The Epic of Gesar of Ling
Page 18
Listen to the words of our account as
We entreat you to examine our predicament, and reply.
This is the respectful request that we nāga subjects submit to you.
Then the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen answered. “Oh, I understand, I understand, oh dear, oh dear, oh my goodness!”
If there is no roost, the bird does not land.212
Without the bird’s sudden flight, a horse has no cause to bolt.
And if the horse does not bolt, why would the rider’s head crack?213
In the land of humans in Jambudvīpa, there must be a black magician performing magical feats. Otherwise, there’s no reason for this to have happened. Therefore, as it says in the ancient proverbs:
When it’s time to chant the teaching, the lama’s voice is lost;
When it’s time to give, the patron’s hands are cramped;
When it’s time to run, the hamstrings of the horse quiver,
When it’s time to hunt, the hound is short of breath.
We of the nāga race are supposed to have clairvoyant powers,
Why can we not see through this darkness?
Why could we not foresee this problem?
Let all diviners perform divinations
And all you astrologers draw up your charts.
Let humans supplicate the gods
And the gods give them healing rituals to perform.
In the highland pass of Marshöd
Dwells Dorje Ngangyagb of the Mar Valley.
He is a master of divination and prophetic rites
And he is a great friend to the noble caste of the nāgas,
Call on him, the prognosticator, for all you need.
Moreover, the nāgas of our five provinces
Should discuss a plan and consult with one another.
If you have understood what you have heard, it is helpful for your mind.
If you don’t like this, then you don’t need to listen.
Bear this in mind, nāga subjects!
[A nāga child is dispatched to request the divination. Padma secretly suborns the diviner to perjury.]
Thus it was said, and everyone in the kingdom agreed to summon the divination master. They decided to send a young nāga child named Nangwa Ziden [Majestic Appearance] to Marshöd Shelkar Lhadrag [Lower Valley of Mar Crystal Divine Crag] to call on the diviner god. Meanwhile, Lotus Skull Garland, bringing down a veil of obscurity on the nāgas, entreated the diviner god Dorje Ngangkar to fulfill his aims, saying, “The nāga king Tsugna Rinchen is dispatching somebody to summon you, Dorje Ngangkar. When he comes, tell him that the only way to cure the nāga illness is to summon the Mantra Holder Rākṣa Skull Garland and, in particular, that everyone must willingly obey his command or not only will there be no benefit, the entire nāga kingdom will be in danger of extinction. As the proverb of the wise ones states:
The six curing medicines will cure with the minor ingredients;
The piercing bamboo arrow is sped by its feathers;
The plow works by extending its iron teeth.”
After Lotus Skull Garland spoke, the divination god promised to obey his command. Then, the nāga child Nangwa Ziden instantly arrived in the highland valley through magical powers. Offering the divination god Dorje Ngangkar a radiant crystal jewel with one eye, he said, “Master of the divination ceremonies of the phenomenal world, with clairvoyant powers like a king, you possess the divine eye that knows all. We of the pure kingdom of the nāgas have been struck by eighteen different maladies, many of which were previously unknown. Why did this happen? What have we done wrong? We don’t know what will help us or what medicines will restore us. The king of the nāgas, Tsugna Rinchen, has sent me to quickly come here with these tidings in order to invite you, the famous and renowned diviner Dorje Ngangkar, to come from Jambudvīpa, the country of the nyen. Please listen attentively, and accept our invitation.” So saying, the nāga child Nangwa Ziden then offered this song to the diviner god Dorje Ngangkar:
The song begins with Ala.
Thala brings the melody along.
In the clear and luminous crystal castle,
Within a tent of rainbow clouds of light,
On a throne of precious gems,
Master of divination in the phenomenal world,
Dorje Ngangkar, please listen to me.
In case you don’t recognize me,
I am the nāga child Nangwa Öddenc
From the exalted treasure gate of the water-dwelling nāgas.
According to the ancient proverbs:
Dawn cannot help but break,
Led by the royal parasol of the sun.
This is the reason darkness is dispelled.214
The dove cannot help but coo
When the royal bird, the cuckoo,d is the messenger.
This is the reason the earth and water warm.
The humble servant cannot help but rush around
When the chief who sits on high gives orders.
This is the reason there is such urgency.
In the kingdom of the water-dwelling nāgas
Unimaginable evil omens and unwelcomed diseases previously unknown
Have suddenly emerged!
Please explain what has happened, and why.
Diviner, we urgently entreat you to come and help.
You the white snow mountain god and we the cool nāgas
Are counted as relatives and numbered as friends.
We keep face by upholding these oaths.
Therefore make haste in these matters of great importance.
If a small spark of fire is not extinguished,
When the flames consume the mountains and valleys it is too late.
