saṁvartāmbhasi vai tadā

tri-lokyāṁ līyamānāyāṁ

saṁvartāmbhasi vai tadā

upasthāsyati nauḥ kācid

viśālā tvāṁ mayeritā

When all the three worlds merge into the water, a large boat sent by me for you will appear.

|| 8.24.34-35 ||

tvaṁ tāvad oṣadhīḥ sarvā

bījāny uccāvacāni ca

saptarṣibhiḥ parivṛtaḥ

sarva-sattvopabṛṁhitaḥ

āruhya bṛhatīṁ nāvaṁ

vicariṣyasy aviklavaḥ

ekārṇave nirāloke

ṛṣīṇām eva varcasā

Thereafter, you should collect all types of herbs and seeds of higher and lower species, and accompanied by the seven sages and surrounded by all kinds of living entities, you should get aboard that huge boat, and without distress you shall easily travel on the dark ocean of inundation by the light from the effulgent sages.

Gathering (verb should be supplied) all herbs, accompanied by the chief living entities (sattva) and with Kaśyapa, Manu and their associates, you will move about by the light from the sages.

|| 8.24.36 ||

dodhūyamānāṁ tāṁ nāvaṁ

samīreṇa balīyasā

upasthitasya me śṛṅge

nibadhnīhi mahāhinā

Then, as the boat is tossed about by the powerful winds, attach the vessel to my horn by means of the great serpent Vāsuki, for I shall be present by your side.

I will be there in the form of a fish. The snake is Vāsuki.

|| 8.24.37 ||

ahaṁ tvām ṛṣibhiḥ sārdhaṁ

saha-nāvam udanvati

vikarṣan vicariṣyāmi

yāvad brāhmī niśā prabho

Pulling the boat, with you and all the sages in it, O King, I shall travel in the water of devastation until the night of Lord Brahmā's slumber is over.

Here it mentions the night of Brahmā. Though it was Cākṣuṣa Manvantara within the day of Brahmā, by the Lord’s will an untimely devastation occurred. Since the flood covered the three worlds and appeared like the nightly devastation, Brahmā, went to sleep without worry for some time, following the desire of the Lord to have pastimes. Thus the words “Brahmā’s night” are taken in a secondary sense. This is the explanation of the Sandarbha, following Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta. Moreover it is said:

 

madhye manvantarasyaiva muneḥ śāpān manuṁ prati |

pralayo’sau babhūveti purāṇe kvacid īryate ||18||

ayam ākasmiko jātaś cākṣuṣasyāntare manoḥ |

pralayaḥ padmanābhasya līlayeti ca kutracit ||19||

 

It is mentioned in the Matsya Purāṇa that there was a pralaya during his period because of curse of a sage upon Svāyambhuva. It is mentioned in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara that by the will of the Lord there was a sudden deluge during the reign of Cakṣusa Manu. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta

One should accept that a devastation did take place, otherwise there would have been no creation of population by Dakṣa after that time.

cākṣuṣe tv antare prāpte prāk-sarge kāla-vidrute

yaḥ sasarja prajā iṣṭāḥ sa dakṣo daiva-coditaḥ

His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara. SB 4.30.49

 

Thus, four types of devastation are not impossible. Within the day of Brahmā a smaller devastation takes place. The lifting of the earth and killing of Hiraṇyākṣa by Varāha; took place after the devastation during Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, since it was impossible for Hiraṇyākṣa to be born at the beginning of Svāyambhuva Manvantara when the earth was first lifted by Varāha.

 

uttānapāda-vaṁśyānāṁ tanayasya pracetasām |

dakṣasyaiva ditiḥ putrī hiraṇākṣo diteḥ sutaḥ ||15||

 

Dakṣa was the son of the Pracetas in the lineage of Uttānapāda. Dakṣa’s daughter was Diti. Hiraṇyakṣa was the son of Diti.

 

kalpārambhe tadā nāsti sutotpattir manor api |

kvāsau prācetaso dakṣaḥ kva ditiḥ kva diteḥ ||16||

 

At the beginning of the first kalpa of Brahmā Svāyambhuva had produced no sons. Thus the Pracetas, Dakṣa, Diti and Hiraṇyakṣa could not have existed then.

ataḥ kāla-dvayodbhūtaṁ śrī-varāhasya ceṣṭitam |

ekatraivāha maitreyaḥ kṣattuḥ praśnānurodhataḥ ||17||

 

The truth has been discerned in this way. Thus Maitreya, on being asked by Vidura, narrated the activities of both appearances of Varāha in one story. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta

 

Thus Śukadeva has merged the two stories of Matsya into one without distinguishing the two different appearances. However, the first appearance was to save the Vedas and his other appearance within the hand of Satyavrata was during Cākṣuṣa Manvantara. Suta also lists the Cākṣuṣa Matsya in his narration of the avatāras.

 

rūpaṁ sa jagṛhe mātsyaṁ cākṣuṣodadhi-samplave

nāvy āropya mahī-mayyām apād vaivasvataṁ manum

 

When there was a complete inundation during 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 on a boat.[142] SB 1.3.15

 

Śrīdhara Svāmī however says that the Lord showed a devastation to Satyavrata to give instructions of knowledge, in the manner that a devastation was shown to Mārkanḍeya through illusion to give detachment, since the devastation cannot be a mahākalpa devastation because the earth does not remain at that time, and it cannot be a daily devastation because since the devastation appeared suddenly without the Sāṁvartika rain. Matsya said it would happen in seven days time.

 

|| 8.24.38 ||