Matsya, the Sanskrit for fish, was the first incarnation of
Vishnu according to
Hinduism. Tradition recounts that king Manu while washing his hands in a river saw a little fish begging for help. He put the fish in a jar which it soon outgrew. The king moved the fish to a tank, river and then to the ocean. The fish then warned about a great flood that was approaching, which would destroy all the human beings. Manu then built a boat with the fish sailing in front and survived along with some seeds of life to re-establish life on earth.