If the canals are not built when the water is low,
When the floods breach the banks it is too late.
You diviner, please hold this in your mind.”
[The diviner then departs for the nāga land, where the king formally requests the divination.]
Then the divination god Dorje Ngangkar thought, “Just yesterday215 I promised Ācārya Padmasambhava to follow his vile plan. It is as the proverbs say:
A deed promised must be swiftly taken up,
Lest it slip away.”
With this thought in mind, the diviner said, “Oh yes. Although the middle nyens and the lower nāgas are blood relatives,216 they have harmony as well as discord217 and when enemies converge, they will unite to face them, just as:
There are many varieties of herbs and grasses that grow from the ground,218
Yet when the winds blow, the tips of their blades will bend in the same direction.
There are various constellations that appear in the sky,
Yet when the sun rises, they will fade away together.
Thinking along these lines, there’s no way for me to say ‘I cannot go.’” He loaded three hundred and sixty divination threads; one thousand five hundred divination sticks; one hundred and fifty divination stones; thirty-two divination arrows; a three-thousand six hundred square divination board; and the divination text onto the backs of fifty mules and set out with the nāga child Nangwa Ödden as his companion. Eventually they arrived at Sidpa Yutso [Cosmic Turquoise Lake], the domain of the nāgas.
There the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen offered Dorje Ngangkar the jewel Ting-öd Münsel [Blue Light That Dispels Darkness] and his moonstone rosary called Chusel Tsanei Künjom [Water Crystals Curing All Fevers] as he offered this song:
E If this is sung from the secret pathway of the throat,
The story of words will emerge of its own accord.
Listen, Dorje Ngangkar, master in phenomenal existence,
Principal diviner, astrologer and mirror diviner,
According to the ancient proverbs:
Although the shaft of the arrow may be fine and straight,
If it is not ornamented with the feathers of a white vulture
It is difficult to shoot straight on the paths of the wind.
O
f course the story is enticing when put to words,
But if the mind does not extract the meaning
It is difficult to discern the main point.
Just before midnight on the night before last,
Across the ocean path of the nāga country,
A poisonous dagger emitting pestilential vapors, and
Causing a tempest that nearly combined the earth and water,
Fell in the very heart of the land of nāgas.
From that day onward
The kingdom of the nāgas became afflicted with deadly disease;219
Eighteen types of illness are blazing like fire.
We are far from knowing what measures to take to remedy our situation.
According to the ancient proverbs, it states:
The frost that comes between autumn and winter;
Is it really a great sign,
Or is it simply the fact that bad times are approaching?
A great river that runs between shade and sun;
Is it really raging with contention,
Or simply surging in its course through the valley?
In the vast sky of the azure firmament,
The lone royal parasol of the sun has become lost.
If it did not divide the golden sphere of the moon,
How could we distinguish the white waxing and the red waning?
In the northern plains of Achen
A lone traveler has become lost.
If the constellation of the Pleiades failed to appear,
How could he distinguish east from west?
In the nāga domain, the treasure gate of the cool lakes,
Tsugna Rinchen has become lost.
If the prognosticator does not give his predictions,
There’s no way of knowing what healing rituals should be performed.
Therefore, diviner, we entreat you to decode the divination.
Please tie the knots in the divination cords.
Arrange the sections of the divination charts
And spread your divination stones on the ground.
Arrange the divine arrows in their rows and
We will prepare whatever materials may be necessary.
Accordingly, please tell us what you need.
Diviner, bear this in mind.
Thus he sang.
[The diviner strategizes in advance the complex construction of his false divination, performs the ceremonies, and delivers the prognostication that they must hire Padmasambhava at all cost.]
Then the diviner god Dorje Ngangkar thought to himself,
“A clever man who spins a web of lies
Must review his tricky thoughts three times over,
Or there is no way a good thinker will accept his stories.
A white vulture with wings of wind
Must circle three times in the highest path of the birds,
Or there is no way to land on the earth.
It must be like that.” Then he said, “In order to do divinations for the king of the nāgas, for the illness of the nāga population at large, and for important affairs in general, the supporting materials, practice materials, and bases for offerings must be abundant. If not, I need hardly say how dangerous and great this epidemic could become. The stainless, divine white divination ground,e the thirteen golden grooved220 divine arrows, the fifty varieties of precious jewels, the collar bone of a white vulture, the right leg of a white ewe, the untarnished crystal mirror; these things must be prepared. Later I will be able to tell you what is necessary based on the outcome of the divination.”221
Immediately they arranged all the necessary materials before him. Then the diviner Dorje Ngangkar placed the stainless white basis for divination in front of himself. It was ornamented with the thirteen golden grooved divine arrows. The collarbone of a white vulture and the right leg of a white ewe were placed upon it. He fastened the untarnished crystal mirror upon that, spread the fifty varieties of precious jewels on that basis, and arranged the three-hundred-and-sixty-square divination board and also the one thousand five hundred garuḍa sticks, three hundred and sixty knotted threads, as well as the thirty-two divine arrows. He rubbed his hands together, pressing hard for a powerful and clear indication, and broke into this song:
So!222 From the upper glorious spirit castle,
The divination master of the phenomenal world,
Son of Yel, Thor, and Dar, these three,223
Ancestors of divination, dralas of the phenomenal world: So!
