The Epic of Gesar of Ling
Page 58
The song is Ala Ala Ala.
Thala is the melody of the song.
From the inner chambers of the Red Copper Crag,
Red tsen and your retinue, know me.
If you don’t recognize me,
My father is a māra, and my mother a tsen.
This son of the union of a māra and a tsen
Is Beri Nyima Gyaltsen.
Half my retinue is from Hor and half from Düd, and
I’m the general of the troops of both Düd and Hor.
Well then, man in white with a pale white horse,
Listen, for I have some stories to tell you.
Last year in the wintertime,
In the alcove of Jachen Yölmo,
Sengcham Drugmo of Kyalo
Was traveling alone across the valley when I found her.
The maiden Sengcham said,
“I’ll give you all the wealth and possessions of Kyalo;
Because it is all mine to give,
I’ll surrender it all to you.”
Once making a verbal commitment,
The chop that seals the deal is still fresh.
Once the six grains are cut down with a sickle,
The bundles of ten remain perfectly intact.138
The personal property of Kyalo,
Just hand over to this man.
If you don’t, but want to talk instead,
First I’ll fill the hills with corpses, and
Then I’ll fill the valleys with blood;
I’ll conquer all of White Ling.
If I can’t do that, then I’m not the warrior of Düd and Hor.
If you have understood this, it is sweet to your ears.
If not, there is no way to explain it.
Thus he sang, and then Gyatsha Zhalkar of Bumpa said, “All this, the wealth possessions of Kyalo, I wouldn’t even think of placing in the hands of the Thirty Brethren. If I handed it over to you, the Demon-Hor, this warrior Gyatsha would be nothing but a dead corpse. So, I have a few things to tell you,” and he sang this song in the melody Short Song of the Warrior:
The song is Ala Ala Ala.
Thala is the melody of the song.
Inseparable Three Jewels of Refuge, know me,
Imperial gods lead me in this song.
If you don’t recognize me,
From the immutable castle Ngülchu Tro-dzong,
I am the steady warrior Gyatsha Zhalkar.
Among the daughters of the Emperor of China in the east
The eldest is Lhakar Drönma.
She is the wife of King Senglön,
And she is my own mother.
The middle daughter, Gazi Lhamo [Worthy Zi Divine Lady],
Is the queen of the chieftain Gurkar of Hor,
Who bore their son, Lhabu Legpo [Excellent Prince].
The youngest sister is Jangza Metog Drön [Lady of Jang Blazing Lotus],139
She is King Sadam’s queen and
The mother who gave birth to Nyitri.
Gyatsha, Nyitri, and Lhabu, these three
Are the three nephews of the Emperor of China;
Pheasant, Duck, and Peacock, these three horses
Are the Gyiling supreme steeds of China.
Pheasant is the horse beneath dear Zhal-lu,
Duck is the mount of the son of Jang,
Peacock belongs to the Yellow Hor, and
Is the mount of Lhabu Legpo.
Their weapons Yazi, Guzi, and Azi; these three
Were gifts from China.
This poison blazing sword Azi
Just now is in Yellow Hor,
In the hands of Shenpa-bu [Butcher]h
Guzi, the pale white one,140
Is now in dark Jang,
In the hands of Yulha-bu [Divine Turquoise Son]i
The sharp-cutting invincible sword Yazi Kartren Was not entrusted to another; I have kept it.
If you hold it, it protects your life.
If you wield it, it subdues the hordes of enemies.
It was fashioned by the blacksmith of the the’u rang,
Forged in the darkness of the three waning moons,
Forged in daylight of the waxing moons.
The blunt edge is well-made,
Resembling a flowing braid of hair.
The sharp edge is well-made,
Resembling the lengthening shadows that reach across the lake.
The scabbard is a model of beauty,
Long and straight resembling two elegant chopsticks in their sheath.
The coarse father iron is a model of beauty,
Resembling the fur of deer on snow.
The mother iron is a model of beauty,
Resembling fire tongues touching crystal.
When the sword is raised, it is more like a flame than a sword,
As though it were ablaze with its own dralas.
