The Account of Vaivasvata Manu and the Fish – Stories from Aranyaka Parva

Yudhistira asked Rishi Markandeya to share the story of Manu and the fish. Krishna, Satyabhama, and Narada were also present in the audience (along with the Pandavas, Draupadi, and Purohit Dhaumya). 

Markandeya obliged.

Vivasvat (sun god) had a son named Manu, who was radiant and powerful like his father and Prajapati. He surpassed his father and grandfather in performing austerities. He did tapasya by standing on a single foot in Vishala Badari for many, many years. One day, a tiny fish swam to the banks and spoke to the rishi. The little fish said it was afraid of the larger fish in the ocean and asked the rishi to save its life, and that it would return the favor when the time came. 

Manu gently scooped the fish in his hands and placed it inside a water pot. He took care of the fish as if it were his child. In a while, the fish grew bigger and could no longer move in the pot. It asked Manu to find a bigger home. Manu transferred the fish to a nearby pond and continued to care for it. After some time, the fish got even bigger and wanted more space. Manu took it to the River Ganga and released it into her waters. 

Yet again, after a few days, the fish greeted Manu with a request for a bigger home. He took the fish to the ocean. Satisfied, it told Manu that the destruction of the earth was near and he should be prepared when it came. The fish asked Manu to build a sturdy boat and find a strong rope to tether it. Manu was to get into the boat with the saptarishis and make sure to carry all the seeds from the plants he collected. The fish said it would come for him. 

Manu followed the fish’s instructions and collected seeds from the trees and plants. He built a boat capable of withstanding turbulent waves and tied it to a rope at one end. Once done, he thought about the fish. It visited him immediately. The fish was as big as a whale and even larger with a horn on its head. It looped the rope around the horn and dragged the boat across the ocean. Meanwhile, the destruction of the Earth had begun. 

The fish pulled the boat with Manu and the saptarishis to the Himalayas, which were also sinking. It asked Manu to tie the boat to the top of the mountain. The highest peak has since then been called Nau-bandhana. 

The fish then told the rishis that it was actually Brahma who saved them to ensure recreation. Manu was to play a vital role in creation (hence the seeds). The fish disappeared. Manu resumed his tapasya, and when the time was right, he began to create all the beings on the earth. 

Rishi Markandeya said that anyone who listened to the account of Manu and the fish every day would be happy and successful in their endeavors and go to heaven.