Masang nyen, master of the azure firmament: So!
Sidpa Kunshei Thangpa [Knower of Existence Who Dwells on the Plains]: So!
Be the guides of the divination I make here today.
Dark fog obscures the divination.
Hidden turmoil obstructs the divination.
Clear the obstruction of delusion causing stupidity and dullness.
Clear the covering that is like clouds from above.
Clear the covering that is like fog from below.
Clear the clouds that are like dust in the middle.
Uncovered, it will be clearer than a radiant and luminous crystal
And polishing will make it more beautiful than the finest turquoise.
I perform this illuminating divination today
Because the kingdom of the pure nāgas
Is oppressed by impure obscurations.
To begin with, how has this occurred?
Secondly what are the conditions?
Finally, what will happen?
What can be done to remedy this?
Clearly reveal all answers, hiding and obscuring nothing as well!
[Then the diviner Dorje Ngangkar gives the results of the bogus divination.]
Oh my goodness! This divination is disturbing.
The beginning of the divination is good, but overall it is very heavy.
The future may look up, but right now there is a decline.
Even so, perhaps the healing ceremonies will work, although
These bad omens seem impossible and the diseases incurable!
In the kingdoms of the nāgas this
First came about from the land of humans
When the king of Tibet, Trisong Deutsen,
Invited the Master [Padma] and erected the temple.
Unable to tame the minds of the nāgas,
It seems they broke Padma’s command and this punishment is the result.
And furthermore, we are all plagued by demonic forces that disturb the hearth and cause baneful smoke infections.
If remedies are not performed soon,
The kingdom of the nāgas will surely be emptied.
The remedy to cure this must come from the human land of Jambudvīpa
Where there is a guru who cleanses such foul pollution.
If you are unable to invite this Guru Padma to come here,
Then remedy and hope are both exhausted.
According to the tradition of the ancient Tibetan sayings:
When it comes to life itself, don’t be stingy with possessions;
When it comes to possessions, don’t be careless;
When it comes to care-taking, be zealous in your exertion.
If the enemy does not suddenly fall upon you,
Hearing scary stories of the enemy’s approach is just sweet conversation.
If a long dispute does not turn into the price of blood revenge,
Then the exchange of harsh words can terminate the demonic forces.
Nāga king, bear this in mind.”
[The nāga king convenes an assembly to decide how to act on the divination.]
Thus he sang, and then the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen thought,
One life’s accumulation of wealth and property
May serve to feed and clothe one man.
But if this fails to benefit the obsession with the cherished life itself,
One day it will be an impermanent illusion.
Then he said: “Oh, good, so be it, kind pr
ognosticator.
Whoever benefits us is kin; whoever harms us is foe.
The response to benefit is kindness; the response to evil is harm.
A man who doesn’t know this is the worst of the worst.
For your great kindness, prognosticator, I offer thirteen mule packs of precious gems.” Then he was escorted home with his offerings.
The next day, nāgas from the royal and merchant caste down to the commoners and untouchables all convened on the Turquoise Meadow.f
“Now just as the diviner said yesterday,224 we have no choice but to invite Guru Padma. However, none of us have ever seen or met him before. It would be difficult for the nāga nobility to go to him. Is there anyone who would undertake the task of inviting him?”
The son of the black-throated nāga commoners, the nāga child Yerpa’i Trin-ga [Cloud Lover of Yerpa] said, “I will call on the greatly kind Master [Padmasambhava] and try to get him to make a solemn vow [to come]. I will see if I can obtain the transmission of the profound samaya. It is easier to send a little kid, so it has fallen to me to go.” Everybody who met there was in agreement about this. [Then Tsugna Richen said:]
“You, the nāga child, Yerpa’i Trin-ga:
A man dispatched and an arrow unloosed
Should go where they’re sent and land where they’re aimed.
If we have the karma for the Lotus Guru from Uḍḍiyāṇa to come to us,
Whatever needs to be done will be placed in his hands.
Whatever he says we will promise to do.
For as the ancient proverbs say:
If the valley’s little stream is never dry
Then the melting of the great snow mountain is said to be never-ending.