The great flood -- Hindu style

One morning they brought Manu his water to wash himself;
Just as they do nowadays -- for washing hands.

While he was washing, he found a fish between his hands!
It said: "Save me, and look after me, and I will save you!"
"Save me?" asked Manu, "What do you mean?"
The fish said: "A great flood will destroy every living thing;
I will save you from the flood."

Manu asked, "What must I do to look after you?"
The fish said: "When we fish are small, we're always getting killed.
Fish eat fish.
So keep me in a jar at first.
When I grow too big for that,
Dig a pond for me and keep me in that.
When I get too big for that, take me down to the sea;
By then I shall be too big to be killed."

It soon grew to be a huge size; in fact, it was a ghasha,
The biggest of all the fish.

Then it said, "The flood is coming;
I know the year when it is due.
So listen to my advice: Build a ship;
When the flood comes, go inside.
I will save you from the flood."

Manu took the fully-grown and healthy ghasha down to the sea.
Later, at the time the fish had said,
He took its advice and built the ship.
When the flood came, he went inside.
The fish swam up, tied the ship's hawser to his fin,
And swam, pulling the ship behind him,
To a nearby mountain-side.

Then it said to Manu: "There! Now you're saved.
Tie the ship to a tree, but mind the water doesn't go down
And leave you stranded on the mountain.
Come down the mountain slowly, as the water level drops."

Manu did exactly what he was told.
The mountain-side was named "Manu's Descent."
The flood destroyed every living thing --
Only Manu was left.

Satapatha-Brahmana

At the beginning of things, the Earth was covered with water. Men, who were spirits at that time, flew to the north, the east, the south, and the west, but nowhere found dry land. This made them sad.

Suddenly a rock rose in the middle of the waters. It spurted fire and finally exploded throwing the waters up into the clouds. Then dry land appeared. Herbs and trees grew and the spirits descended and became flesh and blood.