[11] Hinduism and Matsya – Climax

This is the 3rd out of 3-part synopsis, of the legend of Matsya Avatar. Only the verses of conversation that describes the catastrophe, are discussed below because the rest is as it was prophesied in this dialogue.

Disclaimer : Do not believe what I say, unless you contemplate yourself, for the following is a way to extract history out of mythology, following the premise – “if there is smoke, then there is fire and the smoke becomes thinner as it moves further, not to mention the fog at a distant dawn that mixes it into a smog.”

“Only seven days remaining, of this creation.
In a horrendous Pralay, lives’ll meet annihilation.

My Interpretation :

• “seven days” – This means, the ark was probably constructed within just 7 days, though not impossible with resources of a king.
  • Unlike other versions of the tale, according to Matsya Purana, the fish once again has a horn, but the gods gift a ship to Manu, in contrast to Manu building the ship alike Noah in Christianity. Reference.
• “Pralay” – The root word লয় “lay” means dissolution, so that প্রলয় “pralay” refers to a catastrophe.

As high as Sumeru mountain, the waves shall rise;
Along with earthquake, thunder, and darkened skies.

My Interpretation :

• “as Sumeru mountain, the waves” – this implies underwater agitation like a very huge Tsunami along with tectonic shifts.
  • As inferred in earlier article, during the supposed time of Hoygreev, that is the geological timeline of Pliocence epoch consists of only 2 ages viz. Reference
    • Piacenzian age between between 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma (million years) and 2.588 ± 0.005 Ma, and
    • Zanclean age between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma
  • the beginning of the age Zanclean was marked with Zanclean flood pouring water from Atlantic Ocean. Reference.
  • Sea level rise in the basin may have reached rates at times greater than ten metres per day (thirty feet per day). The Mediterranean Basin flooded mostly during a period estimated to have been between several months and two years. Reference.
• “with earthquake” – With the joining of the tectonic plates of North and South America, during the Pliocene the tectonic plates of India and Asia also collided, which formed the Himalayas. Reference.
• “thunder, and darkened skies” – The research suggests that Earth’s climate system may have at least two states — the one we currently live in that has relatively few tropical cyclones and relatively cold water, including in the eastern part of the Pacific, and the one during the Pliocene that featured warm sea surface temperatures, permanent El Niño conditions and high tropical cyclone activity. Reference.

With Saptarishi, all medicines and all seeds, of every breed,
You will board the Ark, when it starts and, call for my lead.”

My Interpretation :

• Unlike what is usually countered with infeasible measures of boat required to board all animals in pairs, the script mentions of seeds of breeds, as in respective germ cells. This also presumes, that the ancient seers were aware of botany, zoology and reproductive sciences, unlike usually thought of them by modern sceptics.
• “Saptarishi” – their role is an enigma. They were –
  • Kashyapa, – Kāshyap, alternatively Kashup, means “turtle” in Sanskrit. Reference.
  • Atri, – means “Eater, devourer” (in the Vedas especially as an epithet of Agni, the divinity of fire). Reference.
  • Vashista, – Vashishtha is also spelled as Vasiṣṭha and is Sanskrit for “most excellent”, “best” or “richest”. Reference. raja
  • Angira, – “anga” means organs; “Ira” means Iravati/Saraswati, the deity of knowledge. Therefore, he should have knowledge of organs. Reference. jnana
  • Gautama, – as “uttam” means best, “gautam” means the enlightened one.
  • Vishvamitra, – “vishwa” means world; “mitra” means friend, hence of the world.
  • Bharadvaja – The word “bharadvAja” is a compound Sanskrit from “bhara(d) and vaja(m)”, which together mean “bringing about nourishment”. Also means skylark, planet Mars. Reference.

To my great horn, with Vasuki, the great serpent,
Tether the Ark, to rid of being, tempestuous turbulent.”

My Interpretation :

• “great horn” : Fish having horn are typically called unicorn fish. Reference.
  • Unicorn crestfish (Eumecichthys fiski), family Lophotidae can be as long as 1.5 metres.
  • Naso (fish), a genus in family Acanthurida can be of a long as 1 metre, but the horn looks more like a nose instead of crest on head, thereby resembling a human-like countenance.
  • Refer to further similarities noted in earlier mention.
• “Vasuki” : Also known as Shesh (lit. end), this is likely to be a metaphor for end of a creation cycle, and carry-forwarding to the beginning of next cycle.

Falsity has one where Truth has many, independent vouchers.

For two equally probable wave functions, the chance of collapse for one, increases with the number of observers witnessing it.

My Conjecture :

• The characters Manu, sages and Matsya are realistic, although the element of tethering the boat is metaphorical, due to the nature of Vasuki.
• With so many mentions of similar accounts of calamitous flood, but by different cultures independently, be it the Hebrew story of Noah (6th century B.C.), the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh (700 B.C.), the Akkadian Atra-Hasis (18th century B.C.), the Sumerian creation myth (1600 B.C.), or even the Hindu Satapatha Brahmana (6th century B.C.), it is obvious to suspect “a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals”, as speculated also by Plato’s Timaeus (360 B.C.).
  • The dates above correspond to written text versions only. Notably, Hinduism had an oral tradition much before compilation of the text, thereby possibly preponing the dates to an earlier unknown ancient age. Evolution-wise, it is agreeable that spoken communication developed much before written methods were devised.
• The astonishing part of these calamities is the simultaneity of agitation of all biospheres viz. hydrosphere, geosphere (lithosphere) and atmosphere (stratosphere). Reference. The plausible causes are hypothesized below.
  • flood : e.g. heavy rain, deglaciation
  • flood and earthquake : e.g. tsunami
  • flood and thunder : e.g. over-the-sea cyclone
  • flood, earthquake and thunder : e.g. earth’s magnetic pole reversal
    • agitation in of earth core shifts tectonic plates and alters magnetic alignment
    • rearrangement of tectonic plates make earthquake
    • low magnetic field allows solar radiation and change in atmospheric condition
    • increase in ionic radiation raises temperature of polar caps
    • rise in global temperature can cause low pressure zone cyclone, heavy rainfall and flood
    • all of the above are natural events with possibility of repetitions.
  • The mention of Saptarshi caters to seven subjects of knowledge required to restart a civilization.