SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 8

(1) The honorable king said: 'O powerful one, I would like to hear the story about that first incarnation of the Lord so wonderful in His deeds in which He is simply understood by the illusory form of a fish [or Matsya, see also 2.7: 12, 5.18: 24-28 and 6.9: 23]. (2-3) For what purpose accepted the Controller the form of a fish, a form that is certainly not the most favorable one in the world; to operate in that slow mode of matter must be as hard as the life of someone under the laws of karma! O mighty sage, please tell us as good as you can everything about the ways of Lord Uttamas'loka ['the One glorified'], for to hear about Him is what makes the whole world happy [B.G. 4: 7].'

(4) S'rî Sûta Gosvâmî said: "Thus being questioned by Vishnurâta ['Vishnu-sent'] told the so mighty son of Vyâsadeva him everything there was to know about the deeds of Vishnu in the form of a fish. (5) S'rî S'uka said: 'For the cows, the brahmins, the enlightened, the devotees and even the vedic literatures accepts the Supreme Controller in His incarnations forms to safeguard the dharma and the purpose of life. (6) Lower or higher among the living entities is the Controller [Himself], just like the air moving here and there, not higher or lower with the forms He assumes; willing by the modes He is beyond the modes. (7) In the past day of Brahmâ [kalpa], at its end was there consequently an inundation and were all the worlds existing submerged in the ocean, o King. (8) At the time wanted Brahmâ to lie down feeling sleepy and emanated from his mouth most powerfully the vedic knowledge that by Hayagrîva who happened to be nearby was seized [see 2.7: 11 and 5.18: 6]. (9) Understanding that dânava course of action of Hayagrîva assumed the Supreme Lord Hari, the Controller, the form of a fish. (1o) When that took place was there some saintly king named Satyavrata, a great personality and devotee of Lord Nârâyana, who in his penances was of the austerity of only subsisting on water. (11) In the present great day of Brahmâ was he someone who, as a son of the sungod, became known by the name of S'râddhadeva and by Lord Hari was entrusted the position of Manu [see 6.6: 40 and 8.13: 1].

(12) When he one day sat at the Kritamâlâ river, performing oblations of water, manifested in his palm full of water some kind of a small fish itself. (13) Satyavrata, the master of Dravidades'a, o son of Bharata, threw the little fish with the handful of water into the river. (14) Appealing to the greatly compassionate King said it: 'The riverwater is very scary, o protector of the poor, why do you throw Me, small as I am, before the avaricious aquatics, o King?'

(15) Very pleased to show it his personal favor decided he, not knowing that he held the form of Matsya, to offer the fish protection. (16) The great ruler hearing its pitiable words mercifully put it in the water of a jug and took it home. (17) But expanding in the water of that pot could it one day not find itself comfortable anymore and said it thus to the great leader: (18) 'In this jug I have it difficult, I cannot live in a place like this, please consider a more spacious residence where I can live with pleasure.'

(19) He then took it out and placed it in a large well, but thrown in there grew it within a second out to the length of three cubits [2.10 meters]. (20) [It said:] 'This tank isn't suitable for Me to live happily in, please give Me, who took to your shelter, a place much bigger!'

(21) The king removing it from there threw it, o King, in a lake that was immediately covered by its body when He instantly grew out into a gigantic fish. (22) 'This water you put Me in does not accommodate Me, o King, I'm a large aquatic, better put Me somehow in an expanse of water that suits Me more permanently'.

(23) Thus requested brought he Matsya to bigger and bigger reservoirs until he finally threw the giant into the ocean. (24) Thrown there it said to the king: 'In this place there are dangerous aquatics that all too powerful will eat Me, o hero, therefore you shouldn't throw Me in here!'

