A person’s character is often revealed when an opportunity to gain something valuable presents itself. While honesty can bring lasting respect, greed can cause someone to lose even what is already within reach. The Buddhist tale of The Merchant of Seri explores these qualities through the experiences of two travelling traders whose decisions lead them towards very different fates.
The story centres on an old golden bowl that an impoverished family has kept for years without recognising its true worth. When two merchants arrive in their town, one sees an opportunity to deceive the family, while the other chooses to act honestly. Their contrasting behaviour leads to a chain of events that reveals the destructive consequences of greed and the importance of perseverance.
Two Merchants Travel to Andhapura
Long ago, there lived a merchant named Seriva who travelled from place to place selling goods made of tin, brass and other metals. He was an honest trader who valued fairness in his dealings with customers.
During one of his journeys, he travelled alongside another merchant who was known for his greed and dishonesty. The two men traded similar goods and travelled together to find customers in different towns.
Eventually, they crossed the river Tēla-vāha and arrived in Andhapura. After entering the town, they agreed to divide its streets between themselves. Each merchant would visit a different section and sell his merchandise without interfering with the other’s customers.
This arrangement allowed both men to conduct their business separately. The dishonest merchant went first into the streets assigned to him, while Seriva continued with his own part of the town.
Neither merchant knew that an encounter with a poor household would determine the outcome of their journey.
The Poor Grandmother and Her Granddaughter
In one part of Andhapura lived an elderly grandmother and her young granddaughter. They had once belonged to a more prosperous family, but their male relatives had died, and their wealth had gradually disappeared.
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The two women were left with very little. Their circumstances were so difficult that they struggled to obtain even the necessities of everyday life.
Among their household possessions was an old golden bowl. It had been neglected and treated like an ordinary utensil because the women did not know that it was made of gold.
One day, the granddaughter wished to have an ornament. She suggested that they exchange the old bowl for something useful or valuable.
Her grandmother agreed that they could try to find someone willing to exchange it. Since they did not understand its true worth, they had no reason to suspect that the bowl might be more valuable than anything else they possessed.
The Dishonest Merchant Examines the Bowl
While travelling through the streets, the greedy merchant eventually arrived at the house where the grandmother and her granddaughter lived.
The granddaughter saw an opportunity to obtain the ornament she wanted and asked the merchant whether he would exchange something for their old bowl.
The grandmother brought it out and allowed him to examine it.
The merchant immediately recognised that the bowl was made of gold. He understood that it was extremely valuable and realised that acquiring it could bring him considerable wealth.
However, instead of offering a fair price, he decided to deceive the women. He pretended that the bowl was worthless and told them that it had no real value.
He threw it down and walked away without offering them anything in exchange.
The grandmother and granddaughter were disappointed by his response, but they did not know that he had deliberately concealed the truth. They believed that the bowl was of little importance and continued with their daily activities.
The dishonest merchant left the house thinking that he could return later and obtain the golden bowl for almost nothing.
Seriva Discovers the Golden Bowl
After the greedy merchant had departed, Seriva entered the same part of the town while selling his goods.
He eventually reached the grandmother’s house, where the granddaughter again asked whether he would exchange something for their old bowl.
The women brought it out for him to inspect.
Unlike the first merchant, Seriva examined the bowl carefully and immediately recognised its true value. He explained that it was made of gold and worth one hundred thousand.
The grandmother was astonished. She had believed that the bowl was merely an ordinary household object, and she could hardly understand how it could be worth so much.
She offered it to Seriva in exchange for something small, believing that his honesty and kindness had somehow revealed the value of an object she had possessed for years.
Seriva did not attempt to exploit their poverty. He understood that the women had no knowledge of the bowl’s worth and deserved to receive a fair exchange.
He decided to give them everything he could afford.
The Honest Exchange
Seriva gave the grandmother five hundred pieces of money. He also offered merchandise worth another five hundred pieces.
Together, the money and goods amounted to one thousand pieces of value. This was everything he possessed apart from eight pennies, his carrying bag and his yoke.
He retained only those few items because he needed them to continue his journey. The rest he handed over to the poor household in exchange for the golden bowl.
The grandmother and her granddaughter were overwhelmed by his generosity. Their old possession had suddenly become the means through which they could escape their poverty.
Seriva took the bowl and prepared to leave. He had acted fairly, even though he could have taken advantage of the women’s ignorance and kept most of the wealth for himself.
