Serivavāṇijajātaka
“If in this faith.” This lesson too was taught by the Blessed One while at Savatthi, also about a Brother who gave up persevering.
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral
1.1PTS 1.113“Idha ce naṁ virādhesi,If you fail to achieve11.2saddhammassa niyāmataṁ;certainty regarding the true teaching1.3Ciraṁ tvaṁ anutappesi,you’ll regret it for a long time,1.4serivāyaṁva vāṇijo”ti.like this wanton merchant.2
2.1Serivavāṇijajātakaṁ tatiyaṁ.
This verse is mostly the same as AN 8.29:15.1, which I believe is referring to the same story. The commentary tells of a fraudulent merchant who tried to trick a poor woman into thinking her gold vase was worthless.
The commentary says his name was serivā, but this seems implausible, as it is supposed to be after the city of Seri, but that does not appear anywhere else, nor does it play a role in the story. Rather, read seri as “wanton”, for which see svairī in Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.11.5. Serivā is the possessive form, “wanton one”.
