Divine grace often enters our life silently — which is precisely why we usually fail to notice to it.
The unpretentious story of the first avatāra of Lord Viṣṇu is filled with deep spiritual and astrological meaning, which can be easily missed if we read it only superficially. Story of Matsya avatāra is strongly linked to the shadow planet Ketu in Vedic Astrology, as revealed by sage Parāśara, as well as the sign of Pisces — symbolic fish. But above everything else, it is the story of the spiritual seeker within us and a silent call of the Divine in our lives.
Listening to the voice of silence
As king Satyavrata, “the one who is devoted to truth”, stands one day on the bank of river Kṛtamāla, tired of his material existence, helplessly witnessing the deterioration of human race, the deterioration of the spiritual values, he reminds me of this “seeker of truth” within each of us. It is this dissatisfaction with material life (in Vedic Astrology symbolised by Ketu) that often leads us deeper within and often initiates our spiritual search. Dissatisfaction often evolves into dispassion and longing for something greater — something, which can ignite the long forgotten bliss and give the meaning to our life.
Standing in such dispassionate way on the river’s bank king Satyavrata didn’t spoke a word. How could he describe his feelings with words? How could he speak of this emptiness and void he was feeling within? He was fasting for many days on water alone trying to find some answers. He stood there now, quietly, observing the continous flow of water. After a moment of reflection, he took a little bit of water, as a silent prayer, intending to offer it back to the river. And then something caught his attention.
There was this tiny little golden fish in his palms surrounded by just a handful of water. Although it felt unusual, Satyavrata was just about to return the fish back to the river. How could he know that it was the Lord of the universe Himself, who came to him in such an unassuming form?
The Divine grace can enter our life in many ways. But way too often, if we are not attentive enough, we, too, even upon receiving a sign from God, tend to dismiss it or take it for granted. Ketu in our birth chart represents all those Divine signs, which often come to us in a disguised form and which require from us silence and attentiveness in order for us to understand their true meaning.
In the story of Satyavrata, though, the Lord was intent to make contact with the king. So as the latter was about to release the tiny fish back into the water stream, Matsya cried:
“O 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.”
So the compassionate king put the fish into his little pot and decided to bring it back home.
Now, here goes a powerful hint for decoding this part of the story: why would Lord Viṣṇu choose as His first avatāra a creature which is actually mute and cannot make any sound — let alone speak?
And how could Satyavrata actually hear the fish?
Satyavrata wasn’t just an ordinary king. He would meditate on the bank of river Kṛtamāla everyday, often fasting and surviving on water alone. He would spend long hours in silence, away from sensory pleasures, which made his mind naturally more receptive and sensitive. Indeed, whenever we choose to withdraw our senses and dive into the silence within us, those very senses and our entire perception become more refined. Only in such state we can perceive the silent, wordless voice of the Divine within us — the voice of Matsya; the voice of Ketu.
Only when the mind is calm we can hear that which is silent. And we can learn a lot from silence.
Similarly, the “fish” sign in Vedic Astrology, Mīna Rāśi, the last sign of the zodiac (and, not surprisingly, mulatrikona of Ketu) which teaches us a powerful lesson of letting go, is considered to be watery, mute and legless, representing ultimate detachment from material world and allowing ourselves to dive into the unknown waters, while surrendering to the mysterious flow of Divine grace.
And what a powerful symbol: the fish. Fish is an animal, which can navigate easily even through the deepest waters, which symbolises its ability to navigate through the metaphoric ocean of samsara (ocean of birth and rebirth), as well as its ability to swim in watery realms of emotions, feelings, astral world and the unknown spiritual realms. Even according to modern science fish have a certain “sixth sense”, which allows them to sense even the subtlest change of vibration in the water around them. Most fish are also electro-receptive and magneto-receptive, which allows them to detect the electric and magnetic currents of other living being very easily. Some of them even produce their own electro-magnetic currents for communication and navigation, which is known as electro-location.
And that’s the thing: the Divine grace can be perceived only when we are sensitive enough.
Making space for the Divine
The Lord entered Satyavrata’s life — and the story has begun. For the moment we let the Divine enter our life nothing can stay the same.
