A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Girika and Sundara sustain the waters of Rājagṛiha, including five hundred warm springs. Converted by the Buddha, they wish to leave for the ocean but are told to seek King Bimbisāra’s permission. Appearing as ordinary householders by day, they honour the teaching rather than rising for the king. He angrily banishes them without recognizing them. They create a jet of water and travel through progressively larger channels to the sea, after which local waters dry and crops fail. Once the Buddha explains their identity, the king apologizes. They agree to return if he builds each a temple, provides attendants and establishes a six-monthly festival where they receive hospitality. These actions concern named Nāga kings; the text does not specify their serpent anatomy or depict their day-form as their only possible appearance.

Nāga kings whose exile interrupts the water supply of RājagṛihaBuddhist narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Indian Buddhist narrative preserved in Tibetan translation

02

Records & interpretation

Whole chapter and its footnotes directly read in the digitized1906 edition.

In the literature

“appearance of ordinary householders”
Anonymous Buddhist narrative tradition; F. Anton von Schiefner and W.R.S.Ralston, mediated translators · Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — XIII The Over-reached Actor
XIII The Over-reached Actor, hosted printed-page marker237 · W.R.S.Ralston, English from Schiefner’s German Tibetan translation

Daytime manifestation of Girika and Sundara, distinct from their night-time appearance in the divine retinue.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources

    F. Anton von Schiefner, Tibetan-to-German translator; W. R. S. Ralston, English translator · 1906

    XIII, The Over-reached Actor, pp. 236–246, especially pp. 236–240; note cites Kah-gyur vii. ff. 221–229

  2. 02

    Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — XIII The Over-reached Actor

    Anonymous Buddhist narrative tradition; F. Anton von Schiefner and W.R.S.Ralston, mediated translators · 1906

    Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. Complete selected XIII236–246 and XV253–256 with notes independently read; no independent Tibetan/German collation or whole introductory-book claim.

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

Direct primary record

Schiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources (London, 1906)

XIII, The Over-reached Actor. XIII, The Over-reached Actor, pp. 236–246, especially pp. 236–240; note cites Kah-gyur vii. ff. 221–229

Complete chapter and all notes read. Translation’s canonical locator retained; original Tibetan not independently inspected. Actual endings, explicit identities and comparative material kept separate, with no death/kinship/anatomy inferred beyond the telling.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources

Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. Complete selected XIII236–246 and XV253–256 with notes independently read; no independent Tibetan/German collation or whole introductory-book claim.

  1. Girika and Sundara sustain local watercourses around Rājagṛiha and take ordinary householders’ appearance by day. Their religious reverence outranks rising to greet Bimbisāra, who unknowingly banishes them. They travel through progressively larger waterways to the ocean, and local springs and crops fail. The Buddha explains the mistake. After pardon, they require two temples, attendants and a half-yearly festival before returning. The later actor controversy unfolds at their festival.

    XIII The Over-reached Actor, complete236–246; Girika/Sundara arc236–240, festival continuation244–246; note Kah-gyurvii.ff221–229

German-mediated English rendering and embedded reported biographies; original Tibetan texts and footnoted alternative works not collated. Page labels from transcription. No vow, religious formula, ritual instruction, medical preparation or verse copied.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical translation of Buddhist narrativeSchiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales (1906), XIII, The Over-reached Actor, pp. 236–246, especially pp. 236–240; note cites Kah-gyur vii. ff. 221–229Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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