Matsya Avatar

MATSYA AVATAR: Matsya Avatar is the first incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the form of a fish. The Matsya Purana and the Bhagavata tell the story of how Manu performed severe austerities seeking a boat which could ferry all the living beings to safety during the deluge of final dissolution (pralaya). Lord Vishnu manifested himself in the form of a fish which carried all the living beings to safety. Iconographically the form of Matsya is to be depicted as the lower part of the body being a fish and the upper part as a human being. The human being should have four arms carrying the conch and discus.

This print by the Ravi Varma Press derived from a painting by Raja Ravi Varma follows the description as stated in the scripture with the addition of Vishnu carrying babies in his arms. These babies are symbolic of the life forms or the four vedas which Vishnu saves in the Matsya Avatar.