The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

  Then all the merchants held a secret meeting and unanimously plotted to kill Joru and steal his horse, and agreed that it would be better to send the magician and the horse back to China.

  The chief merchant, Keltri Döndrub, then said, “If we merchants were to give you the value you have placed on every part of the horse, from the most valuable item we have down to the lowest, we would still not have enough; this is an incredible insult to the merchants from China in the east. Now we are going to take this horse from you. This will be your way of confessing and purifying before [the Chinese Emperor] Dungkün Trülgyi Gyalpo [Magical King of Dungkün]. Joru replied, “Isn’t the horse on my land? Just leave it there. You vagrants get out of here to wherever you belong! I, King Joru, demand an apology for all the articles of wealth of the encampment.”

  This made all the merchants furious, and they began to stone Joru. They killed one Joru, and two emerged. They killed two, and then there were four. They killed four, and then there were eight. Finally, the whole place was filled with an army of Jorus. Some of them started packing up the encampment. Others started leading the mules away, while others started tying up the merchants and beating them. He left all the merchants there, hog-tied. Without leaving even a needle’s worth of wealth or provisions behind, the Jorus went off to Mamed Lhalung Sumdor [Divine Place of Three Junctions] in Lower Ma. Meanwhile, all the merchants were terrified and had decided that this was how they were all going to die. Still, one diminutive Joru remained there, and all the merchants begged him to spare their lives.

  He replied, “We Jorus have anger but don’t hold a grudge. If you promise to do what we command of you, then we won’t steal your possessions.”

  The merchants became overjoyed and said to each other, “This is only a magical emanation. We merchants must apologize for our ignorance and do whatever he says.

  Then the miniature Joru untied them and led them up to Lhalung Sumdo. Once there, they set up camp just as it was before, and each merchant regained his place.

  “All of you killed many Jorus. If I took all of your possessions as blood money, it would not be enough. I won’t take your goods, but you must sign a written contract that, from this day on, every Chinese merchant will greet Joru with a silken scarf and the best bricks of your tea. All of you must offer the best tea you have. The penalty is that you must build me a palace in the place called Ma Drodro Lu-gu’i Khelkhung. After that, I will return to you every bit of your wealth, but until then, I will just give you what you need to eat and drink. From today onward, wherever you go, up or down, I will protect you from fear of the Yellow Hor thieves.

  “Yesterday, some merchants from Ladakh were robbed by the seven Hor bandits of Ayen. I, Joru, pursued them, took the blood money, and returned it to the merchants. Sometime today, they will arrive here where they must build a palace for me,” he said.

  The other merchants sat there in amazement. Later that day the Ladakhi merchants and their mules arrived and made their encampment all in one area. Through his magic, Joru manifested a feast with many varieties of food. Then all the merchants offered three tan mules laden with boxes of gold, five white mules laden with boxes of silver, and seven sorrel mules laden with boxes of silk. All fifteen mules, their loads, and silk offering scarves were offered in a single presentation to Joru. Then all the merchants from China offered a thousand bricks of tea with offering scarves and their oath to obey him. Joru created another feast for them.

  The very next day, all the merchants from Ladakh and China went to Ma Drodro Lu-gu’i Khelkhung to build a four-storied palace with four pagoda-like fortresses in the four directions and to make a foundation to just begin a fifth story. Joru told them, “If the provisions I have given you are exhausted before the building is completed, you can come back for more.” Each hundred men were given a bag of tsampa, and loads of butter, tea, and meat. Then, two Jorus arrived to be supervisors. The tea merchants from China were given the task to build the east, west, and north pagoda fortresses. The merchants of Ladakh were asked to build only the southern fortress. The southern fortress was thereafter known as the Ladakh Palace of Gu-dril [Nine Unifications]. Since the fortresses of the eastern and other directions were built by the Chinese tea merchants, they were given the names High Tea Fortress [Jakar Ringmo], Prosperity Tea Fortress [Jakar Chugmo], and Dark Tea Fortress [Jakar Mukpo]. These were the three names given to the three directional fortresses of the main palace. Likewise, the first story of the main palace was named Tongshong Karmo [White Assembly Hall of the One Thousand], the second Mukgu Gu-dril [Dark Assembly Hall of the Nine Unifications], and the third, Samdrub Tagdzong [Tiger Fortress FulfillingAll Wishes]. The fourth story became known as Gödtsang Kha-yel [Skylight Vulture Nest] as it was built with the assistance of Gödcham Karmo and others as well as that of the nāgas. The walls of the upper opening skylight were built so that they would just reach the fifth story. During the entire time of construction, the food provided for the merchants not only was not exhausted but didn’t decrease in the slightest. Upon completion of the palace, Joru threw a large celebration and presented all the merchants with gifts, after which he sent each of them happily back to their respective countries. It became well known that through Joru’s blessings, these merchants never before had had such a success in their business as this.

