In Hindu mythology, Vishnu’s first avatar, depicted as a fish, is called Matsya.
The Matsya story appears in several Hindu texts, including the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas. In the best-known version, Matsya warns King Manu that a devastating flood is coming. Manu preserves seeds, animals, sages, and sacred knowledge in a boat, which Matsya guides through the flood.
Matsya is the first of the commonly listed Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. The sequence traditionally moves from aquatic life to increasingly complex forms, although interpretations of that symbolism vary and are not part of every traditional account.
Matsya is sometimes confused with the fish symbol associated with other cultures’ flood stories. In Hindu tradition, however, Matsya is specifically Vishnu’s fish avatar and is closely connected with Manu, the ancestral lawgiver. Kurma is Vishnu’s tortoise avatar, Varaha is the boar avatar, and Vamana is the dwarf avatar.