SUMMARY OF VOLUME TWO
Chapter One
Chapter 1 begins with a brief history of the lineage of the Mukpo clan.
Since Chipön, the chief, is omniscient, he knows that the land of Ling is destined to tame the wild demons that are its enemies. To this end, he sings a long song supplicating the buddhas and bodhisattvas to send a magical, divine child to accomplish this miraculous activity.
Gyatsha Zhalkar, Senglön’s eldest son and one of the mightiest and most respected warriors of Ling, is invited to China by the emperor, his maternal grandfather. While he is gone, there are skirmishes between Ling and Gog. In one of these battles, Lenpa Chögyal, Chipön’s middle son and Gyatsha’s cousin, is killed in battle. When Gyatsha returns from China, he knows nothing of what has occurred. But upon hearing the news, he swears revenge. Although Chipön tries to dissuade him from renewing the fighting, saying Lenpa Chögyal had already been avenged, Gyatsha is unmoved and again the armies of Ling attack Gog. The troublemaker Trothung betrays Ling by sending a magical arrow with a letter warning the king of Gog that the Ling armies’ attack is imminent, giving him enough time to escape. When the Ling army arrives, the king of Gog has already fled, but his adopted daughter, the nāginī Yelga Dzeiden, has not escaped with him. Magically, a very thick fog suddenly arises, and she is enveloped within it. Her special dri, carrying all her treasures from the nāga realm, runs away and the nāginī pursues her, first on horseback and then on foot, until finally she collapses in exhaustion and falls asleep. When she awakens the Ling army is already surrounding her.
Previously, when the Ling army set out, Senglön, Gesar’s future father, performed an arrow divination that showed that the army of Ling would reap great treasures as the spoils of the campaign. However, King Trothung thought otherwise, as he had already secretly warned the king of Gog to flee, and so he told King Senglön that whatever treasures came to them that day would be Senglön’s alone. That is the day they find Yelga Dzeiden in the forest. Her beauty and qualities are described in detail in the epic. They call her Gogza or Gogmo, “Girl of Gog,” because they know her to be a daughter of the king of Gog, Ralo Tönpa Gyaltsen. When the soldiers of Ling interrogate her, asking, “Who are you? Where are the soldiers of Gog?” she tells them her own history but not the location of the army, as she will not betray her adopted clan.
Upon finding her, King Senglön claims her as rightfully his, since all the treasures of the day had been promised to him. Uncle Trothung now objects, wanting the girl for himself and so arguing that a girl is not to be a treasure. Nevertheless, the arbiter of Ling, Werma Lhadar, rules in favor of King Senglön, so Gogza is then destined to become Senglön’s second wife. Returning with him to Ling, she rouses the jealousy of Senglön’s first wife, Gyaza, and is forced by her to live in a little tent behind the king’s main tent. Gyaza’s son, Gyatsha Zhalkar, on the other hand, is very civil and courteous to Gogza because she was his first prize of war, and as such very precious to him.
Chapter Two
One day, Gogza aimlessly wanders to the shores of a lake. The reflections in the lake, the waves, and the sound of the water all remind her of the nāga realm and her parents and family. She is filled with longing for her homeland, and her eyes brim up with tears as she sings a song of yearning for her parents and for Padmasambhava. At that moment, her father, the nāga king, appears riding a gray steed. He sings to her an uplifting song of encouragement and advice, and gives her a wish-fulfilling jewel. Her body is filled with joy and her mind becomes so clear that she gains mastery over all appearances. Then she drifts off to sleep on the shore of the lake.
As she dreams, Padmasambhava appears to her, coming from the southwest, riding white clouds. He places a five-pointed golden vajra upon her crown and gives the following prophecy:
“A magical, divine child will be born to you, who will tame all dark forces, demons, and māras. He will be king of Tibet and conquer the four principal and eight lesser neighboring savage lands, becoming their sovereign and guru. When he is born, his first drink will be offered by your father, Tsugna Rinchen; his first garments will be offered by the nyen (spirits of the earth). You must be the first person to respond to him. Magyal Pomra (the local mountain spirit, actually a realized bodhisattva) will serve his first meal.”