The king has placed placed the fish in a water jug and brought Matsya to his own residence. But then, something extraordinary happened. In one night the fish grew so much that it could barely move in the water pot. The fish then appealed to the king:
“My dear king, I do not like living in this water pot with such difficulty. Please, find me some bigger reservoir of water, where I can live comfortably.”
Merciful king brought the fish to a large well. But, alas! Within a moment the fish developed to the length of three cubits. Satyavrata, astonished to see this, decided to bring the fish to the nearby lake — but then the fish assumed a gigantic form exceeding the extent of the water and complained again:
“O king, I am a large aquatic, and this water is not suitable for me. Kindly find some way to save me. It would be better to put me in a lake that will never reduce.”
The king was puzzled.
The story reveals how dynamic and ever changing becomes our personal relationship with the Divine, once we choose to let God into our life and follow this silent voice of symbolic “fish”. The moment we commit to follow that inner voice it slowly starts to penetrate to bigger and bigger areas of our life — and it keeps growing, requesting for more and more space. And as the Divine grows within us, it requires from us to grow internally as well.
This fish was none else but Lord Viṣṇu in disguise, who is the Supersoul within the core of everyone’s heart. Matsya expanding to a gigantic form so rapidly symbolises the rapid growth of consciousness on spiritual path, when we are truly willing to follow His call, like Satyavrata was. When we greet every life experience, every guest in our life, with an attitude of complete surrender, and when we perceive God himself in disguise playing His lila through countless forms of life, our consciousness expands rapidly and extends the borders of our perception and compassion. And it finds ever new ways to challenge us to go beyond our comfort zone.
This constant “discomfort” of Matsya also represents the energy of Ketu or “divine discontentment” which often inspires us to search for something greater than what the material world has to offer. Similarly like for Matsya there was never enough water, the very same energy of lacking “something” in life, accompanied by a difficulty to define this mysterious “something”, is always caused by the influence of Ketu. When this “divine dissatisfaction” with the material existence arises in the mind, it is always the call of the soul to seek something deeper — deeper than this what is visible on the surface of life. Unfortunately, when this energy of Ketu is not understood and is not channelled properly, it can easily turn into excessive dissatisfaction, lack of gratitude or even lead to greed, overindulgence and addictions.
Lord Viṣṇu in the form of Matsya inspires us to embrace this feeling of dissatisfaction and surrender the idea of finding stability or unending happiness in the ever changing reality around us (and within us). His very name gives us a silent hint that the only thing, which can heal this dissatisfaction within us is making space for the Divine to manifest in our life — and allowing the grace to flow in any form it wishes to without our resistance. The very word Matsya is etymologically derived from mad meaning “joy” or “bliss” and syad meaning “to flow”. In this context Matsya avatar becomes the embodiment of ever-flowing bliss or satcitānanda, which is our inherent nature. And our relationship with this embodiment of bliss within us is always dynamic — it’s never static! And it’s certainly never boring.
From limited to limitless
As Satyavrata was moving the fish from pot to pot, from well to well and from lake to lake, it started to become more and more clear that the only place it belongs to is the limitless ocean.
Sri Aurobindo saw this story of ever-growing fish, who constantly challenges our boundaries and needs newer and bigger reservoirs of water (or awareness) as the ever-expanding nature of the Divine within us:
“When peace is established, this higher or divine force from above us can descend and work in us. It descends usually first into the head and liberates the inner mind centres, then into the heart centre… then into the navel and other vital centres… then into the Muladhara and below into the sanctum or “Pot” or Kunda in which the ascending force or Kundalini lies dormant. It works the same time for perfection as well as liberation. It takes up the whole nature part by part; rejecting what has to be rejected, sublimating what has to be sublimated, creating what has to be created. It integrates, harmonises and establishes a new rhythm in nature.”
Finally the king decided to release the fish into the ocean — a powerful metaphor of complete surrender to the Divine and allowing the divine spark within us to venture freely into the boundless waters of the unknown.
Yet, even then, when Satyavrata was just about to release Matsya into the ocean, Lord Viṣṇu in the form of the gigantic fish playfully said:
“Dear king, in this water there are very powerful and dangerous sharks that will eat me. You should not throw me in this place!”