  Later the fifth story was built by the nyen Gedzo and Ma Pomra. Since the stones for the walls were carried by many snow lion cubs, the roof laid by the gods, Nyentag, and others, and the wood carried from the Siblung Nag-gyal Chugmo [Shady Valley Rich Royal Forest] by tigresses, it thereafter became known as Sengdrug Tagtse [Lion Dragon Tiger Peak]. Perfectly accomplished both from without and from within, for a while the palace was maintained by the gods, nāgas, and nyen, these three, who resided there. This is how it became known that the upper, highest story was built by the gods; the second, middle story was built by the nyen; and that the third, lower story, was built by the nāgas.

  a. Another name for the spirit Kha-se.

  b. This is Yutag, the youngest of the Thirty Mighty Warriors. The youngest might be six or seven years old.

  c. This is Drugmo’s attendant.

  d. Lankapuri is another name for Cāmara, the island of rākṣasas.

  e. Gold, silver, silk, horses, yaks.

  f. Another name for Yulung Sumdo [Turquoise Valley Three Crossroads].

  g. Items that had belonged to King Togtog Ralchen and followers.

  CHAPTER SIX

  When the land of Ling is covered by snow,

  The land of Ma blossoms with the noble glory of spring.

  When the people of Ling request to borrow the land,

  Joru proclaims how the land will be divided.

  NOW IT HAPPENED THAT [in the year of the Wood Bird] when the queen of garuḍas played in the wish-fulfilling tree, Joru was eight years old, and he knew that the time had come for White Ling to be established in the land of Ma. He went to the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen, asking him to make it rain, and this was when, with the help of the spirits of the eight classes, the rain turned into a snowstorm that descended on the land of Ling. From the first day of the first month of winter, the snow fell so hard in the land of Ling that if a spear were set in the ground of the mountain passes, only the banner at its peak could be seen. If an arrow were stuck in the ground of the lower valleys, only the notched tip could be seen. The snow fell so hard that the entire region of eastern Kham was buried. In particular the snows were so deep all over the upper, middle, and lower regions of Ling that a meeting was held. It was determined that no one could survive unless they left this land to go in search of a place without snow. Four warriors were dispatched all around the upper and lower regions to look for land. For many days, the warriors traveled even to farmlands,69 but, in general, because it was winter and, in particular, because the spirits of the eight classes were changing the way things appeared, they didn’t see a single place that they thought had less snowfall than the land of Ling. But the warriors wh
o went toward Ma Valley, after looking around very carefully, found that where it bordered Dza, Dri, and Tra, these three, all the way to Om, Ga, and Nyi, these three, including the upper Ma Valley known as Sengchen Khogpa [Great Lion Belly]; the Middle Ma Valley, Lu-gu’i Tsera [Frolicking Lamb’s Corral]; and the Lower Ma Valley, Lhalung Sumdo all the way to Yulung Gadar Tramo, had hills that were grassy and green. All the plains were rich with burgundy. The plateaus’ grasses, herbs, and foliage, all three, were so abundant as to seem inexhaustible, even though the livestock of the six districts of Ling were grazing there.

