A king of fishes, appointed by the fishes themselves to rule over them (J.i.207; ii.352). He was one of the six monsters of the deep. He lived on one side of the ocean and all the fishes came to him morning and evening to pay their respects. He lived on rock-slime (sevāla) until one day he swallowed, by mistake, a fish. Liking the taste very much, be found out what it was, and from that day he ate fish, unknown to his subjects. Seeing their numbers diminish, they began to grow inquisitive, and one day one of their wise ones hid in the lobe of Ānanda’s ear and discovered him eating the fish which straggled behind. When this was reported to the other fish, they fled in terror and hid themselves. Ānanda, desirous of eating them, searched everywhere; believing that they lay inside a mountain, he encircled it with his body. Seeing his own tail on the other side of the mountain and believing it to be a fish trying to escape, he crunched it in a rage. The tail was fifty leagues long and he suffered excruciating pain. Attracted by the smell of blood, the fish collected round and ate him bit by bit. His skeleton was as big as a mountain, and holy ascetics, flying through the air and seeing it below them, told men about it and the story became famous throughout Jambudīpa. Kāḷahatthi is reported as relating this story to the king in the Mahā Sutasoma Jātaka (J.v.462-4). Ānanda is referred to as an example of great deceitfulness. MA.i.138.