A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A travelling brahmin and his son take shelter in a haunted building outside Benares. Its goblin lives on the central rafter and has received a conditional right to eat visitors after twelve years of service to Vessavaṇa. It raises magical dust to make the father sneeze, then descends when the expected exchange of wishes for long life has not occurred. The son recognizes the danger and addresses his father; the father returns the greeting, leaving neither available to be eaten under the stated condition.
The son then challenges the goblin’s conduct, warns against continuing harmful actions and establishes it in the Five Precepts. The king honours the human rescuers and appoints the subdued goblin as a tax-gatherer. The ending therefore changes its role instead of destroying it. Gagga is the father addressed in the protective verse, not a securely stated personal name for the goblin. A footnote describing Vessavaṇa’s anatomy concerns its supernatural superior, not this rafter-dweller.
The opening Buddhist frame discusses whether saying a blessing after a sneeze changes anyone’s lifespan. It permits a polite reply to laypeople while denying that the formula itself determines life or death. That frame and the conditional danger in the old story should remain distinct; the narrative is not medical advice or evidence for the efficacy of a modern protective formula.
Origins & earliest records
Pāli Jātaka literary tradition; English translator W. H. D. Rouse, general editor E. B. Cowell.
Records & interpretation
Complete English narrative, frame, ending and attached notes read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Jātaka, Volume 2
155, Gagga-Jātaka, pp.11–13, complete frame and three footnotes
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
The Jātaka, Volume 2
Rouse 1895, Cowell general editor. 155, Gagga-Jātaka, pp.11–13, complete frame and three footnotes
Full cache data/cache/asia-continuation/jataka2-008.html/.txt; no independent Pāli collation.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English primary translationComplete Jātaka translation and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.