  During the same time, all the traveling merchants from China and Tibet gave gifts to Joru and paid the taxes for their goods. As a result they had no problems with the robbers and thieves, and a number of different groups of traders passed this way.

  The four warriors of Ling who had been dispatched asked these merchants, “At the present time, who is the owner of this land? If we want to be loaned some land, who should we ask?”

  The merchants replied, “Previously, this land was a vacant place, possessed by no one, and it was difficult for visiting merchants to pass through. Even apart from the thievery of the Yellow Hor bandits, we were never able to pass through here. Then the one known as King Joru came to Lhalung Sumdo—he who is the lord of the nonhuman godly demons, whose magical manifestations can move heaven and earth, and who has the complete power of the three realms of existence. Because we all presented to him greeting scarves and the best and first portions of our tea and other goods as an offering, we were able to travel here in safety. If you want to be loaned some land, you must request it of him,” they said and then departed.

  The warriors of Ling were afraid to approach Joru, so they returned home. At the moment that all the search parties arrived back, all the people of the six provinces of upper and lower White Ling had assembled to make inquiries. Those who had searched three of the regions explained that there was no land without snow, but the search party that had gone to the land of Ma explained in detail how there was no snow there at all, and that Joru was the owner of the land but that they had been too afraid to meet him. All the people of Ling conferred; the wise ones such as Chipön, Denma, Gyatsha, and so forth knew that according to the prophecy the time had come to occupy the land of Ma, but they pretended not to know. Then Gyatsha said, “Now, the place without snow is the land of Ma, and furthermore the owner of that land is Joru. From the beginning I have been the general representative of the people of the six provinces, so I, Bumpa, will go there, even though Joru’s actions are not in accord with the country’s customs, his thoughts are not in accord with humans, his crops are not in accord with the rhythm of the seasons, and he makes his own decisions according to only his own mind. I should not go alone, but with a few warriors, so that I can then have the upper hand,” he said. Then, Tshazhang Denma Jangtra, Tag-rong Pöntroa Trothung, Gyapön Sergyi Arghaṃ Kyalo Tönpa Gyaltsen, and Druga-de Chökyong Bernag [Joyful Black-Cloaked Dharma Protector of Dru], these five, volunteered to go. All six brothers in arms then departed for the land of Ma.

  When they arrived in Lhalung Sumdo, Lower Ma, Joru omnisciently knew of it. Then, in order to subdue the pride of these mighty warriors, as the brethren in arms approached Yulung Gadar Tramo, their colors shimmering with brightness, Joru suddenly appeared standing before them. He placed in his slingshot, Wazi Bitra, a black nyen stone the size of a sheep’s stomach and, standing about the distance of an arrow’s flight away, without uttering any words, he sang this song of the Soaring Flight of the Great Garuḍa:

  The song begins with Ala Ala Ala.

  Thala leads the melody of the song.

  May this song be sustained by the Three Jewels,

  May this song be lead by the motherly ḍākinīs,

  And be befriended by the dralas and wermas.

  If you don’t recognize this land,

  This place is called Yulung Sumdo.

  If you don’t recognize me,

  In the great clan of the lineage of Mukpo Dong,

  I hold the great title that has been conferred by the higher gods;

  My name is Little Chieftain King Joru.

  Now listen here, you six bandits.

  Among the earth lord keepers of these lands,

  For the gods there is Machen Pomra

  And for the humans there is King Joru.

  For us, the gods and humans, there are the animals;

  In the highlands are the grazing wild ass and the wild yak,

  In the midlands are the foraging deer, and

  In the lowlands are the stalking tigers and leopards.

  In particular, in Lhalung Sumdo,

  Since I, King Joru, have arrived,

  Not only is impossible for bandits to pass through in daylight,

  Even after nightfall, the godly demons don’t dare to move.

  The gold, silver, and mules of the merchants of Ladakh in upper Tibet

  Were stolen by the five scorpion brothers of Hor.

