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Overview
Kshemaṅkara, printed Ksheman·kara, gives generously, sails for jewels and saves his jealous brother Pāpaṅkara when a sea monster damages their ship. The brother steals his jewels and blinds him. Living by lute-playing, the prince reaches the kingdom where a princess formerly promised to him now chooses him despite not recognizing him. Her truthful declaration that she has loved only the prince and this blind musician restores one eye. His declaration that he bears his brother no malice restores the other. Their identity established, her father restores him to his father’s throne. The two recoveries have different speakers and claims; the story does not make the lute itself a healing instrument. These are Buddhist narrative truth-acts, not medical treatments.
Origins & earliest records
Indian Buddhist narrative preserved in Tibetan translation
Records & interpretation
Whole chapter and its footnotes directly read in the digitized1906 edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources
XVIII, The Two Brothers, pp. 279–285; note cites Kah-gyur iv. ff. 186–189
- 02
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — XVIII The Two Brothers
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 chaptersXVII273–278/XVIII279–285/XXI291–295 and their notes read; Tibetan and German originals not collated.
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
Schiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources (London, 1906)
XVIII, The Two Brothers. XVIII, The Two Brothers, pp. 279–285; note cites Kah-gyur iv. ff. 186–189
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.
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 chaptersXVII273–278/XVIII279–285/XXI291–295 and their notes read; Tibetan and German originals not collated.
- Generous Kshemaṅkara saves Pāpaṅkara at a wreck but is robbed and blinded by him. After leaving a herdsman’s household over a false accusation, he lives by lute playing. A princess chooses him despite his blindness. Her truthful declaration restores one eye; his declaration of absence of malice toward his betraying brother restores the other. The neighbouring king expels Pāpaṅkara and reinstates him.
Historical German-mediated English translation. Chapter’s Kah-gyur folios are attributed source notes, not independent Tibetan manuscript inspection. Printed-page markers are hosted transcription labels, not separate facsimile collation. No prayer, spell, ritual, medical recipe or modern translation copied.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translation of Buddhist narrativeSchiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales (1906), XVIII, The Two Brothers, pp. 279–285; note cites Kah-gyur iv. ff. 186–189Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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