Text 5]
Matsya, the Lord's Fish Incarnation
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descend Myself.” The Lord appears in each incarnation to save the world from irreligious principles and especially to protect His devotees ( paritrāṇāya sādhūnām ). Vāmanadeva, for example, appeared to save the devotee Bali Mahārāja. Similarly, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepted the abominable form of a fish, He must have done so to favor some devotee. Parikṣit Mahārāja was eager to know about the devotee for whom the Supreme Lord accepted this form.
TEXT 4
श्रीसूत उवाच
इत्युक्तो विष्णुरातेन भगवान् बादरायणिः ।
उवाच चरितं विष्णोर्भेत्स्यरूपेण यत् कृतम् ॥ ४ ॥
śrī-sūta uvāca 
    ity ukto viṣṇu-rātena 
    bhagavān bādarāyaṇiḥ 
    uvāca caritam viṣṇor 
    matsya-rūpeṇa yat kṛtam
śrī-sūtaḥ uvāca—Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said;  iti uktaḥ —thus being questioned;  viṣṇu-rātena —by Mahārāja Parikṣit, known as Viṣṇurāta;  bhagavān —the most powerful;  bādarāyaṇiḥ —the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī;  uvāca —said;  caritam —the pastimes;  viṣṇoḥ —of Lord Viṣṇu;  matsya-rūpeṇa —by Him in the form of a fish;  yat —whatever;  kṛtam —was done.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Parikṣit Mahārāja thus inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that most powerful saintly person began describing the pastimes of the Lord's incarnation as a fish.
TEXT 5
श्रीशुक उवाच
गोविन्दप्रसाधूनां छन्दसामपि चेश्वरः ।
रक्षामिच्छंस्तनूर्धर्त्ते धर्मस्यार्थस्य चैव हि ॥ ५ ॥