  I, Joru, pursued them, and

  Even though the seven mounted thieves escaped without being caught,

  I killed Hor Thog-gyal [Meteorite King of Hor] with my slingshot.

  I took the nine-pointed blazing meteorite sword

  As well as the meteoric copper vessel that boils naturally,

  And I returned to the merchants of Ladakh their wealth,

  Including their boxes of gold, silver, and silk, and their mules.

  I followed the Ladakhi merchantmen going down to the lower regions

  And that two-year-old colt was my, Joru’s, first bounty.

  A thousand Chinese merchants with their porters came

  And tried to steal my little colt.

  I captured and imprisoned a thousand of those merchants,

  And they presented to me as offerings a thousand bricks of tea with silk offering scarves.

  Their penalty was to build the Tea Fortress Palace—

  And that was Joru’s second bounty.

  When displaying the strength of a great army

  If a true warrior’s power is not fully matured,

  Then no matter how many warriors70 there are, it is merely like dry grass on the hills—

  Fuel for the fire that is Joru’s to burn.

  Today, you six bandits

  Have run right into me

  And have disrespectfully intruded upon me.

  This slingshot that I hold in my hand

  Is the first palace of the dralas.

  It is the best of all things that are quick and swift.

  First, the hair of a thousand motherly ḍākinīs,

  Second, the turquoise mane of the white snow lion,

  Third, the whiskers of the red tiger,

  Fourth, the long shoulder hair of the brown wild yak,

  Fifth, the chest hair of the white-shouldered grizzly:

  These five are what make up the slingshot.

  Its upper part is braided during three waxing moons.71

  The waxing moon corresponds with the time of the dragon;

  When the stone is thrown, the roar of the dragon resounds.

  The lower part is braided during the three waning moons,

  Braided only in the waning moon time of the bird;

  When [the stone is] thrown, it takes flight on the path of the birds.

  At the dawn of three full moons is the time of the tiger.

  When the slingshot’s pouch is prepared,

  The auspicious connection for the tiger Nyentag to surround this is made.

  The whip tail is sewn at daybreak of the twenty-ninth day of these three months;

  It then can strike wherever it is aimed.

  This black stone that looks like a sheep’s belly

  Is the life-force stone of a thousand godly demons.

  Look as I aim toward the cliff in front of you six men—

  It will be split as if by a thunderbolt.

  Watch this show while you’re still alive.

 
The next stone that I will throw

  Will be the stone thatis the support of the Nyentag drala,

  And it will demolish the bodies of you six men.

  The six horses will be my third bounty.

  In this pleasing mandala of the divine valley of Ma,

  There is no reason for demon samaya corrupters to wander.

  If you understood this, it is sweet to your ears.

  If not, there is no way to explain it.

  Having sung, he swirled the slingshot with waves of many meteoric sparks and flames, and the white crag was crushed to dust. The booming sound filled the entire valley, causing several mighty warriors to faint. It was then that Gyatsha Zhalkar took his white silken offering scarf Nyinmo Delek from his inner coat and said, “O Joru! Precious one! O Joru, have mercy on us! In this unknown land, the empty valley of Ma, I am the stranger Gyatsha Zhalkar, with five important wise men.” Saying this, he then broke into the song of the Six White Melodies:

  The song begins with Ala Ala Ala.

  Thala leads the melody of the song.

  Gurus, yidams, ḍākinīs, these three

  Abide inseparably as my crown ornament.

  If you do not recognize me,

  I am Gyatsha Zhalkar of Bumpa

  With five mighty warriors as my companions.

  Well then, honorable Joru, divine son,

  Listen, and I’ll tell you how things are.

  The horns of the brown wild yak,

  It seems, will destroy the bodies of whoever comes,

  Yet it is unheard of that they would brandish their horns to their young.

  The great fangs of the red tigress,

  It seems, can devour whoever they meet,

  Yet it is unheard of that they would threaten their own offspring.

  Your elder brother has put himself out to come to visit you

  Along with these wise and mighty warriors of White Ling;

  Is it customary to welcome us with just these rocks?