose and the universe is saved, Vishnu is back in heaven and all is well with the world.