(25) Thus perplexed by the fish addressing him with sweet words said he: 'Who are You in this fish-form bewildering us? (26) I've never seen or heard of such an energetic aquatic like You are: Your Lordship has in a day expanded to hundreds of miles! (27) You having assumed the form of a marine animal, must be the Supreme Lord in person, the inexhaustible Lord Nârâyana present here to show Your mercy to all living entities. (28) I offer You, the Most Excellent Personality of Maintenance, Creation and Destruction my obeisances; unto surrendered devotees like us are You indeed the Supreme Master, the Highest Destination, o Almighty One. (29) Everything You do in Your incarnations is the cause of the welfare of all living beings; I'd like to know for what purpose Your Lordship has assumed this form. (30) Never can the worship of the lotus feet of You, Lotuspetal-eyed One, run futile: You are the friend, the dearmost, the original soul namely of everyone, of all divinities differently embodied and spiritually fixed and before our very eyes have You now manifested that so very wonderful body.'

(31) S'rî S'uka said: 'Speaking there thus was that master of man, Satyavrata, addressed by the Master of the Universe, the Lord who as the one love of the devotees at the end of the yuga, for the sake of enjoying His pastimes, in the water of the great flood had assumed the form of a fish. (32) The Supreme Lord said: 'From the seventh day from today onward will, o subduer of the enemies, this threefold creation of earth, ether and heaven be flooded by the all-devouring ocean. (33) When the three worlds are submerged in the waters of annihilation, can you at that time count on the appearance of a very big boat by Me sent to you. (34-35) To prepare for that time please with the [wisdom of the] seven sages collect all higher and lower kinds of herbs and seeds and surround yourself with all kinds of beings getting on that huge boat to travel undaunted the ocean of the flood with no other illumination but the effulgence of the rishis. (36) Attach with the great serpent [Vâsuki] that boat, being tossed about by the very powerful wind, to My horn, for I will be near you. (37) I will drag you, together with the sages on the boat, along over the waters throughout the night of Brahmâ, my best one. (38) By my support and counsel will in your heart in full the knowledge be revealed of My glory that is known as the Supreme Brahman [see also B.G. 5: 16, 10: 11].'

(39) After instructing the king thus disappeared the Lord from there. The king then awaited the time that the Master of the Senses spoke to him about. (40) Spreading kus'a grass with its tips to the east sat the saintly king facing northwards to meditate upon the feet of the Lord who had appeared in the form of a fish. (41) With huge incessantly showering clouds in the sky saw he how next the ocean overflowed on all sides and therewith more and more inundated the earth. (42) Remembering what the Lord had said saw he a boat coming near which he, taking the herbs and creepers with him, boarded with the learned of rule. (43) The wise very pleased said to him: 'O King meditate upon Kes'ava ['the Lord with the black curls'] for He is the one who will save us from the impending danger and will set things right.'

(44) He being meditated by the king thereafter appeared in the great ocean as a countless yojanas big golden fish with one horn. (45) Pleased to fasten the boat onto that horn using the great serpent for a rope the way the Lord before had advised, satisfied he the Killer of Madhu. (46) The king said: 'From time immemorial has ignorance about the knowledge of the soul been the root cause of the material bondage that is accompanied by so much suffering and hardship; with the grace of God can, supported by the teacher of example, in liberation [in devotional service, see 7.5: 23-24] He, our Supreme Lord and Spiritual Master, be attained. (47) The one born, unwise accepts as a result of his karma different bodies in his desire to be happy [see 4.29 and B.G. 4: 5, 6: 45 and 16: 20], but his profit-minded plans bring him only grief; by rendering service is that matter cleared up and is with Him, our guru in the core of the heart, the hard knot of the mind of untruth cut. (48) By that service is, just like a piece of ore in touch with fire is purified, a person able to give up all the impurity that he has out of ignorance and can he revive his original identity [vocation or varna]; let Him, who in that sense is the One Inexhaustible, be our Supreme Controller, the Guru of Gurus.

