First, there is a wolf hoping for vittles,
And second, a white prosperity sheep roams the mountain;
This is how they come to meet up in the high mountains.
First the wild lad turns robber,
And second, a tender maiden brings her wealth as ornaments;
That is how they come to meet in the lower valley, an uninhabited deserted land.
It seems their way of meeting is the result of previous karma.
They say previous karma is like a dog and a deer;
They say karmic debts are like a body and its shadow.
The best choice is for you and I to be companions for a lifetime
Because a precious human birth is the heart jewel of the booty;
The wealth of having horses and cattle will gradually follow.
If that’s not possible, then let’s make love just once
And I will take your golden ornaments, horse, and jewels as my booty,
But I’ll give you back your underwear as a sign of gratitude for your ass.
Or your third option is to return to your homeland stark naked
While this robber gets the wealth of all your jewelry.
You’re so feeble, I’ll just set you free.
Think about it, girl, what is your fancy?
Thus he spoke, and Drugmo, utterly terrified, began babbling, her mouth quivering like a leaf in the wind as she sang this song in reply:
It’s Ala Ala Ala.
Thala is the melody of the song.
From the pure land of Turquoise Leaf Array
Jetsün Ārya Tārā,
Surrounded by a hundred thousand ḍākinīs of the mother lineage,
Watching over the welfare of beings.
Come today to befriend Drugmo.
First, the way I am terrified and disheartened,
Second, the way the displeasing howl of the wind grates in my ears,
And third, the way this man in black appears like a robber;
Like an uninvited guest this all came together here today.
First the greatness of my parents’ loving-kindness,
Second the brave-hearted gathering of brethren,
And third, the dwelling place in my happy homeland.
Although I had no wish to abandon them, I have left them behind.
What grief for this young girl
From this robber demon dressed in black!
First, at best I could escape from him,
Second would be that, if I fight him, I would be able to defeat him,
Third would be that, if I appeal to him, he will compassionately protect me.
If these three don’t work, then the suffering will be overwhelming.
First, to strike a tiny flea with an ax,
Second, to shoot a poison arrow at a honey bee,
Third, for a warrior to overcome a girl;
Crowing about these will make you a laughingstock among the people.
Although I should hardly dare address you this way, that is how it is:
First, because Drugmo has great worth,
Second, because Gyatsha’s prowess is great,
Third, because the tiger ranks of the young brethren are unified.
There’s no way I’ll ever be your life’s companion.
Although you mentioned that we should make love at least once, that will never happen.
For first, the thought of ravishment makes me sick,
Second, there is no feeling of love toward you in my mind,
And third, you will just become a warrior who took ass as booty.
People will jeer, and misery will be brought upon us.
First, the jeweled ornaments fastened on my head,
Second, the garland of zi adorning my neck,
Those, and third, the gold jewelry on my body—
Take these treasures of mine, you robber.
First, a small turquoise knob adorning my hairline,
Second, clothing that protects my modesty,
And third, my chestnut horse to get me back to Ling.
At least allow Drugmo this as her rightful portion.
First, aging is the decline of the beloved four elements,
Second, the time when death arrives,
And third, the karmic ripening of one’s own deeds.
No one has ever heard of a detour to avoid these three.
First, Trothung instigated this calamity,
Second, Gyatsha drives me with his ominous heavy words, and
Third, because Joru is the leader of the demonic force,
They hoped that Drugmo would be delivered into the hands of the enemy.
All patron gods who protect this maiden,
First, if you have compassion the time has come to watch over me,
Second, if you have power the time has come to reverse this,
And third, if you possess enlightened activity the time has come to enact it.
Not only has the time come, it’s almost too late.
Thus she sang, and sat there weeping. Beri Nyima Gyaltsen addressed her, “Ya, well now, girl, maybe you’re right. I won’t take advantage of or ravish you, and I am not going to rob you, but you must be sure to return here in seven days with all the wealth you’re going to give me and, if so, I’ll let you go for today. As a token of this commitment, hand over your gold ring now. Oh, by the way, who is this Joru you’re talking about? Is he a yak or a wild beast? Tell me who he is.”
Then Drugmo replied, “He’s not a wild animal, he’s a human. All the people of White Ling say that Joru is a pika killing, sniveling, demon-necked, notch-nosed laughingstock. If, when offering to him, you ranked him among the gods, he is someone who would choose to pose as a demon. If you categorized him among the ranks of the demons, he would cause feuds with the gods. He seems to be one who delights to see the rich dying of famine. He appears to be the kind of person who would be shocked by a dog biting a warrior. He is one who appears to be happier in the body of a beggar than in the lineage of a chieftain. He turns his back on the affairs of his own state and squabbles over land and water with the pikas. He has no other vittles than the wild Himalayan yams. In actual fact, he is from the royal lineage of Mukpo and is the rightful son of Senglön and the nephew of Gyatsha. However, it’s as though he was not born of these men, for he’s just a vagrant who wanders the ends of the earth. Actually I’m on my way to summon him now,” she said, placing in his hand her gold ring, which was set with a vajra. Agreeing to meet in seven days, she then left.
