232 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 24

PURPORT

Because everything was inundated by water, to save the Vedas it was
necessary for the Lord to assume the form of a fish.

TEXT 10

TA UAT: HATA AeA ATs |
ANTATTTSAT TT: A AfSaraa: W2oll

tatra raja-rsih kascin
namna satyavrato mahan

nardyana-paro ’tapat
tapah sa salilasanah

tatra—in that connection; raja-rsih—a king equally qualified as a
great saintly person; kascit—someone; nadmnad—by the name;
satyavratah—Satyavrata; mahdn—a great personality; ndardyana-
parah—a great devotee of Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; atapat—performed austerities; tapah—penances; sah—he;
salila-4sanah—only drinking water.

TRANSLATION

During the Caksusa-manvantara there was a great king named
Satyavrata who was a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Satyavrata performed austerities by subsisting only on
water.

PURPORT

The Lord assumed one fish incarnation to save the Vedas at the begin-
ning of the Svayambhuva-manvantara, and at the end of the
Caksusa-manvantara the Lord again assumed the form of a fish just to
favor the great king named Satyavrata. As there were two incarnations of
Varaha, there were also two incarnations of fish. The Lord appeared as
one fish incarnation to save the Vedas by killing Hayagriva, and He
assumed the other fish incarnation to show favor to King Satyavrata.
