Matsya Purana Vol. 1

The Matsya Purana is traditionally counted as the tenth of the eighteen Maha Puranas. The text is associated with Lord Vishnu’s Matsya avatar and is generally considered one of the older Puranic works, with scholars dating its early layers broadly to around 200–500 CE. Debroy’s translation makes this extensive Sanskrit work accessible to English-language readers.

Bibek Debroy was a renowned economist, scholar and translator, widely known for his English translations of major Sanskrit epics and Puranic texts. His translation work includes the Mahabharata, Valmiki Ramayana, Bhagavata Purana, Markandeya Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana and Kurma Purana.

This volume brings the Matsya Purana into English through Bibek Debroy’s detailed translation. It opens a window into ancient Indian religious thought, mythology, sacred places, rituals and cultural traditions, while presenting the narratives and teachings associated with the Matsya avatar of Vishnu. It forms part of Debroy’s wider series of English translations of the Puranic tradition.