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A pair of fish drawn upright and facing one another, tails down.
Also known as: Two fishes, Suvarnamatsya, Pair of golden fish
The golden fish, or suvarnamatsya, are one of the eight auspicious symbols: a pair of carp drawn upright, facing one another, tails downward, and often with a lotus or a knot between them. The reading usually given is fearlessness — a fish moves freely in water and does not drown — and, in a second reading, fertility and abundance. The motif is older than its place in the Buddhist set and appears in earlier Indian art, which is why it is met on objects with no Buddhist connection.
Is read as fearlessness — a fish moves freely through water without fear of drowning — and, in a second and equally standard reading, as fertility and abundance.
Contexts: Religion
Two fish standing on their tails and curving towards each other so their heads nearly meet, drawn as a mirrored pair.
One of the eight auspicious symbols.