A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Two otters cooperate in catching fish but fear that dividing their haul might be unfair. Mukhara privately tells each that the other performed the more important and dangerous task. Once both are intimidated, he partitions the fish into heads, tails and bodies, assigning the valuable middle portions to himself as the supposed expert in law. He carries a large portion to his mother, who praises the deception. The otters’ addresses to him as uncle do not establish their biological kinship, while the jackal’s mother is explicitly identified. No magical compulsion is involved.
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
XXXIV, The Two Otters and the Jackal, pp. 332–334; note cites Kah-gyur ff. 94*, 95
- 02
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — XXXIV The Two Otters and the Jackal
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 selectedXXIX–XXXIX314–343, including bothXXXIII variants and all notes, independently read. ChapterXXXVIII read as adjacent corpus context without inventing a new profile; source-language 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)
XXXIV, The Two Otters and the Jackal. XXXIV, The Two Otters and the Jackal, pp. 332–334; note cites Kah-gyur ff. 94*, 95
Whole chapter with footnotes read. Edition’s own Kah-gyur locator retained without claiming original Tibetan inspection. Actual animal acts, explicit Bodisat identification, false divine appointment and mocking afterlife claim kept distinct.
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 selectedXXIX–XXXIX314–343, including bothXXXIII variants and all notes, independently read. ChapterXXXVIII read as adjacent corpus context without inventing a new profile; source-language originals not collated.
- Two otters cooperate to catch fish but hesitate over division. Mukhara privately tells each that the other’s work deserves greater reward, cowing both into silence. He assigns them heads and tails while claiming the middle for legal expertise, then carries a large fish’s body to his mother. Her approving exchange completes the account, exposing arbitration for personal gain.
XXXIV The Two Otters and the Jackal, complete332–334; note Kah-gyurff94*–95
Historical German-mediated English rendering, not independently collated Tibetan manuscript. Page labels from hosted transcription. Religious/moral assertions remain narrative framing. No verse, ritual, prayer, medical preparation or modern adaptation copied.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translation of Buddhist narrativeSchiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales (1906), XXXIV, The Two Otters and the Jackal, pp. 332–334; note cites Kah-gyur ff. 94*, 95Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.