As prophesied, shortly thereafter she becomes pregnant, accompanied by many miraculous signs. She has numerous dialogues with the infant Joru during the pregnancy. At his birth, Padmasambhava sings a beautiful song of prayer for Joru to be guarded by the wermas and other protectors, and to have certain weapons, ministers, and so forth; in short, that he will have all that is necessary to accomplish his enlightened deeds.
Joru’s elder brother, Gyatsha Zhalkar, rejoices in the birth of this precious child and consults with Chipön. He has noticed marvelous signs, for example that the infant Joru looks like a child of three months when he is actually only three days old. Gyatsha asks if any special ceremonies should be performed or steps should be taken for the safety and well-being of this remarkable child. Chipön replies that according to the Mother Text of the Mukpo clan, the child will be protected from all harm that might come to him. The chapter concludes with their dialogue.
Chapter Three
Trothung is jealous that his brother Senglön has such an exceptional child, and he tries to kill Joru through poison and black magic. First, Trothung pretends he is a benevolent uncle, fawning over the child, and tells Joru’s mother he would like to give the child his first food from human hands. As the meal is heavily laced with poison, Trothung is sure the food will kill the boy immediately, but Joru does not die. Then Trothung negotiates with the black magician Amnye Gompa Raja to kill the child, promising to give him the inner treasures of Ling if he succeeds. The black magician tries to kill the infant, but clairvoyantly Joru already knows the plot. Joru knows that the time is right to tame Gompa Raja, so he asks his mother to bring him four pebbles, and he places the four pebbles around himself in the four directions. With these pebbles as their support, his protectors emanate armies of deities in all directions, guarding Joru from all harm or defeat. These protectors include his three sibling protectors, his older brother Dungkhyung Karpo, his younger brother Ludrül Ödchung [Nāga Serpent Little Light], [Sing] Cham Thalei Ötro [Sister Completely Luminous], and also Nyen Gedzom and the nine supreme dralas.
Gompa Raja arrives and invokes demonic forces in his attempt to kill Joru, but Joru liberates Gompa Raja and the many demons and then emanates as Gompa Raja and pretends to kill the appearance of Joru. Still in the guise of Gompa Raja, he takes Joru’s skin to Trothung and demands his payment, the promised inner treasures of Ling. Trothung gives the precious treasures to the Gompa Raja imposter, who is actually Joru. This is how Joru comes to possess the riches. The false Gompa Raja leaves Joru’s skin behind as he departs, telling Trothung, “This skin is not dead yet.”
After a moment, the skin moves and its eyes are clear and smiling. Trothung becomes frightened and begins to doubt that Joru has actually been killed. He goes to Gompa Raja’s cave, which is blocked by a boulder and marked with a boundary sign. Peeking within, he sees the bag of Gompa Raja’s pay and his staff leaning against the boulder. Trothung rejoices that Joru seems to really be dead, and Tro-thung then manifests as a rat to enter the cave. Once inside, he cannot find the bag or staff anywhere. Trothung thinks that perhaps he was unable to see them because he was in the form of a rat, so he transforms his head back into a human head, but his body remains as that of a rat. Looking around, the bag and staff are nowhere to be found, and everything inside there is just black and charred. At that moment, Joru appears and binds him with magic so that Trothung cannot transform back into a human body. Trothung apologizes profusely and makes exaggerated promises, begging to be released from Joru’s magical spell.
Chapter Four
One night Padmasambhava, with oceans of ḍākinīs, appears in Joru’s dream and gives him the following prophecy and advice:
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br /> “You must take over the Ma Valley and tame the cannibal demons with your miraculous powers. Make sure you alter the dreams, special indications, and divinations of Ling, which now all reveal you as a divine child, so that you will be forced out of Ling and can depart with your mother for the Ma Valley. The Ma Valley borders the demonic land of Hor and other countries that you must conquer. The deity of Magyal Pomra Mountain in the Ma Valley is the principal protector of Tibet. The Ma Valley itself is the heart of Tibet. Now it is a wilderness, and the wild pikas are the masters of the rivers and meadows there. The wealthy silk road route that passes through this region is constantly robbed by bandits from Hor. The roads there are all narrow and treacherous footpaths. There are no dogs, but the pikas will bite; there are no leopards, but the wolves will kill; you must take possession of that land and break faith with the people of Ling through your wild and unconventional conduct. Make sure the rumor spreads that your mother, Gogza, is a demoness, and that her son, Joru, is a cannibal cub. Continuously break the laws of White Ling, and bring down evil dreams and bad signs on the people. If you do, you will be banished from the land. This humiliation will allow your inner qualities to be revealed. The proverbs say: ‘The inner qualities of the tigers in their primen are revealed by the enemy.’”