(49) Others together or individually or even the demigods and the gurus cannot even match one ten-thousandth of Your grace; let me surrender unto Him, the Controller, unto You, that shelter. (50) The way someone blind accepts the lead of a blind man does one similarly unwise take a person lacking in knowledge for a guru; Your Lordship appearing like the sun as the seer of all that can be seen are accepted as the guru of us, I, the enlightened person who knows his destination. (51) By what a common man instructs an ordinary person is he of surrender to the impermanent as the goal of life and to an ignorance that cannot be overcome, but by the eternal uncontaminated knowledge of You achieves a person very soon his constitutional position. (52) You are of all worlds the dearmost well-wisher, the controller, original soul and spiritual master, the spiritual knowledge, the fulfillment of all desires and the One situated in the heart who by people caught in greed that are of a dim intelligence cannot be known. (53) May by my surrendering to the exalted One that You are, the Greatest of All worshiped by the gods, the Supreme Controller for understanding the real purpose of life; by the light of Your meaningful words of instruction, the knots fixed in the heart be cut through, o Supreme Lord, please tell me where I belong [see also B.G. 4: 34].'

(54) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being addressed explained the Supreme Lord, the Original Person who had assumed the form of Matsya, unto the king the Absolute Truth as they were moving in the great ocean. (55) Thus got the holy king Satyavrata acquainted with the old stories, the Purânas; the vedic instructions, the Samhitâs; the transcendental, the divya; the analytic, the sânkhya; the linking of oneself to the divine with a unified [Krishna- or natural] consciousness, the yoga; the practical of living it, the kriya; and all the mysteries of selfrealization in all its forms. (56) Sitting in the boat with the sages, heard he thus about the traditional lore of the science of selfrealization the way it, beyond doubt, was explained by the Supreme Lord. (57) When the last inundation had ended handed the Lord over to Brahmâ, in order to reawaken him, all the vedic records after having put an end to the darkness caused by Hayagrîva. (58) King Satyavrata enlightened in the spiritual knowledge and its practical wisdom became in this period indeed Vaivasvata Manu by the mercy of Lord Vishnu.

(59) When someone hears the description of this great story of Satyavrata the saintly king and the Matsya incarnation with the one horn, is he delivered from all reactions to sin. (60) Whomever glorifies daily the incarnation of the Lord will have success in all his endeavors and will return home, back to Godhead. (61) I offer my obeisances unto Him the Cause of All Causes, who posing as a great fish, for Satyavrata's sake explained the vedic knowledge and put an end to the daitya darkness in giving back the vedic records that were stolen from the mouths of Lord Brahmâ who lay deep asleep in the waters of the flood.'

The honorable king said: 'O powerful one, I would like to hear the story about that first incarnation of the Lord so wonderful in His deeds in which He is simply understood by the illusory form of a fish [or Matsya, see also 2.7: 12, 5.18: 24-28 and 6.9: 23].

Mahârâja Parîkshit said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is eternally situated in His transcendental position, yet He descends to this material world and manifests Himself in various incarnations. His first incarnation was that of a great fish. O most powerful S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, I wish to hear from you the pastimes of that fish incarnation. (Vedabase)

Text 2-3:

For what purpose accepted the Controller the form of a fish, a form that is certainly not the most favorable one in the world; to operate in that slow mode of matter must be as hard as the life of someone under the laws of karma! O mighty sage, please tell us as good as you can everything about the ways of Lord Uttamas'loka ['the One glorified'], for to hear about Him is what makes the whole world happy [B.G. 4: 7].'

What was the purpose for which the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepted the abominable form of a fish, exactly as an ordinary living being accepts different forms under the laws of karma? The form of a fish is certainly condemned and full of terrible pain. O my lord, what was the purpose of this incarnation? Kindly explain this to us, for hearing about the pastimes of the Lord is auspicious for everyone. (Vedabase)

Text 4

S'rî Sûta Gosvâmî said: "Thus being questioned by Vishnurâta ['Vishnu-sent'] told the so mighty son of Vyâsadeva him everything there was to know about the deeds of Vishnu in the form of a fish.

