Matsya aur Mahaapralay

Bahut samay pehle, gyaat sansaar ke aakaar lene se pehle, Manu naam ke ek mahaan raja rehte the, jinhe Shraaddhadev bhi kaha jaata hai, jo dhaarmikta aur bhakti se shaasan karte the. Ek subah, jab vah nadi mein snaan kar rahe the, ek chhoti machhli paani ke saath unki anjali mein phisal aayi. Chhoti machhli ne madhur aawaaz mein unse baat ki, raja se vinati ki ki vah use badi machhliyon se bachayen jo use kha jaayengi. Karuna se dravit Manu ne machhli ko paani ke chhote bartan mein rakha aur ghar le aaye. Lekin machhli aashcharyajanak gati se badhi. Jald hi vah bartan se badi ho gayi, aur Manu ne use bade paatra mein rakha, phir taalaab mein, phir jheel mein. Har baar machhli aur badi hoti gayi, jab tak ant mein vah itni vishaal ho gayi ki keval samudra use sama sakta tha. Jaise hi Manu ne use samudra mein chhoda, machhli ne apna sachcha roop prakat kiya. Vah koi saadhaaran machhli nahin balki Matsya thi, Bhagwan Vishnu ka Matsya avtaar, brahmaand ke paalankarta. Bhagwan ne Manu ko bataaya ki bhayankar pralay aa rahi hai, baadh jo samast sansaar ko nigal jaayegi aur sabhi jeevon ko nasht kar degi. Yug samaapt ho raha tha, aur brahmaand jal mein veeleen ho jaayega. Lekin Manu apni dhaarmikta ke kaaran jeevit rehne aur nayi srishti ke beejon ko jal ke paar le jaane ke liye chune gaye the. Vishnu ne unhe mahaan naav banaane aur usmein Saptarishiyon, saat rishiyon, ke saath sabhi paudhon ke beej aur sabhi pashuon ke jode ekatra karne ka nirdesh diya. Unhone Manu ko baadh ki prateeksha karne ko kaha, aur vachan diya ki vah swayam vishaal machhli bankar toofaan mein naav ka maargdarshan karenge. Manu ne aagya anusaar kiya. Unhone shaktishaali pot banaaya, rishiyon aur jeevan ke beejon ko ekatra kiya, aur prateeksha ki. Jab niyat samay aaya, varsha aarambh hui. Vah bina ruke barasti rahi, din-raat, aur nadiyaan umad aayin tatha samudra uth khade hue. Jald hi samast dharti jal se dhak gayi, aur jin jeevon ne sharan nahin li thi ve pralay mein nasht ho gaye. Sansaar ek antaheen mahaasaagar ban gaya, koi tat dikhaayi nahin deta tha. Manu ki naav bhayankar laharon par dolti rahi, aur rishi bhay se kaanpte rahe. Tabhi varsha aur bauchhaaron ke beech unhone use aate dekha, atyant vishaalkaay machhli, sunhari aur divya tejomay, sir par ek shaktishaali seeng liye. Yah Matsya the, swayam Vishnu, vachan anusaar aaye. Manu ne badi rassi li aur naav ko machhli ke seeng se baandha, aur Matsya ne ufanate jal mein pot ko kheenchna aarambh kiya. Kai lambe varshon tak baadh rahi, aur is dauraan divya machhli ne naav ka maargdarshan kiya, use bhanvaron aur gehre samudra ke rakshason se surakshit rakha. Yaatra ke dauraan Matsya ne rishiyon se baat ki, unhe shaashvat gyaan sikhaaya jo naye yug ke liye aavashyak hoga. Unhone Vedon ke pavitra gyaan ko prakat kiya, jise daanav Hayagreev ne churaakar gaharaaiyon mein chhipa diya tha, aur jise Vishnu ne Matsya roop mein punah praapt kiya taaki nayi duniya agyaan mein aarambh na ho. Ant mein jal utarne laga. Machhli ne naav ko Himalaya ki sabse oonchi choti tak kheencha, jo akeli baadh ke oopar uthi thi, aur wahaan use baandha. Jab jal sookh gaya, Manu naveekrit dharti par utre. Unhone yagya kiye aur apni tapasya ki shakti se Ida naam ki putri utpann ki, jinse maanav jaati ka punarjanm hoga. Saat rishiyon ne pavitra gyaan ko punah sthaapit kiya, aur jeevan naye sire se aarambh hua. Manu maanavta ke pita bane, naye yug ke mahaan prajaapati, aur unke vanshaj samast sansaar ko bhar denge. Matsya aur mahaapralay ki katha samast Hindu parampara mein praacheentam mein se ek hai, Puraanon se bahut pehle Shatpath Brahman mein kahi gayi. Yah sikhaati hai ki jab sansaar araajakta aur adharm mein doob jaata hai, to divya dharmaatmaon ka tyaag nahin karta. Vishnu swayam dharm ka paalan karne walon ko bachaane ke liye vinamra machhli bante hain, unhe sabse andhere jal se nayi srishti ki bhor tak maarg dikhaate hain. Seeng wali machhli aasha ka prateek bani hui hai, ki kitni bhi vishaal baadh dhaarmikta par dridh rehne walon ko nasht nahin kar sakti.