 Pali literature from the 5th century BC gives us a conversation between Mahajanak and the sea goddess Manimekala, as recorded in Mahajanak Yadak, while the former was swimming for his life after a shipwreck. What are you beating your hands in this vast ocean for? Depending upon whom are you making this effort? Oh Goddess, it is my firm belief that in life one should exert as far as possible and therefore, even though the shore is not visible, I am continuing my effort to reach it. This conversation between the shipwrecked Mahajanak and the sea goddess is an indication of the courage of the ancient Indian sailor, steadfast in his efforts to reach the distant other shore. Truly, the age of the merchant explorer had begun.