Devanagari
रूपं स जगृहे मात्स्यं चाक्षुषोदधिसम्प्लवे ।
नाव्यारोप्य महीमय्यामपाद्वैवस्वतं मनुम् ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
rūpaṁ sa jagṛhe mātsyaṁ
cākṣuṣodadhi-samplave
nāvy āropya mahī-mayyām
apād vaivasvataṁ manum
Synonyms
rūpam
—
form
;
saḥ
—
He
;
jagṛhe
—
accepted
;
mātsyam
—
of a fish
;
cākṣuṣa
—
Cākṣuṣa
;
udadhi
—
water
;
samplave
—
inundation
;
nāvi
—
on the boat
;
āropya
—
keeping on
;
mahī
—
the earth
;
mayyām
—
drowned in
;
apāt
—
protected
;
vaivasvatam
—
Vaivasvata
;
manum
—
Manu, the father of man .
Translation
When there was a complete inundation after the period of the Cākṣuṣa Manu and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him up on a boat.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
When there was an inundation after the period of the Cākṣuṣa Manu the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, placing him on a boat formed from the earth.
Purport
According to Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī, the original commentator on the
Bhāgavatam,
there is not always a devastation after the change of every Manu. And yet this inundation after the period of Cākṣuṣa Manu took place in order to show some wonders to Satyavrata. But Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī has given definite proofs from authoritative scriptures (like
Viṣṇu-dharmottara, Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Harivaṁśa,
etc.) that there is always a devastation after the end of each and every Manu. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī has also supported Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, and he (Śrī Cakravartī) has also quoted from
Bhāgavatāmṛta
about this inundation after each Manu. Apart from this, the Lord, in order to show special favor to Satyavrata, a devotee of the Lord, in this particular period, incarnated Himself.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
During Cākṣuṣa manvantara there was a flood of water. Another version has cākṣuṣāntara-samplave. The earth acted as a boat (nāvi mahī-mayyām). Matsya protected (apād) the person who would be Vaivasvata-manu. Śrīdhara Svāmī says though there is not a flood at the end of this manvantara, an illusory flood was shown to Satyavrata for fun. However in Viṣṇu-dharmottara, Vajra asks Mārkaṇḍeya, “What happens at the end of the manvantara?” Mārkaṇḍeya says:
ūrmi-mālī mahā-vegaḥ sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati |
bhūrlokam āśritaṁ sarvaṁ tadā naśyati yādava ||
na vinaśyanti rājendra viśrutāḥ kula-parvatāḥ |
naur bhūtvā tu mahā-devī yadu-kulodvaha |
dhārayaty atha bījāni sarvāṇy evāviśeṣataḥ || [1.75.5-6, 9 |
O Vajra, the great Lord, in the form of water, greatly agitated with countless waves, covers the earth and the lower planets with water. O Yādava! All things on the earth planet are destroyed at that time. Only the famous mountains are not destroyed, O best of kings! At that time, the earth personified, taking the form of a boat, protects all the seeds without discrimination, O offspring of the Yadu family!
This explains that there is destruction at the end of the manvantara. In Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta, Rūpa Gosvāmī also states that there is a devastation by water after every manvantara. In his comments on some verses of Hari-vaṁśa as well he says the same. The verse mentions the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara. Because Satyavrata was a great devotee of Matsya, and Matsya was attracted to his devotee, Matsya appeared at this time. The following verse illustrates how the Lord is controlled by his devotee.
svacchandopātta-dehāya viśuddha-jṣāna-mūrtaye
sarvasmai sarva-bījāya sarva-bhūtātmane namaḥ
Unto Him who assumes transcendental bodies according to the desires of His devotees, unto Him whose form is itself pure consciousness, unto Him who is everything, who is the seed of everything and who is the Soul of all creatures, I offer my obeisances. SB 10.27.11
Therefore this particular narration is representative of events that take place after every manvantara.