Suta Gosvâmî said: When Parîkshit Mahârâja thus inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, that most powerful saintly person began describing the pastimes of the Lord's incarnation as a fish. (Vedabase)

Text 5

S'rî S'uka said: 'For the cows, the brahmins, the enlightened, the devotees and even the vedic literatures accepts the Supreme Controller in His incarnations forms to safeguard the dharma and the purpose of life.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O King, for the sake of protecting the cows, brâhmanas, demigods, devotees, the Vedic literature, religious principles, and principles to fulfill the purpose of life, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts the forms of incarnations. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Lower or higher among the living entities is the Controller [Himself], just like the air moving here and there, not higher or lower with the forms He assumes; willing by the modes He is beyond the modes.

Like the air passing through different types of atmosphere, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing sometimes as a human being and sometimes as a lower animal, is always transcendental. Because He is above the material modes of nature, He is unaffected by higher and lower forms. (Vedabase)

Text 7

In the past day of Brahmâ [kalpa], at its end was there consequently an inundation and were all the worlds existing submerged in the ocean, o King.

O King Parîkshit, at the end of the past millennium, at the end of Brahmâ's day, because Lord Brahmâ sleeps during the night, annihilation took place, and the three worlds were covered by the water of the ocean. (Vedabase)

Text 8

At the time wanted Brahmâ to lie down feeling sleepy and emanated from his mouth most powerfully the vedic knowledge that by Hayagrîva who happened to be nearby was seized [see 2.7: 11 and 5.18: 6].

At the end of Brahmâ's day, when Brahmâ felt sleepy and desired to lie down, the Vedas were emanating from his mouth, and the great demon named Hayagrîva stole the Vedic knowledge. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Understanding that dânava course of action of Hayagrîva assumed the Supreme Lord Hari, the Controller, the form of a fish.

Understanding the acts of the great demon Hayagrîva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who is full of all opulences, assumed the form of a fish and saved the Vedas by killing the demon. (Vedabase)

Text 10

When that took place was there some saintly king named Satyavrata, a great personality and devotee of Lord Nârâyana, who in his penances was of the austerity of only subsisting on water.

During the Câkshusha-manvantara there was a great king named Satyavrata who was a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Satyavrata performed austerities by subsisting only on water. (Vedabase)

Text 11

In the present great day of Brahmâ was he someone who, as a son of the sungod, became known by the name of S'râddhadeva and by Lord Hari was entrusted the position of Manu [see 6.6: 40 and 8.13: 1].

In this [the present] millennium King Satyavrata later became the son of Vivasvân, the king of the sun planet, and was known as S'râddhadeva. By the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he was given the post of Manu. (Vedabase)

Text 12

When he one day sat at the Kritamâlâ river, performing oblations of water, manifested in his palm full of water some kind of a small fish itself.

One day while King Satyavrata was performing austerities by offering water on the bank of the River Kritamâlâ, a small fish appeared in the water in his palms. (Vedabase)

Text 13

Satyavrata, the master of Dravidades'a, o son of Bharata, threw the little fish with the handful of water into the river.

Satyavrata, the King of Dravidades'a, threw the fish into the water of the river along with the water in his palm, O King Parîkshit, descendant of Bharata. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Appealing to the greatly compassionate King said it: 'The riverwater is very scary, o protector of the poor, why do you throw Me, small as I am, before the avaricious aquatics, o King?'

With an appealing voice, the poor small fish said to King Satyavrata, who was very merciful: My dear King, protector of the poor, why are you throwing Me in the water of the river, where there are other aquatics who can kill Me? I am very much afraid of them. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Very pleased to show it his personal favor decided he, not knowing that he held the form of Matsya, to offer the fish protection.

To please himself, King Satyavrata, not knowing that the fish was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, decided with great pleasure to give the fish protection. (Vedabase)

Text 16

The great ruler hearing its pitiable words mercifully put it in the water of a jug and took it home.

The merciful King, being moved by the pitiable words of the fish, placed the fish in a water jug and brought Him to his own residence. (Vedabase)

Text 17

But expanding in the water of that pot could it one day not find itself comfortable anymore and said it thus to the great leader:

But in one night that fish grew so much that He could not move His body comfortably in the water of the pot. He then spoke to the King as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

In this jug I have it difficult, I cannot live in a place like this, please consider a more spacious residence where I can live with pleasure.