Since he knew that it would be the presentation gift marking the auspicious connection of the Great Lion’s first meeting with Drugmo, for this reason, he felt he must take the golden ring. All of the words that Drugmo uttered turned out to be the words that symbolically invoked the miraculous activity of his enlightened intentions.
From there, Drugmo journeyed farther until she arrived at Gangkar Tsesum [Three-Peaked White Snow Mountain]. Beyond the mountain pass of the Seven Dunes, there was Joru, manifesting as a charming young man relaxing with seven white-clad men on white horses. Drugmo approached them to have a look. The main man there was outstandingly attractive. His complexion was creamy like a conch, his cheek color was redder than rouge, the ornaments on his clothes were like shimmering rainbow light, and his radiant complexion was like a lotus. He was a nonhuman miraculous child of the gods, cheerful, smiling, and extremely good-natured! She fell in love with him upon sight. She sat there wide-awake; her mind blank, her body frozen, and her eyes wide open, without blinking. After a while the magical man sang this song to Drugmo in the melody of Six Modulations:
It’s Ala Ala Ala.
With Thala the song is sung.
Gurus, yidams, and the Three Jewels
Remain inseparable as my crown ornament.
Through your presence grant your blessings.
If you don’t recognize me,
I’m not from around here;
I come from far away,
From
as far away as the land of India.
I am the Indian minister Berkar [White Cloak].
Honorable girl whom I meet today,
Listen, I have a few questions for you.33
Within the country of Colorful Upper Ling,
Who is the sovereign chieftain?
Who is the blessed guru that lives there?
How many warriors of great might are in residence?
How far away from here is this place?
The famous woman, Sengcham Drugmo,
If I beg for her hand, is there any chance to receive her?
If I were to look for her, is there any chance to catch a glimpse?
What about the way she looks? Is she as beautiful as they say?
Don’t hide anything, speak out frankly.
A superior maiden has the looks of a goddess,
Longevity, merit, and splendor surround her.
Her mind and thoughts are like a crystal vase
That seems to be filled with the amṛta of everlasting companionship.
She can keep her speech secret, like a door that’s been shut,
And her words are so sweet, they can steal the minds of the kingdom.
A middling maiden has a lovely moon face
With a waxing and waning karmic field of power.
Her mind is unstable, like a fish in the ocean,
And her companions come, bad after good, like patterns on the waves.
Her mouth is busy like a crossroads,
And her words are both true and false like a hundred travelers going and a thousand returning.
An inferior maiden is like a razor that severs the life of her companions.
Her impermanent mind is like a flag on a mountain peak.34
Any companion who stays with her is like the wind on the ridge.
Her speech is untrue, like a false treasure trove,
And her slanderous tongue stirs up trouble.
The superior maiden benefits everyone like medicine.
She would be a good consort for the divine guru’s path of skillful means,
Or the queenly ornament of the imperial chieftain’s government,
Or she could serve well as the quintessence of prosperity for a tiger in his prime.
The middling maiden is like crystal,
She can be beneficial or harmful, depending on circumstances.
Depending on the quality of the divine guru’s experience and realization,
If he and she unite, it could be either virtuous or sinful.
Depending on whether the young tiger’s windhorse rises or declines,
If they come together, the outcome could be good or bad.
The inferior maiden is like a poisonous flower.
Even if her exterior looks nice to the gaze,
As their bodies unite, she is the razor that severs her companion’s life.
There are three ways of meeting with maiden girls.
The superior maiden, like the waxing moon,
Should join with the guru who has achieved siddhi,
Or the tigers in their prime when their windhorse is increasing.
She is their companion who increases their ocean of longevity and merit.
The middling maiden is like the divine cuckoo.
First, when the monks lose their vows in spring,
Second, in the time of renewal, when people work hard to support their worldly lives,
Third, when young tigers travel from their homes, such women are taken as lovers.
If it works out, it’s neither good nor bad.
If it doesn’t work out, it leads to contention.
The inferior maiden is like a poison pill.
She meets the divine guru just before he goes to hell;
She meets the young tiger just before he brings his own end.
Before her is unhappiness; she brings suffering to her new family.
Behind her is discontent; she brings the torture of scandal to the father’s home.
