Fish

As the deluge begins and the world is swallowed by water, Manu boards his boat with the seeds and the seven sages. The fish arrives with a horn, Manu tethers the rope to it, and for many years the fish pulls the boat through the endless flood — until they reach the highest peak of the Himalayas.

While performing severe austerities on the banks of the Virini river, Manu is approached by a tiny fish terrified of being eaten by larger ones. Overcome with compassion, he takes the fish home and raises it like a son — moving it from a water pot to a pond, then to the Ganga, and finally to the ocean as it grows beyond every container.

After being placed in the ocean, the enormous fish smiles and speaks to Manu with a warning: the destruction of all beings is near. It instructs him to build a strong boat, board it with the saptarshis and all seeds, and wait for the fish to come with a horn to guide them through the flood.

After the boat is moored, the fish speaks to the assembled rishis without hesitation. It reveals itself as Prajapati Brahma — there is no one superior to it — and declares that Manu will create all beings through terrible austerities and divine favour. Then the fish disappears, and Manu begins his great work.