O My dear King, I do not like living in this waterpot with such great difficulty. Therefore, please find some better reservoir of water where I can live comfortably. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

He then took it out and placed it in a large well, but thrown in there grew it within a second out to the length of three cubits [2.10 meters].

Then, taking the fish out of the waterpot, the King threw Him in a large well. But within a moment the fish developed to the length of three cubits. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

[It said:] 'This tank isn't suitable for Me to live happily in, please give Me, who took to your shelter, a place much bigger!'

The fish then said: My dear King, this reservoir of water is not fit for My happy residence. Please give Me a more extensive pool of water, for I have taken shelter of you. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

The king removing it from there threw it, o King, in a lake that was immediately covered by its body when He instantly grew out into a gigantic fish.

O Mahârâja Parîkshit, the King took the fish from the well and threw Him in a lake, but the fish then assumed a gigantic form exceeding the extent of the water. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

'This water you put me in does not accommodate Me, o King, I'm a large aquatic, better put Me somehow in an expanse of water that suits Me more permanently.

The fish then said: O King, I am a large aquatic, and this water is not at all suitable for Me. Now kindly find some way to save Me. It would be better to put Me in the water of a lake that will never reduce. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

Thus requested brought he Matsya to bigger and bigger reservoirs until he finally threw the giant into the ocean.

When thus requested, King Satyavrata took the fish to the largest reservoir of water. But when that also proved insufficient, the King at last threw the gigantic fish into the ocean. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

Thrown there it said to the king: 'In this place there are dangerous aquatics that all too powerful will eat Me, o hero, therefore you shouldn't throw Me in here!

While being thrown in the ocean, the fish said to King Satyavrata: O hero, in this water there are very powerful and dangerous sharks that will eat Me. Therefore you should not throw Me in this place. (Vedabase)

Text 25:

Thus perplexed by the fish addressing him with sweet words said he: 'Who are You in this fish-form bewildering us?

After hearing these sweet words from the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a fish, the King, being bewildered, asked Him: Who are You, sir? You simply bewilder us. (Vedabase)

Text 26:

I've never seen or heard of such an energetic aquatic like You are: Your Lordship has in a day expanded to hundreds of miles!

My Lord, in one day You have expanded Yourself for hundreds of miles, covering the water of the river and the ocean. Before this I had never seen or heard of such an aquatic animal. (Vedabase)

Text 27:

You having assumed the form of a marine animal, must be the Supreme Lord in person, the inexhaustible Lord Nârâyana present here to show Your mercy to all living entities.

My Lord, in one day You have expanded Yourself for hundreds of miles, covering the water of the river and the ocean. Before this I had never seen or heard of such an aquatic animal. (Vedabase)

Text 28:

I offer You, the Most Excellent Personality of Maintenance, Creation and Destruction my obeisances; unto surrendered devotees like us are You indeed the Supreme Master, the Highest Destination, o Almighty One.

O my Lord, master of creation, maintenance and annihilation, O best of enjoyers, Lord Vishnu, You are the leader and destination of surrendered devotees like us. Therefore let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You. (Vedabase)

Text 29:

Everything You do in Your incarnations is the cause of the welfare of all living beings; I'd like to know for what purpose Your Lordship has assumed this form.

All Your pastimes and incarnations certainly appear for the welfare of all living entities. Therefore, my Lord, I wish to know the purpose for which You have assumed this form of a fish. (Vedabase)

Text 30:

Never can the worship of the lotus feet of You, Lotuspetal-eyed One, run futile: You are the friend, the dearmost, the original soul namely of everyone, of all divinities differently embodied and spiritually fixed and before our very eyes have You now manifested that so very wonderful body.'