It was in this moment that it dawned on the king that it must be the Lord Himself who is testing him. With his palms folded, Satyavrata asked:
“Who are you? You simply bewilder my mind. In one day you have expanded yourself for hundreds of miles, covering the water of the river and the ocean. I had never heard of such an aquatic animal before. You must be Lord Narayana Himself in disguise. Please, reveal to me the purpose for which you have assumed the form of the fish.”
Rescuer becomes the rescued
It was there, on the shore of limitless ocean, once he finally released Matsya from those limited reservoirs of water (or awareness), and finally surrendered to Him completely, that the Lord had revealed to Satyavrata the very purpose of His incarnation:
“O king, in seven days this world will be covered with waters of dissolution. When this will happen, a large boat sent by me will appear before you. Thereafter, you shall collect all types of herbs and seeds and load them on that great boat. Then, accompanied by the seven ṛṣis 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 ṛṣis. Then, as the boat is tossed about by the powerful winds, attach the vessel to my horn by means of the great serpent Vāsuki, for I shall be present by your side. Pulling the boat, with you and all the ṛṣis in it, I shall travel in the water of devastation until the night of Lord Brahmā’s slumber is over. You will be thoroughly advised and favoured by me, and because of your inquiries, everything about my glories will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about me.”
And Satyavrata finally understood. The rescuer became the rescued.
All this time he thought that he was saving the fish. But the Lord Himself came in the form of the fish to save him and assist him during the time of great deluge; to preserve the continuity of life and ensure its smooth transition into the next phase of creation.
We, too, way too often think that we are the ones making the effort in our relationship with the Divine, that we are “the doers”. But once we let Him into our life, God’s grace always takes over and guides us quietly, often saving us from dangers without us even noticing that.
This moment when Satyavrata finally realised that the one he thought he “saved” was actually his saviour all along is a powerful shift in the story and a meaningful metaphor.
The true journey begins
Satyavrata’s real journey was about to begin. The journey that will take everything he knew away from him and will require from him an absolute trust. A journey into the unknown which will last for indefinite period of time. The Lord Himself chose him to assist Him in this transitional phase of creation — and He knew that the king won’t refuse. Because he was Satyavrata: he was “true to his commitment”.
How must he even had felt, waiting there on the shore of the ocean for entire week, observing how the waters of chaos are slowly submerging everything he knew and held dear?
This was a true test of faith.
But his faith was rewarded. As he collected the seeds and animals of various species, and waited there on the shore with seven great ṛṣis, observing the waters rising up, Satyavrata saw the golden-hued gigantic shape of an aquatic approaching him from afar, along with the boat.
Matsya was coming. The journey was about to begin.
The king of “true commitment” seated along with Saptaṛṣis and the seeds of new life in a boat tied by the great serpent Vāsuki to the horn of Matsya has a deep esoteric meaning. The boat gifted to Satyavrata by the Lord, represents the gift of awareness, which can take us even through darkest of times. Satyavrata himself is not just a seeker of truth within us, but the soul itself, ever committed to truth. Vāsuki himself represents bhakti, power that attaches the boat of awareness to the Lord, our ultimate guide. The seeds of all life, well preserved in a boat, represent our power to restrain our desires while immersed in meditation. And even though sometimes we may not perceive the Lord present with us in our dark times, when He “dives” below the surface of our awareness, and His light seems far away when we close our eyes to sit in meditation, there is another source of light present in the symbolic boat of Satyavrata: the light of seven great seers, the light of the chakras within us, who illumine our path ahead.
Thus, the journey into the unknown begins.
The forgotten wisdom restored
It was not just the material world that was impacted by this great deluge, according to the story. The spiritual world was affected, as well. When the waters of chaos rose and covered the whole earth, the Vedas, representing the revealed divine knowledge, were lost, too. Isn’t it true that we, too, often lose our sense of guidance and even start doubting our spiritual knowledge and principles when experiencing the dark night of the soul?
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam explains that during the great deluge, demon Hayagrīva stole the Vedas and hid them deep under water. Lord Viṣṇu in the form of Matsya went to the very bottom of those waters of chaos, defeated the demon and recovered the Vedas, protecting them from destruction and revealing their deeper meaning to Satyavrata, who was accompanying the Lord in this journey.
How symbolic!
