One of the four sons of the Nága-king Dhatarattha and his queen Samuddajá, the others being Sudassana, Bhúridatta and Subhaga. When Kánárittha heard that his mother was a human, wishing to test her one day while drinking her milk, he assumed a serpent's form and struck her foot with his tail. Samuddajá threw him on to the ground with a shriek and accidentally struck his eye with her nail, thereby blinding him. Henceforth he, whose name had been Arittha, was known as Kánárittha (J.vi.168). When, after Bhúridatta's disappearance (see Bhúridatta Játaka) from the Nága-world, his brothers set out to search for him, Kánárittha was sent to the world of the gods, for he was so cruel by nature that they knew that if he went to the world of men he would destroy it by fire (J.vi.190). When, after his search, he returned to the Nága-world, he was appointed doorkeeper of Bhúridatta's sick-room; there, seeing Subhaga dragging a brahmin roughly into the Nága-world, he prevented him from ill-treating the man and told him of the greatness of all brahmins, illustrating his words with various stories (J.vi.197; details see pp.200ff). It is said that in his immediately preceding birth, he had been a brahmin, well-versed in sacrificial lore. Bhúridatta heard (from his bed) Arittha's undue praise of brahmins and refuted his statements (J.vi.205ff).
Kánárittha is identified with Sunakkhatta (J.vi.219).