Pattanaik's Secret Secrets of Vishnu: Part B (Matsya)

The overall secret of Matsya is that only humans can both empathize and exploit one another. The larger brain of humans allows humans to imagine, which inspires and makes us curious. The brain of humans allows the physical manifestation of spiritual reality which is born of Vishnu so we can realize Vishnu. Matsya is the fish avatar of the ten avatars of Vishnu. Manu is a man that represents all of humanity and here is his story. Manu's water pot that contains the fish is Manu's property which is quite different from the way animals mark their territory by their urine. In Manu's notion of property, one's territory is not inherited but instead, it is fought for. No rules and law protect one's existing territory. Without territory, animals will not survive. Now, Manu's fish has grown in size so it is transferred to a bigger water pot. As the fish continually grows, Manu takes care of it by providing bigger and bigger water bowls for the fish to live in. Manu takes care of that one fish but never considers the other fishes outside the bowl. The fish gets bigger and bigger, and it does not occur to Manu that the fish is strong enough to fend for itself as to throw it back into the ocean.The fish itself also never asks Manu if he can be let back into the ocean as he himself does not know if he can fend for himself to the point that the fish becomes dependent on Manu. Manu ends up having to put his fish into a lake because the fish is too big. Manu wonders why he is sad and suffering when he has spent all this time taking care of the fish. He blames a storm and curses the sea. However, he soon realizes that his obsession with the one fish made him become insensitive to the fish and to himself. Manu exclusively took care of that one fish but became insensitive when he did not take care of the rest of the fishes. The law of karma is that every action has a reaction that we experience. Manu understands his lesson and the fish he took care of comes back with a horn on his head which symbolizes Vishnu's sign.

Bibliography: Seven Secrets of Vishnu (Matsya) by Devdutt Pattanaik (link)

Matsya. Source: Wikimedia Commons.