His name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “ocean.” Sāgara is listed among the Eight Great Dragon Kings [ja] and is one of sixteen that are spared from the assault of the garudas.

His frequent inclusion of Sāgara among the several groups of protective deities in Buddhism is a direct reference to the nāgas and his role as one of their primary leaders.

It is 84,000 yojanas in length and width with an array of decorations that are seven-fold, including walls, banisters, jeweled nets and seven rows of trees.

Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra contains the well-known episode of Sāgara's daughter, known simply as nāgakanya ("nāga maiden"), whose transformation allows her to procure the male body of a bodhisattva, followed by becoming a fully enlightened Buddha.

When Siddhārtha discarded the golden bowl provided by Sujātā, Sāgara took it from the bottom of the Nairañjanā River and later gave it to Śakra to be enshrined among the gods in Trāyastriṃśa.