Joru follows this prophetic advice and appears to commit many crimes, including murder and cannibalism. Finally, he casts a magical illusion so that the young girl, Drugmo—in fact, his future queen—thinks that she sees Gesar killing some of Uncle Trothung’s men. She tells others of what she has seen, and as she is loved and respected by all, of course she is trusted as a witness. Trothung’s men are actually just lost in the forest, but before they return, Joru and his mother are banished. This is the means through which Joru is able to leave the land of his birth, just as Padmasambhava has instructed.
Chapter Five
While the decision is being made to banish Joru and his mother, Joru’s wild and criminal behavior causes Chipön to ponder carefully. “There is no doubt that Joru is the emanation of a great being, as told in the prophecies of the deities and ḍākinīs, but his recent conduct has violated the laws of White Ling. I do not know what his true intention is, but it is certain that he is intent upon being unlawful. Moreover, since he is a divine child, it is inappropriate that ordinary regulations should apply to him. What am I to do? Previously, all the signs were encouraging, but this year, all dreams and prophecies are dire. I must consult the famous diviner, Moma Künshei Thigpo, whose mirror divinations are acutely accurate.”
Then Chipön falls asleep, and before dawn, he dreams of a ḍākinī holding a long-life arrow, saying, “Although Joru’s birthplace is excellent, if this divine child who has manifested as a human stays only in his homeland and is not able to take ownership of the Ma Valley, which is the place where he will tame the four māras, he will be of no benefit. He must go to the Ma Valley. To heal the broken laws of White Ling, do not tolerate his wild behavior but banish him! In three years, the Dza and Dri valleys will be covered in white silk [meaning snowdrifts], and the wild ass, starving, will even search the skies for food. During this time the Ma Valley will remain beautiful like a conch stupa, and adorned with great fertile fields like patches of five-colored silk.”
The insightful Chipön understands the meaning of these poetic sentences and convenes the council of leaders in order to give the command to banish Joru to the Turquoise Valley of Lower Ma [Mamed Yulung Sumdo]. Even Joru’s mother is now giving rise to doubt concerning Joru’s behavior, since the illusion of his cannibalism and other atrocities are so convincing. Although the council agrees to the punishment, none wants to bear the news to Joru. In fact, Joru already knows of the decision, and Magyal Pomra, the protector, has already moved all of Joru’s belongings to the Ma Valley, but outward appearances remain unchanged. In the council, Gyatsha offers to deliver the news himself, but then the minister Denma volunteers to go. When Denma arrives at Joru’s camp, Joru has pitched a tent of human skin with tent ropes made of human intestines, surrounded by a fence of both human and horse corpses, some fresh and some decomposing. The scene is so atrocious that even the habits of the cannibals of Langkapuri were as nothing! Denma thinks, “It is tragic that the lineage of Chöphen Nagpo has come to this.”
Then Denma begins to doubt. “People say he is a murderer, but no one has witnessed his killing. Although there are many corpses lying around here, there are no accounts of those who have been killed or gone missing. Perhaps this is just a magical illusion.” Thinking in this way, suddenly his mind is filled with unshakable faith for Joru because of previous karmic connections. Thinking that he will wave to Joru using his sword, Denma stops himself because that would be disrespectful, as a sword is what is used to summon enemies. Likewise, a whip is used for horses, so that is also inappropriate. Finally he uses the flag from his helmet to gesture to Joru. The boy strolls over to him, while gnawing on a human arm.
