Sridharaya namah

The fish addressed the king and said, “O King! I am short of space in this water-pot and hence find it difficult to survive here. Please find me another larger water body in which I can live comfortably. The king then released the fish in a well. Within one hour the fish grew by 3 cubits. It once again called the king and said,

“O King, I am not comfortable in this well. I have sought refuge under you. Hence please provide me with another suitable water body”.

Without uttering a word the king took the fish from the well and released it into a pond. As soon as the fish touched the waters of the pond, playfully it began to grow in size. In no time it covered the entire pond. It once again addressed the king and said,

“O King, water is critical for my existence. To wander freely I need ample space in the waters. This pond is inadequate. Please think of a way to save me. Please leave me in a pond in which water never dries up”.

Hearing these words the king transferred the fish into a large pond in which water never dries up. But in no time the fish grew proportionately in size to the large pond. The king then decided to leave the fish in the ocean. Addressing the king who was leaving it in the oceans, the fish said,

“O Valorous one! The ocean is filled with crocodiles, whales and other carnivorous aquatic animals which are bound to gobble me. Hence it is incorrect for a valorous king like you to throw me into the ocean”.

Addressing the fish which was baffling him with its sweet words, the king said,

Tam āha ko bhavān asmān matsya-rūpeṇa mohayan Who are you? In the form of a fish you are bewildering me. I have until now never seen an aquatic animal as mystifying and powerful as you. I have never even heard of such animal. In just a day you have expanded and covered an entire pond that is 100 Yojanas (800 miles) wide.

Nūnaṁ tvaṁ bhagavān sākṣād dharir nārāyaṇo ’vyayaḥ Anugrahāya bhūtānāṁ dhatse rūpaṁ jalaukasām

You are none other than the indestructible Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa. This is undoubtedly true. You have assumed the form of a fish solely to bless the living entities. O Supreme One! You are the Lord for the creation, sustenance and annihilation of the universe. I offer obeisance to You.

O Lord! We, your devotees, seek refuge in You. You are the Self. You are the sole refuge. All the transcendental deeds performed during Your incarnations are aimed at bringing the welfare of the living entities.

O Lord, I seek to know the purpose behind this incarnation as a fish. O Srihari, it is a waste to seek shelter under other rulers who consider the body and other non-Self objects as Self and who believe they are separate from You. Seeking shelter in Your lotus feet however can never be rendered fruitless. This is because You are the Self, who is most dear to all living entities. For this reason, You are showing to me this form of Yours, which is truly astonishing.

Srihari, who is the Lord of this entire universe, is very dear to his devotees. He, who has extreme feelings of love towards them, assumed the form of a fish to sport in the waters of dissolution. In order to bring joy to King Satyavrata, the Lord addressed Him and said,

“O conqueror of all inner enemies! O King! On the seventh day from today all the three worlds will be submerged in the waters of dissolution. At that moment a huge boat will be sent to you. You collect all types of herbs, plants and seeds and fill them into the boat. The seven great sages will be with you in this endeavour. All the living entities will enhance your greatness. You board the boat. In those fiery waters of dissolution not a streak of light will be visible. The radiance of the seven great sages will enable you to move without any fear. The ferocious gale winds in the journey will cause the boat to be tossed violently. I will appear at that spot.

Using serpent Vasuki as the rope tie that boat tightly to My horn. I shall pull that boat, in which you together with the seven great sages are seated, and sport in the waters of dissolution until Brahma’s night is over.

Seated in that boat when you will be delightfully enquiring from the seven great sages about Me, and when they authoritative declare My form, I shall explain to You in great detail about Me. With My blessing you will realize the Supreme Lord within your heart”.

Lord Srihari thus commanded King Satyavrata and vanished. The king now eagerly awaited the time specified by the Supreme Lord. The saintly king spread the darbha grass such that their ends were east facing. He sat on it facing north-eastern direction and meditated upon the lotus feet of the Lord who had incarnated as a fish.

The time specified by the Lord arrived. Fearful, huge dark clouds filled the skies completely. It began to rain incessantly. Even as the king was watching, the ocean crossed its boundaries and quickly began to inundate the land.

As the Lord was remembering the Lord’s order, he saw a boat approaching him. Satyavrata collected the herbs and the seeds. Together with the seven great sages he entered the boat. The saints who were pleased with him said, “O king, meditate upon Lord Srihari. Undoubtedly He will help us tide over this difficulty and will bless us with happiness”.

As suggested by the saints, King Satyavrata meditated upon the Lord. At that moment Srihari manifested in the ocean in the form of a huge golden fish that was 8 million miles (1 lakh yojas) long. This gigantic fish had a single horn. As previously commanded by the Lord, King Satyavrata used the snake Vasuki to tie the boat to the fish’s horn. He then prayed to the Supreme Lord as follows,

“The living entities in this world have lost their Self-knowledge and enveloped by ignorance are rotating in this repeated cycle of re-births due to which they are endlessly suffering. Unexpectedly, due to God’s will they surrender to You and realize You as their inner Self.

O Guru for all Gurus, please bless me with liberation. The ignorant human being binds himself due to his fruitive activities. He performs actions seeking happiness but ultimately ends up grieving. By serving Lord Srihari he is freed from this spiritual ignorance. Such Lord Srihari himself is our Guru”.

Govindaya namah