The story of Viṣṇu's (see Viṣṇu) avatar (see Avatars of Viṣṇu), the Fish Matsya, is related to the story of the Viṣṇu Boar (see Boar) avatar in two ways: both animals are horned and both stories concern Viṣṇu's rescue of the world from the waters, in this case a flood. The ŚAatapatha Brāhmana tells a story from Vedic (see Vedic entries) times of how Manu (see Manu), the human progenitor, found a small fish in the water he was using for his morning ablutions. The fish asks Manu to protect him from larger fish and promises to save his protector from a predicted flood. Manu places the fish in a jar and when it is large enough to protect itself, he releases it into the ocean. The fish has warned Manu—now a Noah-like figure—to build a boat and when he has done so, the fish allows Manu to tie his boat to its horn for protection against the rising waters. Some say that the serpent Vasuki (see Vasuki) served Manu as the connecting rope. A version of the Matsya story is also told in the Mahābhārata (see Mahābhārata).
