Text 18
gupto ’pyaye manur ilauṣadhayaś ca mātsye
krauḍe hato diti-ja uddharatāmbhasaḥ kṣmām
kaurme dhṛto ’drir amṛtonmathane sva-pṛṣṭhe
grāhāt prapannam ibha-rājam amuñcad ārtam
guptaḥ — was protected; apyaye — during the annihilation; manuḥ — Vaivasvata Manu; ilā — the earth planet; oṣadhayaḥ — the herbs; ca — and; mātsye — in His incarnation as a fish; krauḍe — in His incarnation as a boar; hataḥ — was killed; diti-jaḥ — the demoniac son of Diti, Hiraṇyākṣa; uddharatā — by Him who was delivering; ambhasaḥ — from the waters; kṣmām — the earth; kaurme — as a tortoise; dhṛtaḥ — was held; adriḥ — the mountain (Mandara); amṛta-unmathane — when the nectar was being churned (by the demons and demigods together); sva-pṛṣṭhe — upon His own back; grāhāt — from the crocodile; prapannam — surrendered; ibha-rājam — the king of the elephants; amuñcat — He freed; ārtam — distressed.
In His appearance as a fish, the Lord protected Satyavrata Manu, the earth and her valuable herbs. He protected them from the waters of annihilation. As a boar, the Lord killed Hiraṇyākṣa, the son of Diti, while delivering the earth from the universal waters. And as a tortoise, He lifted Mandara Mountain on His back so that nectar could be churned from the ocean. The Lord saved the surrendered king of the elephants, Gajendra, who was suffering terrible distress from the grips of a crocodile.