Matsya Jayanti: Celebrating the Primordial Avatar of Lord Vishnu

Hindu mythology says that there have been 4 Yugas: Kal Yuga, Dwapar Yuga, Treta Yuga and Sat Yuga. Lord Brahma, the creator of every Yuga, is believed to go for a sleep till the creation of the next Yuga. And Lord Vishnu, the preserver and the saviour of this Universe, is considered to take different forms (Avatars) to protect the earth. Till now, he has taken a total of 10 incarnations to protect his people. Lord Matsya (literally meaning fish) is considered the very first incarnation of Lord Vishnu during Sat Yuga. His Matsya Avatar is a one-horned gigantic fish that appeared during Mahapralaya. Hence every year "Matsya Jayanti", the birth anniversary of Lord Matsya, is celebrated on the 3rd day of Shukla Paksha during Chaitra month according to traditional Hindu calendar. As per Gregorian calendar, it lies in either March or April. This year, it is on '11th April ’24.'

As per “Drik Panchang”, the “tithi” for “Matsya Jayanti” in the year 2024 is as follows:

Matsya Jayanti on Thursday, April 11, 2024

• Tritiya Tithi Begins - 05:32 PM on Apr 10, 2024
• Tritiya Tithi Ends - 03:03 PM on Apr 11, 2024

Matsya Jayanti falls between Chaitra Navratri and Gangaur festivities. For Hindus, this holy festival holds an immense importance. On this day, Lord Vishnu is worshipped in his Matsya Avatar as a four-armed idol with the upper torso of a human and the lower of a fish and the Sudarshan Chakra is in ready for release posture.

As per “Drik Panchang”,

• Matsya Jayanti Muhurat - 01:39 PM to 04:12 PM
• Duration - 02 Hours 33 Mins

Many devotees observe a nirjala vrat till the next day at sunrise. 'Parana' (breaking of fast) is done only after offering prayers to Lord Vishnu. Many people stay vigil the whole night & chant Vedic mantras. 'Matsya Purana' & 'Vishnu Sahasranama' are also recited at many places.

There has been a great legend behind Matsya Avatar of Lord Vishnu:

In Sat Yuga, there was a pious king named Manu or Satyavrata. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu & wished to witness him directly once in his life. When Sat Yuga was at its end, a demon named Hayagriva conspired to take away all the Vedas and have all the sacred knowledge. He hid himself in an ocean. When Lord Brahma got to know about it, he asked Lord Vishnu for the preservation of those Vedas. Ultimately Lord Vishnu took his Matsya Avatar & rescued the holy Vedas from Hayagriva.

One day, King Manu went to Krithamala river for his morning rituals. As he took some water in his palms, a fish came with the water in his hands. Being a kind and generous person, he placed that fish again in the water. But the fish emerged again & asked a shelter from the King to stay safe from the big fishes. On hearing this, King Manu took the fish and placed it into a vessel. As the fish kept on growing big, he also kept on changing its living place from a vessel to a well to a river. Now the fish became so huge that the King had to pour it into the ocean. After a while, the fish became bigger and even the ocean couldn't bear it. Then Lord Vishnu appeared in Matsya Avatar in front of King Manu & informed him that this Yuga is going to end in the coming 7 days. Lord Vishnu instructed him to build a ship, collect seeds of all plants, animals, Vasuki (the snake God) & the sacred 7 sages. When adversity arose & the great floods came, Lord Matsya appeared before King Manu. He, with the help of King Vasuki, tied the ship with Matsya's horn. The fish swam across the ocean for the entire night which was equal to 4.32 billion years and took everyone on the ship to the Himalayas safely. After the floods subsided, Lord Vishnu gave the Vedas and everything that King Manu had kept in the ship to Lord Brahma. Ultimately Lord Brahma initiated a new Yuga. Life began on the earth again. Since then, Matsya Jayanti is observed to seek the blessings of the Almighty.

In India, 'Nagalapuram Veda Narayana Swamy Temple' (close to Tirupati) in Andhra Pradesh is the only Matsya Avatar temple of Lord Vishnu. This temple is an architectural wonder. Every year, on Matsya Jayanti, the sun rays directly fall on the Murti worshipped in this temple. On Matsya Jayanti, grand programmes are organised here with endeavour. In the morning hours, the processional deity is taken around the streets and in the evening, it is taken atop Gardua Vahana around the streets. Offering donations, food, clothes and money to the Brahmins and the needy is also very meritorious. Feeding fishes and other animals is also believed to redeem one from all the sins. Vaishanava and ISKCON temples also celebrate this holy festival with immense joy and devotion.