O my Lord, possessing eyes like the petals of a lotus, the worship of the demigods, who are in the bodily concept of life, is fruitless in all respects. But because You are the supreme friend and dearmost Supersoul of everyone, worship of Your lotus feet is never useless. You have therefore manifested Your form as a fish. (Vedabase)

Text 31:

S'rî S'uka said: 'Speaking there thus was that master of man, Satyavrata, addressed by the Master of the Universe, the Lord who as the one love of the devotees at the end of the yuga, for the sake of enjoying His pastimes, in the water of the great flood had assumed the form of a fish.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: When King Satyavrata spoke in this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who at the end of the yuga had assumed the form of a fish to benefit His devotee and enjoy His pastimes in the water of inundation, responded as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 32:

The Supreme Lord said: 'From the seventh day from today onward will, o subduer of the enemies, this threefold creation of earth, ether and heaven be flooded by the all-devouring ocean.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O King, who can subdue your enemies, on the seventh day from today the three worlds - Bhûh, Bhuvah and Svah - will all merge into the water of inundation. (Vedabase)

Text 33:

When the three worlds are submerged in the waters of annihilation, can you at that time count on the appearance of a very big boat by Me sent to you.

When all the three worlds merge into the water, a large boat sent by Me will appear before you. (Vedabase)

Text 34-35:

To prepare for that time please with the [wisdom of the] seven sages collect all higher and lower kinds of herbs and seeds and surround yourself with all kinds of beings getting on that huge boat to travel undaunted the ocean of the flood with no other illumination but the effulgence of the rishis.

Thereafter, O King, you shall collect all types of herbs and seeds and load them on that great boat. Then, accompanied by the seven rishis and surrounded by all kinds of living entities, you shall get aboard that boat, and without moroseness you shall easily travel with your companions on the ocean of inundation, the only illumination being the effulgence of the great rishis. (Vedabase)

Text 36:

Attach with the great serpent [Vâsuki] that boat, being tossed about by the very powerful wind, to My horn, for I will be near you.

Then, as the boat is tossed about by the powerful winds, attach the vessel to My horn by means of the great serpent Vâsuki, for I shall be present by your side. (Vedabase)

Text 37:

I will drag you, together with the sages on the boat, along over the waters throughout the night of Brahmâ, my best one.

Pulling the boat, with you and all the rishis in it, O King, I shall travel in the water of devastation until the night of Lord Brahmâ's slumber is over. (Vedabase)

Text 38:

By my support and counsel will in your heart in full the knowledge be revealed of My glory that is known as the Supreme Brahman [see also B.G. 5: 16, 10: 11].'

You will be thoroughly advised and favored by Me, and because of your inquiries, everything about My glories, which are known as param brahma, will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about Me. (Vedabase)

Text 39:

After instructing the king thus disappeared the Lord from there. The king then awaited the time that the Master of the Senses spoke to him about.

After thus instructing the King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead immediately disappeared. Then King Satyavrata began to wait for that time of which the Lord had instructed. (Vedabase)

Text 40:

Spreading kus'a grass with its tips to the east sat the saintly king facing northwards to meditate upon the feet of the Lord who had appeared in the form of a fish.

After thus instructing the King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead immediately disappeared. Then King Satyavrata began to wait for that time of which the Lord had instructed. (Vedabase)

Text 41:

With huge incessantly showering clouds in the sky saw he how next the ocean overflowed on all sides and therewith more and more inundated the earth.

Thereafter, gigantic clouds pouring incessant water swelled the ocean more and more. Thus the ocean began to overflow onto the land and inundate the entire world. (Vedabase)

Text 42:

Remembering what the Lord had said saw he a boat coming near which he, taking the herbs and creepers with him, boarded with the learned of rule.

As Satyavrata remembered the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he saw a boat coming near him. Thus he collected herbs and creepers, and, accompanied by saintly brâhmanas, he got aboard the boat. (Vedabase)

Text 43:

The wise very pleased said to him: 'O King meditate upon Kes'ava ['the Lord with the black curls'] for He is the one who will save us from the impending danger and will set things right.

The saintly brâhmanas, being pleased with the King, said to him: O King, please meditate upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kes'ava. He will save us from this impending danger and arrange for our well-being. (Vedabase)

Text 44:

He being meditated by the king thereafter appeared in the great ocean as a countless yojanas big golden fish with one horn.

