Nagarjuna’s life is shrouded in myth. He was an Indian mahasiddha, who lived sometime around the 1st century AD. A tremendous number of texts are attributed to him, the most important of which is the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Discourses on the Perfection of Wisdom). The story is that Nagarjuna obtained this text from the nagas, the snake gods who live deep underwater. For this reason, he is shown with snakes around his head. Arjuna, the second part of his name, means white; hence his skin is white. The treasure vase symbolizes the importance of his contributions.