When you strike with the sword, it’s not like striking; it’s as though it can consume.
It seems to be consuming the breath and life of the vindictive enemy.
For the blade of a sword of such action
To encounter a warrior like you would be wonderful.
Now that you and I are together,
Apart from the wind, nothing could come between us.
Apart from the solid earth, nothing else could drink our blood.
Apart from the blue sky, nothing can be such a spectacle.
The daughter of Kyalo and all of his wealth
Should not be handed over to a vengeful enemy and
Are not to be handed over to the brethren of Ling.
If you have understood this, it is sweet to your ears.
If not, there is no way to explain it.
Thus he sang, and as he struck once with his sword Yazi, except for an empty sky there was nothing to penetrate. Then a pale-colored Joru appeared standing upright.
Joru said, “Brother Zhalkar, why are you so upset with this emanation of me appearing in front of you? If you were not so against me, I was hoping that you could run off and seize the golden throne, while I pretend to be fighting with the brethren of White Ling. Now, brother, if you’re not interested in this throne and its status, then this beggar Joru has no need for the throne or the power. Do you understand?” As he spoke, he dismounted and lay down naked on his calfskin chuba, relaxing.
Then Gyatsha Zhalkar of Bumpa responded, “O Joru, Joru you precious one, may your wisdom be exalted! There’s no point in my being put to the test since the divine prophecies of all the gods and gurus repeat again and again that it is you, Joru, who will quell the four māras through your splendor. You are the one who will become the vast covering of the sky and the great support of the dense earth. I was only thinking to serve the general purpose of the doctrine and all beings—that’s the reason I was going to fight you. I have no hope to get the golden throne or Drugmo. Even if I did, I was thinking to offer it to you. As they say: ‘The Buddha will never tire of working for sentient beings.’ So, increase your magical powers, for if you procrastinate any longer I’m afraid there will obstacles to the welfare of the doctrine and the happiness of sentient beings. Keep in mind that if right in front of all these people Dongtsen wins the throne, even though you have magical powers, it will then be difficult.” Thinking that Gyatsha was right, he [Joru] put his clothes back on, mounted his horse, and rode off.
Just as an image reflects from a clear crystal
In front of so many [people] your myriad songs of experience
Have clarified the minds and desires of individuals.
I supplicate this magical display of instrumentation.
Thus, the meaning of this verse is explained through this chapter. This recalls how Joru sought out all those human and nonhuman rivals, annihilating and intimidating and quelling them with his splendor. This completes the sixth chapter, which is the Saga of the Precious General.
a. Three doors of liberation: emptiness, freedom from aspirations, and characteristics.
b.
The four immeasurables: evenness, love, compassion, and joy.
c. The two truths are relative truth and genuine truth.
d. The Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path that leads to the cessation of suffering.
e. The noble eightfold path: correct view, correct thought, correct speech, correct conduct, correct livelihood, correct action, correct intentions, and correct samādhi.
f. This is the pure land of the Medicine Buddha.
g. Tib. rgyun shes gyi bu, Child of Your Stream of Knowledge.
h. The Butcher is one of Gurkar’s five poison ministers.
i. Sadam’s son.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Joru obtains victory in the contest of the horse race.
He is instated on a golden throne; gods and men offer him auspicious prayers.
The name Gesar Norbu Dradül is conferred upon him.
This gives rise to the Saga of the Precious Jewel.
THE SEVENTH [CHAPTER] depicts the way he obtained the golden throne:
After meeting with Zhalkar, Joru continued to ride on his magically swift steed. Then, in the space in front, in a floating141 bank of white clouds there appeared in the midst of multicolored rainbow light the five Tsering [Long-Life] sisters holding long-life arrows and trays loaded with jewels. Nenei [Auntie] Nammen Karmo held an arrow and a mirror; Sumo [Sister] Gödcham Karmo held a treasure vase. Surrounding them were a retinue of many countless ḍākinīs who clearly appeared there.