The soul is seen in the Vedas as a particle of the Divine and thus the divine knowledge is always present within us — but is not always available. Most of the time the divine wisdom and realisation lies dormant in the depths of our subconscious mind, and blesses us with its glimpse only occasionally in the form of intuition. But when we surrender to the Divine and make God our friend and companion, like Satyavrata did, our soul’s pure and illuminating divine wisdom is not only preserved, but also becomes revealed in our heart. Like Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself promises in the Gīta in Chapter 10 Verse 11:
Out of compassion for them, from within their hearts, I lift the lamp of knowledge and dispel the darkness born of ignorance.
Lord manifesting Himself as Matsya represents this divine presence of God’s guidance within our hearts, our inner call — which is, interestingly, also represented by Ketu in Vedic Astrology. The moment we dare to listen to this voice of intuition within us and make it our friend and companion, we realise, as king Satyavrata finally did, that we are never alone. Even if darkness and chaos surrounds us, we are safe — for the Divine is with us. And if we are silent and sensitive enough, we will feel His presence — and His wisdom will manifest in our hearts.
Awaiting new beginning
The golden-hued Lord finally brought Satyavrata’s boat high up the Himalayas, the only region which was not covered with water, so they can wait there during the time of deluge. Mountains were in those time a common symbol for the very pillar of our energy body, suṣumṇa nadi within the spine, with mountain peak representing our sahasrāra cakra, the seat of divine consciousness on top of our head. Matsya bringing Satyavrata’s boat up the Himalayas sends a powerful message that we, too, while facing uncertainty and our own dark night of the soul, should utilise this time for our spiritual growth rather than trying to hold onto the old. In the same way how the safest place for Satyavrata to wait through deluge was on Himalayan peaks, so the safest place for us to wait during the times of transformation is within, in meditation, deeply in touch with our soul.
And what can help us to get to this high peak of consciousness? It’s the breath itself. Tantras often speak of two fish living in the two rivers of ida and piṅgala nadis within us: those two fish represent inhale and exhale, which the yogi must closely observe, meditate upon and eventually merge into one. Thus fish becomes a potent symbol of prana, life force itself.
The very etymology of word matsya is seen slightly different from tantric perspective, too: it’s seen as a combination of words maya (“illusion”) and atsyati (“devourer”). Thus the Lord in the form of Matsya becomes the one who devours maya or illusion and liberates us, giving us a new life.
Ultimately, ending will be a new beginning.
When Matsya guides the boat of king Satyavrata and waits with him until the great deluge comes to completion, he does not only protect His devotee: He protects all life and ensures its continuity in the next cycle of creation. Similarly, Lord comes into our life as Matsya to help us transition from one phase of life to another.
Ketu represents the very same thing in our birth chart: he is not just the bringer of endings. He makes things shift and transform and change their external form and shape — but while doing so, Ketu also gives us an opportunity to dive deeper within and connect with that what is changeless within us.
Embracing the Unknown
Ultimately, the story of Matsya avatar is the story of embracing the unknown within us and around us. Embracing the Divine presence in our hearts, the soul hidden deep within, and bowing down to the very same God acting in the form of Time around us. Accepting that not everything is in our hands, and often the best we can do is to simply surrender — and discover that when we do so, when we “let go” and allow ourselves to go with the flow of God’s grace and let Him take over, we feel more free and blissful than ever before.
This is when Matsya avatar makes Himself truly present in our life: when we start to go with the secret flow (syat) of bliss (mad). Madsyat.
Healing the Navagrahas Within You
There is so much more to the story of each of those Divine incarnations, especially when we look at them through the lens of Vedic Astrology and our spiritual growth. Each story hides important life lessons in its details and symbolic language — the only type of language which doesn’t get twisted or deviated with time.
During our ongoing “Healing the Navagrahas Within You” course we will be looking much deeper into those stories from perspective of Vedic Astrology, decoding their meanings in our birth charts and meditating with those Divine incarnations, so we can truly heal those parts of ourselves and grow. It is the first such a course in which we will combine the wisdom of Vedic Astrology with the power of mindful meditation.
You are most welcome to join the introduction session for free, if it’s something that sparks your interest — click here to sign up for the free session. Click here if you want to learn more about the “Healing the Navagrahas Within You” course and enrol.