After completing the exchange, he continued towards the river, intending to cross it and proceed with his journey.
The Greedy Merchant Returns
Meanwhile, the dishonest merchant had begun to think again about the golden bowl.
He had hoped that the women would accept his earlier claim that it was worthless. He expected to return and obtain it cheaply after they had become discouraged by his refusal.
When he arrived at the house again, he asked the grandmother to bring out the bowl.
She explained that another merchant had already examined it, recognised its value and exchanged a considerable amount of money and merchandise for it.
She told him that the honest trader had given them five hundred pieces of money and goods worth another five hundred.
The greedy merchant immediately understood what had happened.
He realised that the bowl he had deliberately dismissed was worth a fortune. By refusing to make an honest offer, he had lost the opportunity to acquire it.
His dishonesty had not brought him the advantage he expected. Instead, it had allowed another merchant to obtain the valuable object through a fair transaction.
The Merchant’s Desperate Pursuit
The greedy merchant became overwhelmed with anger and regret. He could not accept that another trader had acquired the golden bowl after he had discovered its value first.
In his distress, he threw away his money and merchandise. He abandoned his clothing and took up his carrying yoke as though it were a weapon.
He then rushed towards the river, determined to catch Seriva before the boat carrying him reached the opposite bank.
By the time he arrived at the river, Seriva had already boarded a boat. The greedy merchant shouted to the boatman, begging him to stop and bring the vessel back.
He desperately wanted another opportunity to obtain the golden bowl.
However, Seriva recognised the danger of allowing the dishonest merchant to approach him. He instructed the boatman not to stop or return.
The boat continued across the river, carrying Seriva and the golden bowl away from the greedy trader.
The merchant watched helplessly as the distance between them increased. His desire to recover the bowl became unbearable, and his disappointment overwhelmed him.
According to the tale, his grief became so intense that his heart broke and he died.
The Buddha Reveals the Meaning of the Story
The story does not end with the death of the greedy merchant. It forms part of a Buddhist teaching narrative in which the Buddha uses the events to explain the consequences of discouragement and lost perseverance.
The Buddha identifies Seriva as himself in a former birth. The greedy merchant is identified as Devadatta, who appears in Buddhist tradition as a rival of the Buddha.
Through this account, the Buddha illustrates how a person can lose a valuable opportunity through poor judgement and an unwillingness to act rightly.
Seriva recognised the value of the bowl and dealt honestly with the poor women. The other merchant also recognised its value, but his greed prevented him from making a fair offer. His decision eventually cost him far more than the opportunity to acquire the bowl.
The tale therefore presents honesty as a virtue that must guide action, while warning that greed and discouragement can lead to suffering.
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Moral Lessons
The Merchant of Seri teaches that honesty is more valuable than temporary personal gain. Seriva could have deceived the grandmother and taken advantage of her ignorance, just as the other merchant attempted to do. Instead, he offered a fair exchange and gave the family a chance to improve their circumstances. His conduct demonstrates the importance of integrity, especially when dealing with people who are vulnerable or less informed.
The story also warns against greed and the refusal to accept responsibility for one’s decisions. The dishonest merchant recognised the bowl’s value but chose deception over fairness. When another trader acted honestly, he could not accept the consequences of his own behaviour. His tragic end illustrates how uncontrolled desire and regret can destroy a person who refuses to act with wisdom.
Knowledge Check
1. What goods did Seriva sell during his travels?
He travelled from place to place selling goods made of tin, brass and other metals.
2. Where did the two merchants go after crossing the river Tēla-vāha?
They entered the town of Andhapura.
3. Why did the grandmother and her granddaughter want to exchange the old bowl?
The granddaughter wanted an ornament, and they believed the old bowl could be exchanged for something useful.
4. How much did Seriva give the poor family for the golden bowl?
He gave them five hundred pieces of money and merchandise worth another five hundred pieces.
5. Why did the greedy merchant pursue Seriva to the river?
He realised that he had lost the opportunity to acquire the valuable golden bowl after deliberately pretending it was worthless.
6. What lesson does the Buddha teach through the story?
The story teaches the consequences of greed and discouragement while showing the importance of honesty, wisdom and perseverance.
Source
This retelling is based on “Seri-Vāṇija Jātaka,” also titled “The Merchant of Sēri,” Jātaka No. 3 in Buddhist Birth Stories; or, Jātaka Tales, Volume I, edited by V. Fausbøll and translated by T. W. Rhys Davids, published in 1880.
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