Auntie Nammen Karmo spoke, “Boy Joru, don’t just tarry, hurry up and run! Dongtsen has slipped ahead of you! Being overconfident, lazy, and distracted, these three, are the three faults that prevent the benefit of others. Even though the dralas might catch the horse Turquoise Bird, I’m afraid they won’t be able to catch the boy Dongtsen.” Thus she spoke.142
Meanwhile, downhill in the ravine on the left of Gu-ra Crag was the golden throne, and Dongtsen was almost there when the drala Nyentag Marpo unleashed lamenessa on Turquoise Bird. Turquoise Bird wheezed and gasped for air until he collapsed; Dongtsen tugged on his bridle but as [the horse] had gone lame, he could not get up. Not knowing what to do, but realizing he was very close to the golden throne, [Dongtsen] abandoned his horse and ran on foot toward the throne. It was then that all the dralas and wermas made the throne more distant. Dongtsen ran, but as before, the more Dongtsen ran, the farther away the throne moved, so that he was unable to reach it.
Then Joru, riding on the magically swift Lord of Steeds, arrived there and transformed into many Jorus who started talking to each other and said, “If we slay Turquoise Bird, his flesh will be fat and delicious.” They pulled out their knives as if they were about to start butchering him. Then some of the Jorus starting removing his saddle and bridle and such, causing Dongtsen to feel overwhelmed at the thought of losing his precious horse. He turned back and began running and started prostrating to all the Jorus saying, “Please don’t slaughter the horse! Please bring my horse back to life, and I promise to serve you and do whatever you say.”
Joru replied, “Well, then, when I conquer the Tea Treasury of China, promise that you’ll loan me this horse just once. If you do, I have the know-how to heal him.”
When Dongtsen said, “Not only will I loan him to you once, I’ll loan him to you three times,” that created the auspicious connection by which it would take more than one miraculous manifestation to conquer the Tea Fortress.143
With his mouth at Turquoise Bird’s ear, Joru screamed the sound of ki! three times, and just like the moon escaping from Rāhu, Turquoise Bird was revived and was just as he’d been before. By then most of the other brethren had arrived there as Joru, with his magical swift Lord of Steeds, was already next to the golden throne. At that moment the force of the karmic connection and windhorse of Dongtsen and the Tag-rong tribe reached full maturity, like the full moon. All the members of the Greater Lineage shone as clear and bright as the sun. Joru himself became like Rāhu, and the Lesser Lineage, Middle Lineage, and individual warriors became like garlands of constellations.
The way of appearing in the firmament is the same, yet Rāhu robs the power of the sun and moon while not harming the constellations. For these three reasons, by analogy Rāhu symbolizes Joru, yet his strength like that of a karmic river and his energy of the magical powers of all the dralas and wermas did not just come from the speed of the horse. It was through the culmination of these karmic forces that Joru captured the golden throne. Thus it is that by decisively winning the wager of the horse race, the banner of this renowned account of his ascent to the throne would be hoisted to fly at the peak of existence.
It was at that moment that the major and minor marks of his body blazed forth, and his true nature appeared. Everyone’s hearts were filled with joy and delight expansive as the rising sun. All their hopes were fulfilled, and they were established in happiness and well-being, like the cooling and refreshing moonlight. An astonishing celebration ensued.
Through his energy, power, and skill in debate, he raised anew the great victory banner of enlightened activity to become fully victorious over the hordes of form and formless obstructing spirits in all directions. At that time the gods and humans gathered to celebrate, and the people cheered the awesome deeds by which Gesar won the wager of the horse race. It was like a dragon roaring in the sky amid massing cloud formations, and even the earth shook so that most beings everywhere, below, upon, and above, could hear and witness this to some degree. Hence Joru laid claim to the great throne of the divine kingdom of White Ling.
The way that Joru had hidden his true innate form was just like the sun when it is hidden in dark clouds or the brilliance of a lotus hidden in mud. But from this time onward he cast off his ugly appearance and unsightly clothing and assumed the rūpakāya with the manifold astonishing major and minor marks. His true appearance was like nectar to the eyes of all gods and humans. Even the great earth itself trembled in the face of his authentic presence, as though unable to contain it. From the rainbow tent of the sky, the many gods and guardians sang songs of auspiciousness and sent down showers of flowers.