Then, while the King constantly meditated upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a large golden fish appeared in the ocean of inundation. The fish had one horn and was eight million miles long. (Vedabase)

Text 45:

Pleased to fasten the boat onto that horn using the great serpent for a rope the way the Lord before had advised, satisfied he the Killer of Madhu.

Following the instructions formerly given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the King anchored the boat to the fish's horn, using the serpent Vâsuki as a rope. Thus being satisfied, he began offering prayers to the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 46:

The king said: 'From time immemorial has ignorance about the knowledge of the soul been the root cause of the material bondage that is accompanied by so much suffering and hardship; with the grace of God can, supported by the teacher of example, in liberation [in devotional service, see 7.5: 23-24] He, our Supreme Lord and Spiritual Master, be attained.

The King said: By the grace of the Lord, those who have lost their self-knowledge since time immemorial, and who because of this ignorance are involved in a material, conditional life full of miseries, obtain the chance to meet the Lord's devotee. I accept that Supreme Personality of Godhead as the supreme spiritual master. (Vedabase)

Text 47:

The one born, unwise accepts as a result of his karma different bodies in his desire to be happy [see 4.29 and B.G. 4: 5, 6: 45 and 16: 20], but his profit-minded plans bring him only grief; by rendering service is that matter cleared up and is with Him, our guru in the core of the heart, the hard knot of the mind of untruth cut.

In hopes of becoming happy in this material world, the foolish conditioned soul performs fruitive activities that result only in suffering. But by rendering service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from such false desires for happiness. May my supreme spiritual master cut the knot of false desires from the core of my heart. (Vedabase)

Text 48:

By that service is, just like a piece of ore in touch with fire is purified, a person able to give up all the impurity that he has out of ignorance and can he revive his original identity [vocation or varna]; let Him, who in that sense is the One Inexhaustible, be our Supreme Controller, the Guru of Gurus.

One who wants to be free of material entanglement should take to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give up the contamination of ignorance, involving pious and impious activities. Thus one regains his original identity, just as a block of gold or silver sheds all dirt and becomes purified when treated with fire. May that inexhaustible Supreme Personality of Godhead become our spiritual master, for He is the original spiritual master of all other spiritual masters. (Vedabase)

Text 49:

Others together or individually or even the demigods and the gurus cannot even match one ten-thousandth of Your grace; let me surrender unto Him, the Controller, unto You, that shelter.

Neither all the demigods, nor the so-called gurus nor all other people, either independently or together, can offer mercy that equals even one ten-thousandth of Yours. Therefore I wish to take shelter of Your lotus feet. (Vedabase)

Text 50:

The way someone blind accepts the lead of a blind man does one similarly unwise take a person lacking in knowledge for a guru; Your Lordship appearing like the sun as the seer of all that can be seen are accepted as the guru of us, I, the enlightened person who knows his destination.

As a blind man, being unable to see, accepts another blind man as his leader, people who do not know the goal of life accept someone as a guru who is a rascal and a fool. But we are interested in self-realization. Therefore we accept You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as our spiritual master, for You are able to see in all directions and are omniscient like the sun. (Vedabase)

Text 51:

By what a common man instructs an ordinary person is he of surrender to the impermanent as the goal of life and to an ignorance that cannot be overcome, but by the eternal uncontaminated knowledge of You achieves a person very soon his constitutional position.

A materialistic so-called guru instructs his materialistic disciples about economic development and sense gratification, and because of such instructions the foolish disciples continue in the materialistic existence of ignorance. But Your Lordship gives knowledge that is eternal, and the intelligent person receiving such knowledge is quickly situated in his original constitutional position. (Vedabase)

Text 52:

You are of all worlds the dearmost well-wisher, the controller, original soul and spiritual master, the spiritual knowledge, the fulfillment of all desires and the One situated in the heart who by people caught in greed that are of a dim intelligence cannot be known.

