Golden Fishes (Suvarna Matsya)

The golden fishes are one of the eight auspicious signs in Buddhist iconography, wherein they represent joy, freedom, and fearlessness. In Vedic (Hindu) tradition, the fish is the first incarnation of the god Vishnu, two fishes together symbolized the sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and later, the twin channels of ida and pingala, through which pranic energy moves through the body. In Chinese folk belief, a pair of fish are considered a lucky gift for married couples.