Matsya Avatara- 1st Avatar Of Lord Vishnu.

Matsya avatar is the first incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu incarnated in the form of a fish and asked a sage to collect all kinds of animals and when the earth was sinking in water, the Lord protected the boat of that sage in Matsya avatar. After this Brahma created life again. According to another belief, when a demon stole the Vedas and hide them in the bottomless depths of the ocean, Lord Vishnu took the form of a fish and get the Vedas and restored them.
Once, due to the carelessness of Brahma, a very big demon stole the Vedas. The name of that demon was 'Hayagriva'. Knowledge vanished due to the stealing of Vedas. The darkness of ignorance spread all around and sin and unrighteousness prevailed. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of a fish to protect Dharma and killed Hayagriva and protected the Vedas. How did the Lord take the form of a fish? Its astonishing story is as follows-
Before Kalpanta, a virtuous king was doing penance. The king's name was Satyavrat. Satyavrat was not only a virtuous soul, but he was also of a very generous heart. It was morning. Sunrise was over. Satyavrat was taking a bath in the Kritmala river. After taking a bath, when she took water in Anjali for tarpan, a small fish also came along with the water in Anjali. Satyavrat released the fish into the water of the river. The fish said- "Rajan! Big creatures of water kill and eat small creatures.
Surely some big creature will kill me and eat it. Please save my life." Pity arose in Satyavrat's heart. He put the fish in his kamandalu full of water. Only then a surprising incident happened. In one night, the body of the fish grew so much that Kamandalu stayed with him. On the second day the fish said to Satyavrat - "Rajan! Find some other place for me to live, because my body has grown.
I find it very difficult to move around." Satyavrat took the fish out of the kamandalu and placed it in a pot filled with water. Here too the body of the fish grew so much in the pot overnight that even the pot became too small for him to live in. On the second day the fish again spoke to Satyavrat - "Rajan! Make arrangements for my stay elsewhere, because even the matka is getting too small for me to stay.

Then Satyavrat took out the fish and put it in a lake, but the lake also became too small for the fish. After this Satyavrat threw the fish into the river and then into the sea. Wonder! Even in the sea, the body of the fish grew so much that it became too small for the fish to live in. So the fish again spoke to Satyavrat - "Rajan! This sea is also not suitable for me to live. Make arrangements for my stay elsewhere.
Now Satyavrat was astonished. He had never seen such a fish till date. He said in amazement- "Who are you to drown my intellect in the ocean of astonishment? Keeping in view the speed with which your body grows every day, it can be said without any doubt that you are definitely God." If this is true, then please tell me why you have assumed the form of a fish?" In fact, he was Lord Srihari.

Sri Hari, who is in the form of a fish, replied - "Rajan! A demon named Hayagriva has stolen the Vedas. The darkness of ignorance and unrighteousness is spread all around in the world. I have taken the form of a fish to kill Hayagriva. Seventh from today." One day the earth will return to the cycle of catastrophe. The sea will rise. There will be terrible rain. The whole earth will be submerged in water. Nothing will be visible except water.
A boat will reach you. You will take the seeds of all the grains and medicines and sit on the boat with the seven sages. I will see you again at that very moment and will give you the knowledge of the Self." Satyavrat, remembering Hari, waited for the Holocaust. On the seventh day, the scene of the Holocaust appeared.
It started raining terrible. In a short time, the whole earth became water. The whole earth was covered in water. At that moment a boat appeared. Satyavrat sat on that boat with the seven sages. He also filled the seeds of whole grains and medicines on top of the boat.
The boat started floating in the ocean of catastrophe. Nothing was visible anywhere except that boat in that ocean of cataclysm. Suddenly the god of fish appeared in the ocean of catastrophe. Satyavrat and Sapta Rishi Gana started praying to God in the form of Matsya - "O Lord! You are the beginning of the universe, You are the guardian and You are the protector.
 Please take us under your shelter, protect us." On the prayer of Satyavrata and the Sapta Rishis, the Lord in the form of a fish was pleased. According to his word, he gave enlightenment to Satyavrat. He said- "I reside in all beings. There is neither high nor low. All beings are equal.
The world is mortal. There is nothing in the mortal world except me. The living being who spends his life seeing Me in everyone, finally finds himself in Me.Satyavrata's life became blessed after receiving self-knowledge from God in the form of a fish. Life became free as soon as he lived. When the wrath of the holocaust subsided, the Lord of the fish killed Hayagriva and snatched the Vedas from him. The Lord again gave the Vedas to Brahma. In this way, by taking the form of a fish, God not only saved the Vedas, but also did immense welfare to the creatures of the world. Similarly, God incarnates from time to time and blesses the gentlemen and sadhus.