Studies in Indian Art c11.s5.22

c11.s5.22

In the iconography of Vasudhārā the Pūrṇaghaṭa and the Fish are important features. The full Vase stands for the auspicious divine Waters which are the Mothers of the Vasus or Vasu in the form of Agni identified as the Jewel (Ratna) or Wealth. The Fish is also believed to be the source of pearls. Thus these two became the signs of Vasudhārā, but the Fish also was the symbol of the Egg, viz., Hiraṇya Garbha, the Golden Germ. It is the Shower of the Golden Germ or the Life-principle that was really at the root of the whole conception of Vasudhārā. It was an offshoot of the Vedic doctrine of Hiraṇya Garbha.