After a two-week stay in Vesālī, the Buddha announced his departure to the Licchavī princes, who honored him extensively and escorted him to the banks of the Ganges. Upon reaching the banks of the river, something extraordinary happened.

Glimmering metallic vessels surfaced from the depths of the river, and Nāga kings emerged from these craft to pay homage to the Buddha. The people witnessing this spectacular scene were left spellbound.

These Nāga kings then invited the Buddha and his 500 monks to visit the Nāga realm. The Buddha accepted the invitation and boarded the vessels together with the 500 monks. Then the vessels submerged and disappeared into the water—a breathtaking, otherworldly spectacle witnessed by the gathering on the shore.

The Buddha spent the night teaching the Dhamma to the assembled Nāgas. The following morning, the hosts offered a grand meal to the Buddha and his monks before escorting them safely back to the human world.

Reflections on the Nāgas

Personally, I find this account fascinating. It feels almost like a scene from a sci-fi movie: submarine vessels emerging from the river, ferrying the Buddha and his disciples, and descending back into the water.

So, what exactly are Nāgas?

The first Nāga to appear in the Buddha’s story was the Nāga king Mucalinda. He appeared as a great serpent that sheltered the Buddha against a fierce storm shortly after the Buddha attained enlightenment. Here, we note that the Nāga operates within the animal realm.

In this story and elsewhere, Nāgas can assume human form and mingle with humans without revealing themselves. The Vinaya (the monastic code of discipline) records a story of a Nāga who took human form to become a monk. During sleep, he lost control of his appearance and revealed his actual form. That caused panic in the monastery, resulting in the Buddha establishing a rule disallowing Nāgas from joining the monastic order.

In the Āṭānāṭiya Sutta, the Four Great Kings reveal a celestial realm where Nāgas dwell.

From the various texts, it seems that Nāgas can occupy different environments and possess very different degrees of power and status. Some are associated with rivers and underground or hidden realms; others appear among powerful non-human beings associated with the heavenly kings. Some appear in unmistakably serpent-like forms, while others can assume human form.

Just like our human experience, some people live like wandering spirits while some live like devas with their penthouse mansions high above the ground. Similarly, Nāgas appear to live in accordance with their karma too.

Hidden Treasures and the Mahāyāna Connection

In this story, the Nāgas lived underground and traveled in watercraft. Within the Pāli Canon, there is no record of any teachings delivered by the Buddha to the Nāgas in their subterranean city.

Later Mahāyāna tradition tells a very different story. Nāgārjuna, the great Buddhist philosopher, is said to have traveled into the realm of the Nāgas, where he encountered teachings that had been preserved there until humanity was ready to receive them. Most famously, the Nāgas are said to have safeguarded the Prajñāpāramitā, or Perfection of Wisdom, teachings. This story appears in Nāgārjuna’s later hagiographical biographies, including traditions associated with Kumārajīva.

Personally, I like to link these two stories together because:

1. The Pāli Canon was silent on what was being taught to the Nāgas.
2. Nāgārjuna retrieved those teachings at a later time.

Having said that, all of these are just personal conjecture! Also, remember that the story of the Buddha’s visit to the Nāga realm was not an event recorded in the core suttas, but rather a later commentarial account.

Nonetheless, this introduces another role for the Nāga as a safekeeper of treasures, both mundane and Dharma treasures. Thus, the position of the Nāga becomes elevated in Buddhist belief.

Last but not least, although some Nāgas are celestial or powerful spirits, the Buddha did not teach us to pray to them for protection or worship them.

May all be well and happy.