At that moment, the emanation of Lotus Power, the supreme Hayagrīva, Lord of Horses, neighed three times in the melody of Eight Laughters. This caused the earth to shake, the rocks to split, and the door to the treasury of Crystal Crag naturally opened. Ma Pomra, the nyen Gedzo, and the nāga Tsugna Rinchen, these three came to welcome him and offer him tea. During that time Gesar revealed the treasures from within the Crystal Crag: the lord of helmets Gyalwa Thödkar [Victorious White Skull], the lord of armor Tro-nag Zilpa [Resplendent Bronze], the shield Ba-mar Lingzab [Red Cane Deep Backing], the amulet Mamo Lado [Life-Essence Stone of the Mamos], the tiger-skin quiver Drala Dzongchen [Great Fortress of the Dralas], the leopard-skin bow case Werma Lanei [Werma’s Source of Life Essence], the longevity clothing Tongden Jigme [Indestructible Myriarchy], the belt Drala Tsedüd [Longevity Knot of the Dralas], and the Mongolian boots [Quelling the Eight Classes of Demons]. He adorned his body with all of these treasures.
Brahmā offered prayers and thirteen talking arrows emanated by the werma s plus eighty-six more to make up ninety-nine divine arrows. Rāhu, the great upāsaka, offered the bow Ragöd Khyilpa [Curving Wild Horn], Ma Pomra offered the sword Tabpa Lenmei [Strikes without Riposte], Gedzo offered the lance Khamsum Dradül [Quells the Enemies of the Three Realms], the nāga Tsugna offered the lasso Beltrül Domgu [Nine-Fathomed Frog Emanation], and Vajrasadhu offered the slingshot Phawong Tongkhor [Slings a Thousand Boulders], which is a support for the oath-bound guardians. The drala Nyentag Marpo gave the thunderbolt Shelgi Pudri [Crystal Razor], and the great king Lijin Harleg gave a great ax Drag-ri Harshag [Crag Mountain Rock Splitter].
Each one, according to their activity, presented an offering scarf. Older brother Dungchung Karpo, younger brother Ludrül Ödchung, younger sister Thalei Ödkar, and auntie Gödcham Karmo all magically emanated as many little children beating the d
rum of the law, blowing the conch of the law, sounding the cymbals, offering the scarves of the law, and so forth, making a great raucous sound as an actual offering presented to him by the formless gods.
As for the offerings directly presented by the human beings, right at the moment when everyone was completely distracted by the spectacle of the various magical manifestations of the gods and nonhumans, all the crowds gathered there began to doubt what they were actually witnessing. “Could this be a dream? An illusion, rather than the simple truth? This is beyond what is possible,” they thought, and for the moment they were at a loss as to what to do. Then the Great Vajra Lion [Gesar] sang the dohā called Unceasing Natural Vajra Sound in the melody Quelling the Great Crowds through Splendor:
Ala is the way the song is sung.
Thala is the way the words are recited.
Guru Uḍḍiyāṇa Padma, and
Yidam Padma Wangchen, and
Ḍākinī Vajravārāhī
Remain inseparably as my crown ornament.
If you don’t recognize this place
Upon the left shoulder of Gu-ra [Crag],
This is the excellent land called Aspiration Pass.
If you don’t recognize me,
I was sent here by the imperial gods.
I’m of the ancestral lineage of the middle nyen,
And I am the maternal nephew of cold-blooded nāgas.
I was given my name among the middle humans
By my brother Gyatsha Zhalkar,
Who named me Joru.
I was given my name among the imperial gods,
By the guru Uḍḍiyāṇa Padma, who named me
The supreme personage of Jambudvīpa as well as
Gesar Norbu Dradül.
My personal name is Sengchen Kyebu [Great Lion Being];
I am the suppressor of the demons of the dark side,
I am the yoke upon the Yellow Hor,
I am the wealth lord of both China and Tibet,
I am the sovereign of Jambudvīpa.
I’m not here to wander in impure saṃsāra,