My Lord, You are the supreme well-wishing friend of everyone, the dearmost friend, the controller, the Supersoul, the supreme instructor and the giver of supreme knowledge and the fulfillment of all desires. But although You are within the heart, the foolish, because of lusty desires in the heart, cannot understand You. (Vedabase)

Text 53:

May by my surrendering to the exalted One that You are, the Greatest of All worshiped by the gods, the Supreme Controller for understanding the real purpose of life; by the light of Your meaningful words of instruction, the knots fixed in the heart be cut through, o Supreme Lord, please tell me where I belong [see also B.G. 4: 34].'

O Supreme Lord, for self-realization I surrender unto You, who are worshiped by the demigods as the supreme controller of everything. By Your instructions, exposing life's purpose, kindly cut the knot from the core of my heart and let me know the destination of my life. (Vedabase)

Text 54:

S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being addressed explained the Supreme Lord, the Original Person who had assumed the form of Matsya, unto the king the Absolute Truth as they were moving in the great ocean.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: When Satyavrata had thus prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had assumed the form of a fish, the Lord, while moving in the water of inundation, explained to him the Absolute Truth. (Vedabase)

Text 55:

Thus got the holy king Satyavrata acquainted with the old stories, the Purânas; the vedic instructions, the Samhitâs; the transcendental, the divya; the analytic, the sânkhya; the linking of oneself to the divine with a unified [Krishna- or natural] consciousness, the yoga; the practical of living it, the kriya; and all the mysteries of selfrealization in all its forms.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead thus explained to King Satyavrata the spiritual science known as sânkhya-yoga, the science by which one distinguishes between matter and spirit [in other words, bhakti-yoga], along with the instructions contained in the Purânas [the old histories] and the samhitâs. The Lord explained Himself in all these literatures. (Vedabase)

Text 56:

Sitting in the boat with the sages, heard he thus about the traditional lore of the science of selfrealization the way it, beyond doubt, was explained by the Supreme Lord.

While sitting in the boat, King Satyavrata, accompanied by the great saintly persons, listened to the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in regard to self-realization. These instructions were all from the eternal Vedic literature [brahma]. Thus the King and sages had no doubt about the Absolute Truth. (Vedabase)

Text 57:

When the last inundation had ended handed the Lord over to Brahmâ, in order to reawaken him, all the vedic records after having put an end to the darkness caused by Hayagrîva.

At the end of the last inundation [during the period of Svâyambhuva Manu] the Supreme Personality of Godhead killed the demon named Hayagrîva and delivered all the Vedic literatures to Lord Brahmâ when Lord Brahmâ awakened from sleeping. (Vedabase)

Text 58:

King Satyavrata enlightened in the spiritual knowledge and its practical wisdom became in this period indeed Vaivasvata Manu by the mercy of Lord Vishnu.

King Satyavrata was illuminated with all Vedic knowledge by the mercy of Lord Vishnu, and in this period he has now taken birth as Vaivasvata Manu, the son of the sun-god. (Vedabase)

Text 59:

When someone hears the description of this great story of Satyavrata the saintly king and the Matsya incarnation with the one horn, is he delivered from all reactions to sin.

This story concerning the great King Satyavrata and the fish incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, is a great transcendental narration. Anyone who hears it is delivered from the reactions of sinful life. (Vedabase)

Text 60:

Whomever glorifies daily the incarnation of the Lord will have success in all his endeavors and will return home, back to Godhead.

One who narrates this description of the Matsya incarnation and King Satyavrata will certainly have all his ambitions fulfilled, and he will undoubtedly return home, back to Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 61:

I offer my obeisances unto Him the Cause of All Causes, who posing as a great fish, for Satyavrata's sake explained the vedic knowledge and put an end to the daitya darkness in giving back the vedic records that were stolen from the mouths of Lord Brahmâ who lay deep asleep in the waters of the flood.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who pretended to be a gigantic fish, who restored the Vedic literature to Lord Brahmâ when Lord Brahmâ awakened from sleep, and who explained the essence of Vedic literature to King Satyavrata and the great saintly persons. (Vedabase)