Matsya Saves the Vedas

पुरा हयग्रीवमहासुरेण षष्ठान्तरान्तोद्यदकाण्डकल्पे ।
निद्रोन्मुखब्रह्ममुखात् दृतेषु वेदेष्वधित्सः किल मत्स्यरूपम्

purā hayagrīvamahāsureṇa ṣaṣṭhāntarāntodyadakāṇḍakalpe nidronmukhabrahmamukhāt dṛteṣu vedeṣvadhitsaḥ kila matsyarūpam

“Of old, when by the great asura Hayagrīva, at the sudden-kalpa-rise at the end of the sixth manvantara, the Vedas were snatched from the mouth of the sleep-prone Brahmā, you indeed took the form of fish to recover them.”

सत्यव्रतस्य द्रमिडाधिभर्तुर्नदीजले तर्पयतस्तदानीम् ।
कराञ्जलौ सञ्ज्वलिताकृतिस्त्वमदृश्यथाः कश्चन बालमीनः

satyavratasya dramiḍādhibharturnadījale tarpayatastadānīm karāñjalau sañjvalitākṛtistvamadṛśyathāḥ kaścana bālamīnaḥ

“Of Satyavrata, the lord of the Drāmiḍa land, while satisfying the river-water with libations, in the cup of his hand, of brilliant form, you appeared to him as a small fish, the marvellous one.”

क्षिप्तं जले त्वां चकितं विलोक्य निन्येऽन्बुपात्रेण मुनिः स्वगेहम् ।
स्वल्पैरहोभिः कलशीं च कूपं वापीं सरश्चानशिषे विभो त्वम्

kṣiptaṁ jale tvāṁ cakitaṁ vilokya ninye'nbupātreṇa muniḥ svageham svalpairahobhiḥ kalaśīṁ ca kūpaṁ vāpīṁ saraścānaśiṣe vibho tvam

“When thrown into the water, seeing you trembling, the sage took you home in his water-pot. In few days, you, lord, did not fit in the water-pot, the well, the tank, or the lake.”

योगप्रभावाद्भवदाज्ञयैव नीतस्ततस्त्वं मुनिना पयोधिम् ।
पृष्टोऽमुना कल्पदिदृक्षुमेनं सप्ताहमास्वेति वदन्नयासीः

yogaprabhāvādbhavadājñayaiva nītastatastvaṁ muninā payodhim pṛṣṭo'munā kalpadidṛkṣumenaṁ saptāhamāsveti vadannayāsīḥ

“Then, by the power of yoga, by your command alone, taken by the sage to the ocean, asked by him, eager to see your kalpa-form: 'wait seven days,' so saying, you went away.”

प्राप्ते त्वदुक्तेऽहनि वारिधारापरिप्लुते भूमितले मुनीन्द्रः ।
सप्तर्षिभिः सार्धमपारवारिण्युद्घूर्णमानः शरणं ययौ त्वाम्

prāpte tvadukte'hani vāridhārāpariplute bhūmitale munīndraḥ saptarṣibhiḥ sārdhamapāravāriṇyudghūrṇamānaḥ śaraṇaṁ yayau tvām

“When the day mentioned by you arrived, the surface of the earth covered by streams of water, the chief of sages along with seven sages, tossed in the boundless waters, took refuge in you.”

धरां त्वदादेशकरीमवाप्तां नौरूपिणीमारुरुहुस्तदा ते ।
तत्कम्पकम्प्रेषु च तेषु भूयस्त्वमम्बुधेराविरभूर्महीयान्

dharāṁ tvadādeśakarīmavāptāṁ naurūpiṇīmāruruhustadā te tatkampakampreṣu ca teṣu bhūyastvamambudherāvirabhūrmahīyān

“The earth, made by your command into a boat-form, they then mounted. Then, when they were trembling, you appeared again in the ocean, very large.”

झषाकृतिं योजनलक्षदीर्घां दधानमुच्चैस्तरतेजसं त्वाम् ।
निरीक्ष्य तुष्टा मुनयस्त्वदुक्त्या त्वत्तुङ्गषृङ्गे तरणिं बबन्धुः

jhaṣākṛtiṁ yojanalakṣadīrghāṁ dadhānamuccaistaratejasaṁ tvām nirīkṣya tuṣṭā munayastvaduktyā tvattuṅgaṣṛṅge taraṇiṁ babandhuḥ

“With a fish-form a lakh of yojanas long, holding very tall splendour-radiance, those sages, pleased, by your word, on your high horn tied the boat.”

आकृष्टनौको मुनिमण्डलाय प्रदर्शयन्विश्वजगद्विभागान् ।
संस्तूयमानो नृवरेण तेन ज्ञानं परं चोपदिशन्नचारीः

ākṛṣṭanauko munimaṇḍalāya pradarśayanviśvajagadvibhāgān saṁstūyamāno nṛvareṇa tena jñānaṁ paraṁ copadiśannacārīḥ

“Pulling the moored boat, showing to the sage-circle the divisions of the entire universe, praised by the king of men, teaching supreme knowledge, you wandered.”

कल्पावधौ सप्त मुनीन्पुरोवत्प्रस्ताप्य सत्यव्रतभूमिपं तम् ।
वैवस्वताख्यं मनुमादधानः क्रोधाद्धयग्रीवमभिद्रुतोऽभूः

kalpāvadhau sapta munīnpurovatprastāpya satyavratabhūmipaṁ tam vaivasvatākhyaṁ manumādadhānaḥ krodhāddhayagrīvamabhidruto'bhūḥ

“At the kalpa's end, awakening as before the seven sages, taking up the king Satyavrata as the Vaivasvata Manu, by anger you ran at Hayagrīva.”

स्वतुङ्गषृङ्गक्षतवक्षसं तं निपात्य दैत्यं निगमान्गृहीत्वा ।
विरिञ्चये प्रीतहृदे ददानः प्रभञ्जनागारपते प्रपायाः

svatuṅgaṣṛṅgakṣatavakṣasaṁ taṁ nipātya daityaṁ nigamāngṛhītvā viriñcaye prītahṛde dadānaḥ prabhañjanāgārapate prapāyāḥ

“Cutting his chest with your tall horn, throwing down the demon, taking the Vedas, giving them to Brahmā with pleased heart, lord of the wind-house, swiftly drink up disease.”