In his pictures, Nikolay Konstantinovich Roerich depicted a variety of the Buddha’s images. One of them is placed by the artist in the underwater kingdom, at the bottom of the ocean, among fish, aquatic plants and bizarre reefs. The noble color of indigo of the water space, in combination with the golden aura of the Buddha, conveys the feeling of deep inner peace.

The right hand of the Teacher froze in “vitarka mudre” (vitarka means “proof, exhortation”) – a sacred gesture, symbolizing the discussion of the Buddha’s doctrine or teaching the same. In this case, the Blessed One preaches to fish.

In the Pali canon, the Buddha likens his Doctrine and the discipline to a formidable ocean, and Arhats (Arhat means “decent, the one who reached the state of “enlightenment”)”, to powerful underwater creatures. The ocean is a symbol of the depth of the transcendent world, where the the Enlightened literally live, move and exist.

Pupils, followers living in the “water of the doctrine,” are often compared to fish. In Buddhism, fish symbolizes adherence to the Buddha, liberation from desires and attachments. The Buddha, like Jesus Christ, was called the fishers of men.

N.K. Roerich has another version of this painting – “The Investigator” (“Buddha at the Bottom of the Ocean”), 1946.