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Overview
In Jātaka190, a Buddhist disciple and a barber survive a shipwreck by clinging to a plank and reach an island. The disciple reflects on the Three Jewels—Buddha, teaching and community. A serpent king born on that island then transforms his own body into a large ship containing precious treasures. Its masts are described as sapphire, its ropes as silver and its planks as gold. The translation’s golden “anchor” is an explicitly uncertain editorial interpretation of a word, not a securely resolved piece of ship anatomy.
The vessel and its helmsman are separate supernatural beings. The sea-spirit initially offers passage only to the disciple, but accepts the barber after the disciple shares the fruits of his good actions with him. The transformed serpent carries both men across the sea and upstream to Benares. The sea-spirit then creates wealth for them, teaches the value of good company and departs with the serpent king.
The closing identification makes Sāriputta the serpent king and the Buddha the sea-spirit. The introductory account of a faithful layman walking across a river supplies a further religious example of confidence in the Buddha. Neither that frame nor the treasure-vessel episode is a zoological account of an ordinary snake, and no wings or fire-breathing are attributed to the serpent in this witness.
Origins & earliest records
Pāli Jātaka literary tradition; W. H. D. Rouse translator, E. B. Cowell general editor.
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
190, Sīlānisaṃsa-Jātaka, pp.77–78; complete frame, ending 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 editor. 190, Sīlānisaṃsa-Jātaka, pp.77–78; complete frame, ending and three footnotes
Cache data/cache/asia-continuation/jataka2-043.html/.txt. Distinct actors and editorial qualifications preserved.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical primary-text translationComplete Jātaka English account and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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