Chitrasutra – The Art of Painting in Ancient India in the Light of Vishnudharmottara Purana – Part 1
by Cottage9 Admin
During one of the Pralayas (cosmic dissolution), Brahma was lost in slumber when a demon came over and started digesting the Vedas. After grasping all of them, he returned to the depths of the primeval ocean.
Vedas now got under his control and he started manipulating them, corrupting them as per his interpretation of them. He threatened to create a new version of Vedas as opposed to Brahma's, the original student of Vedas, pupil of Narayana himself.
Vishnu then incarnated as Matsya (fish) and went after the demon in search of the four Vedas. He slayed him and rescued Vedas from his hold.
This bronze is an image of that incarnation
You can see how this sculpture is half Matsya and half Vishnu, indicating that it isn't just a figure of a fish.
He is four armed and sports Chakra (wheel) and Shankha (conch) in his upper two hands. One of his lower hands is raised in Abhaya Mudra (protection/assurance) and the other is raised so Lakshmi (Vishnu's spouse) can sit on his shoulder .
Usually Lakshmi is not shown accompanying Vishnu during this avatara, but the sculptor seems to have taken liberty to include her as she is always with Vishnu whether or not visible
The figure rests on a round lotus pedestal which is based on a square one. Garuda (Vishnu's carrier) is seen seated with his hands in supplication.
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