The whole country is discontent, as she lays the ground for discord.
If you examine these words, I think you’ll find them true.
Thinking in this way, this minister has come without delay.
I traveled this long road like rolling up a scroll,
Like the wind journeying through unfamiliar lands,
I came here, and today I met you, girl, on the path.
If you really examine this, here is how it is:
The parrot forages for food,35 but finds beer instead;
After drinking his fill, unable to fly he will fall into the hands of another.
When young tigers go hunting, but find a bandit’s stash,
Although not making a kill, what was acquired is an invitation for scandal.
I, the minister, was on my way to Ling and I met you, girl.
This seems to be the first sign that I won’t meet the maiden Drugmo now.
There are more maidens here than grass on the mountains,
But an eligible life-mate is rarer than gold.
If you’re searching for yellow gold, you will find it in the mountains.
I’ve wandered the borderlands but have not found the maiden girl.
If you understood these words, they are sweetness to your ears,
If not, there is no way to explain it.
Thus he sang, and then by the power of Joru’s compassion, Kyalo Sengcham Drugmo’s body, speech, and mind were overcome and she became vulnerable, like paper carried by the wind, while her mind was so filled with lust that her body could hardly bear it. It was like this:
Although her words maintain that she feels no affection,
The expression of lust is betrayed by her smile.
Although her heart wants to keep this secret,
The secret words escape from her mouth.
Although she tries to conceal her modesty,
Her inner feelings are obvious to all.
Although the outer body of flesh is covered by clothes,
The inner mind is nakedly revealed.
Not knowing what to do, she sang this song about the good fortune of this occasion in the melody of Unchanging Longevity:
Ala is the way the song is sung,
Thala gives the melody.
If you don’t recognize this place,
This is the Seven Sandy Passes of Ma
If you don’t recognize me,
Like the jewel amid the rocky white peaks,
Famed as the one called White Vulture,
I alone can boast six broad wings on my body.
Like the jewel in the snow-covered peaks,
Famed as the one called the White Snow Lioness,
I alone can boast a broad turquoise mane.
Like the prosperity jewel of White Ling,
Famed as the one called Maid Drugmo,
I alone can boast a brilliant radiant body.
The golden swan takes to Lake Manasarovar;
It would be senseless to veer from the lake and go elsewhere.
You, the minister, fancy Sengchen Drugmo;
It would be senseless to veer from the maiden Drugmo.
Don’t you think so, O minister from India?
To the east in the colorful land of Ling,
There are four divine brothers, heirs of the sovereign leader.
The throne of gold is the general reward for the winner;
Whoever wins the horse race will be seated there.
There are Thirty Brethren of great skill;
Whoever has the fastest horse will become the most renowned among them.
I, Sengcham Drugmo of Ga Kyalo
Have been made the reward for the fastest horse.
If one’s horse captures the path of the birds, then the wager will be in their hands.
If you want to see this spectacle, then that is how it is.
Suppose you thought to purchase me,
Even if the land of Ma were filled with gold dust, my worth would still be beyond your reac
h.
And though you may beg, there’s no way I’d be given away.
The flow of the blue water’s rosary of bubbles
Doesn’t expect to acquire the undulating fish;
When the sparkling blue water fills the valley,
The Golden-Eyed Ones will karmically arrive there.
The spreading branches of the juniper tree
Did not expect the cuckoo bird to come;
Still, the way that the cool wind moves the branches
Seems to invite the melodious divine bird as its guest.
I, Sengcham Drugmo of White Ling,
Did not expect to meet a minister from a distant land;
I was lost on my way to inviting the boy Joru,
And so the minister Berkar appeared as though to escort me.
First, the warmth and moisture rising from the earth below,
And second, the sun and rain that descend from the azure firmament above
Do not plan a rendezvous, but the way they meet
Is the happy union of the pitched tent of rainbow colors.
First, the peacock bird aspires upward,36
And second, the southern turquoise dragon’s thundering voice descends.
They didn’t plan to rendezvous, but the way that they coincide
Is as though they thought to perform an extraordinary dance.
Not only that, but here are a few more examples:
First, bamboo from the southern province [of Gyalrong],
Second, the breast feathers of the white vulture:
If they are to last, it depends on how well they are joined in the making.
If these two are harmonious, they will be the ornament of the quiver.
Pure water from the crags of the snow land of Tibet
And the saffron flowers of India to the south:
If there is to be pigment, it depends on the temperature of the water.
If the two are harmonious, it will be the essence of the vase.
You, Berkar, the minister from India,
And this Sengcham Drugmo of Ga Kyalo:
Whether you capture her to become your companion or not depends on previous karma.
The Epic of Gesar of Ling Page 44