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Matsya

One Word Many Meanings

The word ‘matsya’ has many references in the Puranic scripts. Here are some of them.

  1. The first and foremost incarnation of Vishnu.
  2. An ancient country of Puranic fame. The people of this country were called Matsyas.
  3. An ancient King’s name: King Matsya was the brother of Satyavati, the mother of Vyasa. Satyavati and Matsya were both found in a fish by the same fisherman.

The Sailoda River

The Sailoda River finds mention in both the great epics; the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

In the Ramayana’s Kishkindha Kand, when Sugreeva sends troops to the north in search of Sita, he informs them of the divine province of Uttara Kuru. This region was known for its beautiful mountains, two of them being Meru and Mandara. A graceful river, Sailoda, flows between them. Kichaka, a variety of bamboo, grows on the banks of this river. 

Kichaka bamboo is a special variety of the plant, used specifically to make transverse flutes in India. The diameter and wall thickness of each bamboo stick is analyzed to check if it produces a desired pitch and tone. The term ‘kichaka‘ itself means ‘whistling sound made as the wind passes through’. 

#LegendSays that this river was so difficult to cross, only ‘siddhas’ or truly accomplished souls could do so, that too with the help of the bamboos. 

Read Amar Chitra Katha’s Kishkinda Kand

Illustration: Ritoparna Hazra
Script: Harini Srinivasan