Matsyapurana 61.11

61.11

yasmājjīvanikāyasya mahataḥ saṃkṣayo bhavet
tasmānna pāpamadyāvāṃ karavāva puraṃdara //

Hearing that mandate of Indra, both fire and wind said to Him, the destroyer of Sambara:—“It would be a great sin to destroy the ocean. Because innumerable beings had made it their home, and the destruction of the ocean meant their annihilation along with it, therefore, we, O Purandara, cannot do it. Lacs and lacs of beings inhabit the ocean, within the space of every yojana. It was not meet for us to annihilate them. What fault have they done to be destroyed, O chief of the Devas.” —10-12.