Joru greets Denma warmly, and at that moment the corpses of humans and horses vanish like a mirage. In that instant all impure perceptions disappear, leaving only pure wisdom phenomena. Denma respectfully removes his weapons and armor and leaves them on the doorstep, but Joru gently chides him, saying, “Do not leave those there—they are the castle for the drala,” and he carries them inside with his own hands. During their visit, Joru and Denma exchange songs and conversation, rekindling their strong and affectionate connection as inseparable friends. In conclusion, Joru tells Denma, “Now go back to Ling and I will follow after you. Tell them that although you were afraid to approach me, you delivered your message from a distance and I agreed to come to the council. For a time do not tell anyone what we have spoken of.”
When Joru is banished and prepares to leave Ling, everyone forgets his crimes and their eyes fill with tears of sadness. Before his departure Joru tells Gyatsha Zhalkar, his older brother, “Don’t worry. Everything is happening exactly as foreseen in the wisdom prophecies. Magyal Pomra has already made preparations to receive me, so I need neither companions nor provisions to accompany me.” Joru and his mother leave Ling and travel to the Ma Valley, where they settle and live on wild yams and pikas that he kills with his slingshot. Joru lives like a hunter and a thief, capturing many merchants who travel between China, India, Hor, Ladakh, and other lands, and he forces them to build castles in the Ma Valley.
Chapter Six
One winter, the country of Ling is so severely buried under snow that everyone fears for their lives. In the Ma Valley, however, it is as warm as spring. It is decided that Gyatsha Zhalkar and five warriors will journey to Ma and request that Joru allow the Lingites to settle in Ma until the severe weather has passed. As they approach him, Joru sees them from a distance, and in order to humble them he pretends not to recognize them, but he shoots a stone from his slingshot that shatters a great boulder nearby. Its mighty sound frightens the warriors, and several of them faint. When Gyatsha identifies himself, Joru’s attitude completely changes, and he then greets them hospitably. A lengthy exchange between Gyatsha and Joru follows, and they agree that the people of Ling should make the Ma Valley their home. Gyatsha takes the news back to Ling, and the people gather their belongings in preparation for the long journey. When they arrive in Ma, Joru sings a lengthy song, telling them of the qualities of the divine Ma Valley, and giving a section to each of the Thirty Warriors of Ling. In the song, he introduces himself as King Joru and describes himself thus: “Outwardly I am a lonely, wandering beggar boy. Inwardly, I am the castle for the dralas. Secretly, I am the embodiment of all victorious ones.”
The people of Ling all praise him and tell one another, “What do you expect from a descendent of the great Mukpo lineage?” Gesar’s uncle Trothung, however, is not so happy because Joru gives him the worst piece of property. Nevertheless, Trothung’s son receives a fine estate, so Trothung’s spirits are not entirely downcast.
The local spirits of the Ma Valley protect the people of Ling and nurture them so that
the poor become rich and the lowly become mighty. At one point, Joru gathers the people together and reveals terma, spiritual treasures, from the lower Magyal Pomra Mountain. These include a golden Śākyamuni statue, an Avalokiteśvara statue made of conch, and a turquoise Tārā statue. He also reveals a conch horn, a drum, cymbals, and a flag, all for military—not ritual—use; and additionally, he reveals a key and map for accessing other treasures. All who witness this are moved by this miraculous display, and many favorable signs appear such as a rain of flowers falling from the sky, a tent of rainbows filling the air, and sweet smells rising up from the earth. After this auspicious event, the flourishing of Ling redoubles. Each warrior builds a castle on his territory, and the people enjoy prosperity and well-being.
SUMMARY OF VOLUME THREE
Chapter One
Joru is so unique for two reasons. From the dharma perspective he is a manifestation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; from a worldly perspective, he is the son of the gods, the earth spirits, and the subterranean beings, all three. From both perspectives, Joru’s special manifestation makes him a kind of superhuman being. His enlightened activities, as well as his worldly display of magic, contribute to his unique gift to transform circumstances and benefit others.
As for Joru being the son of the gods, nyen, and nāgas, it can be explained that before he manifests in this realm, he is born in the upper pure lands as the son of the king of gods, and from there he intentionally takes rebirth in the human realm, so he remains a son of the gods, or a godling. He is a son of the nāgas, because his mother was a nāginī princess, and he is a son of the earth-spirit nyen, because his mother has a vision of the king of the nyen when he is conceived.
The Epic of Gesar of Ling Page 6