Wow, Doc. I have to tell you, it feels great to finally be sitting on your couch. You already know why I am here, but I just want to thank you again. It means a lot to me that you are taking the time to counsel me. Now, I know how these things usually go. You ask me some questions and I give you some answers, but like I said, I am no usual patient. I just have a lot of things I need to get off my chest, alright? So, how about you let me tell you what I need to and we can do that whole you "figuring me out" thing later, okay? Well, we might as well just jump right in then, eh?

Okay, so I told you in my letter I have had many avatars, right? I want to start with Matsya because he was my first avatar. You see, it all started one day many, many years ago. Brahama, the creator god, was about to fall asleep after a long day (as you know, one day for Brahama is really one cycle of creation). Well, just as Brahama dozed off, I saw a vision that the earth would soon experience a disastrous flood. What happened next is sort of fuzzy; it all happened so quickly, you see. I didn't even realize what I was doing until...well, until I was a fish swimming in a river on earth. I tell you what, Doc, that subconscious thing Freud talked about, it's no joke. That was when it all started though, that was when I began this crazy obsession with saving the earth.

So anyway, there I am swimming in this little river. To be honest, I wasn't even sure how I was going to save the world at this point. I just knew I had to do something though. It wasn't too long before I saw Satyavrata-he was the king of the Solar race-making an offering to the water God. I knew that this was my perfect chance to do something. I swam up to the great king and I said to him, "Oh dear, sir! I am so afraid! I am such a small fish, much smaller than any other living in this river. If I stay here much longer I am sure to be gulped down by another fish. I ask you, sir, please take me home with you." It worked great, as I knew it would, and Satyavrata took me home in his urn. Well, the next morning Satyavrata awoke to a great surprise. I had grown so much overnight that I could no longer fit in his small urn.

You see, Doc, I had this plan. I would continuing growing at an incredible rate so that eventually Satyavrata would realize that I was not the average fish. After that first night, Satyavrata put me in a pond. When I outgrew the pond he tried a few lakes and then, finally, he took me to the ocean. When he did this I said again, ""Oh dear, sir! I am so afraid! I am such a small fish, much smaller then any other living in this ocean." As I spoke again, the king suddenly was able to realize that I was not just a fish but a reincarnation of Vishnu. He bowed down and I explained everything to him. I told him that within a few weeks time there would be a great flood that would cover all the earth. I instructed him that I would send a great ship and that it would be his duty to collect every type of seed, plant, and animal on earth. He would have to safely secure these things upon the boat and then rebuild the earth after the flood.

Now, everything turned out just fine. Satyavrata did just as I told him and he was able to start over again. It's just...Doc, you wouldn't believe the look on that man's face. He was terrified! I mean, who wouldn't be scared after news like that. I not only had to tell him that life, as he knew it, would be over, but that it was also his duty to save the entire earth!

You know what he said to me though? "You are the great god Vishnu. Can't you just stop the flood?" Can you believe it? Like I wouldn't stop the destruction of the earth if I could. Psh. These people, they always think that gods are the most powerful beings, but I tell you what, sometimes nature puts up a fight too. Of course, I wished there was another way, you know? I wished I could have stopped the flood and saved everyone on earth but I'm not a miracle worker! I just get so...so...argh!

You know this is actually a lot harder then I thought. I'm sorry, Doc, but I am going to stop here for today. We'll pick up next time, okay?

Author's Note: Though there are many different versions of this story already, I made some major changes. The biggest changes I made are the setting and point of view. The many "original" versions are usually told from a third person point of view whereas I told the story from the first person point of view. Of course, the setting in which the story is told is also different. The other versions obviously do not specify that Vishnu is talking to a therapist about his problems! Many of the other versions also included the demon Hayagriva, who is often said to be the cause of the flood and the reason why Vishnu took on the form of Matsya. Some scholars, however, believe the demon was added to the story much later. Since many of Vishnu's other reincarnations involve battles with a demon, it is believed that Hayagriva was added to this tale only to make it more similar to the others. Another major change I made was the reaction of Satyvrata to the news of the flood. In the originals, Satyavrata is very cooperative and understands that it his duty to save the earth. I made this change to Satyavrata to add more stress to Vishnu's character. These epic tales all have so many versions, so who really knows what actually happened!

Bibliography

"Matsya Avatar - The Fish Incarnation" by Harsh Nevatia. Website: Suite 101