The myth of rainbow fish: A Hindu legend with a Biblical equivalent
A vibrantly coloured fish is always a joy to watch. Take rainbow fish for example. It comes in a wide range of hues and grows up to a maximum length of 12 cm. Strangely, this freshwater fish, which is found in northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea, has been associated with a famous Indian legend. According to Hindu mythology, the rainbow fish that swallowed Lord Vishnu's avatar. Not only that, but the Indian story of rainbow fish also has a Christian equivalent too!
The Hindu legend
You probably know that Lord Vishnu has 10 major avatars or incarnations according to the Hindu religious texts. The Vaishnav tradition of Hinduism suggests that Gautam Buddha is the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu. So, what is the connection between the rainbow fish and Lord Buddha? There is a popular tale in Hindu mythology, in which the rainbow fish swallows Buddha.
According to the myth, the rainbow fish used to be as big as a whale (which is not the case in reality), with colourful and shiny scales. During the Kali Age (fourth yuga in Hinduism), Buddha went astray from his teachings and started misleading his followers. He started teaching his followers that the universe had no creator. This brought about his peril and he was gobbled up by a rainbow fish. But being an avatar, he was finally saved. How? A group of fishermen caught the rainbow fish, killed it and freed Buddha from its stomach. Amusing story, isn’t it?
The fish scales represent four elements
The rainbow fish is aptly named because of the colours of its scales: red, blue, green and yellow.
According to Hindu religious texts, these vibrant scales represent four elements.
• Green scales: These are made of grass and represent Earth or Prithvi. The earth element is present in all beings, living and non-living. This element has two characters: Paramanu (atom), which is eternal, and Karya (work), which is temporary.
• Blue scales: These are made of ice and represent water or Jal. Rain, rivers and other bodies of water are examples of how water has an eternal nature, yet a perishable one.
• Yellow scales: These are made of light and represent air or Vayu. This element includes winds/storms that are perishable forms and atoms that are eternal.
• Red scales: These are made of flames and represent fire or Agni. Fire also has both an immortal and a temporary aspect.
The whale story of the Old Testament
The Old Testament, the first division of the Bible, describes the story of the prophet Jonas or Jonah. Just like Vishnu’s avatar, he attempted to ignore God’s commands and tried to leave Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, a Mesopotamian civilisation between the 14th to 7th century BC. He aimed to escape to Joppa, a port in Scotland. And we know what happens if someone disobeys God’s commands, right? ! While on a ship to Joppa, a terrible storm struck the ship. The captain and the crew had never seen such a storm. Finally, Jonas confessed that it was his presence that was causing the storm. So, the sailors threw him into the water and the storm died.
But what happened to Jonas? Well, he got swallowed by a whale. However, three days later, a fisherman rescued him when he caught the whale and cut its stomach open. Sounds similar to the story of rainbow fish and Buddha, right? A prophet or a spiritual being going astray from his teachings gets swallowed by a fish and is rescued by fishermen!