The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

  Sengtag Adom [Lion Tiger Youthful Bear] (Tib. seng stag a dom). A leader in the Middle Lineage of Ling, and one of the Seven Super Warriors. Also called Mikyong Karpo [Kind Guardian of Humanity] (Tib. mi skyong dkar po), sometimes spelled Michang Karpo [White Wolf among Humans] (Tib. mi spyang dkar po). Oftentimes he was actually referred to as a wolf among humans, so the second spelling could be more accurate.

  Sergyi Arghaṃ (Tib. gser gyi a rgham). The head of the Middle Lineage and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors]. Also known as Gyapön [Leader of a Hundred] (Tib. brgya dpon) Sergyi Arghaṃ.

  Ser-tso [Golden Lake] (gser mtsho). There are two women named Ser-tso: one is one of the Seven Fair Maidens and the daughter of Yatha (one of the Thirteen Lamas of Ling); the other is Trothung’s wife. See also Denza.

  Serpa Nyima. See Nyibum Daryag.

  Serza (Tib. gser bza’). A woman from the Ser tribe, from whom the Greater or Elder Lineage descended; the first wife of Chöphen Nagpo, and mother of Lhayag Darkar.

  Shelkar Gyangdrag [White Crystal Far Famed] (Tib. shel dkar rgyang grags) of Mupa. One of the Thirteen Cherished Sons of Ling; one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors].

  Shingtri, King (Tib. shing khri). The king of the southern lands of Mön.

  Singsing [Sengseng] of Ca-nag, Chief (Tib. sing sing lcags nag). One of the Thirteen Cherished Sons of Ling and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors].

  Sinmo Buzen. See Cannibal Demoness Child Eater.

  Sintsha [Rākṣa Maternal Nephew] Ngo-lug of Tag-rong (Tib. stag rong srin tsha ngo lug). One of the three Sheep-a-Peep brothers and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors]; a member of the Tag-rong tribe in the Lesser Lineage of Ling.

  Stupid Mute Stone Target. See Yelga Dzeiden.

  Tag-rong. See Trothung.

  Tagphen. See Zigphen.

  Takshaka (Tib. ’jog po). A nāga king, one of the Five Eminent Beings who received the anu yoga transmission of the higher tantras.

  Thalei Ödkar. See Thalei Ödtro.

  Thalei Ödtro [Completely Luminous] (Tib. tha le ’od ’phro). Gesar’s drala sister, a protector. She is also called Sing Cham, or Cham [Sister] Thalei Ötro, or Thalei Ödkar [Completely White Light] (Tib. tha le’od dkar). Tha probably refers to thale, which is a kind of robe or coat.

  Thanglha (Tib. thang lha). Also called Nyenchen Thanglha (Tib. gnyan chen thang lha); a powerful nyen, or mountain deity.

  Thangtong Gyalpo [King of the Empty Plain] (Tib. thang stong rgyal po). A mahāsiddha, yogi, or wandering ascetic; the Buddhist lama who serves as the spiritual advisor to the Mukpo tribe and the Kingdom of Ling.

  Tharpa Gyaltsen. See Berkar Tharpa Gyaltsen of Nag-ru.

  Tharpa Sönam. See Lingchen Tharpa Sönam.

  Tharpa Zorna of Akhöd. See Akhöd Tharpa Zorna.

  Thoglha Bum [Lightning God Hundred Thousand] (Tib. thog lha ’bum). One of the sons of Dragyal Bum-me, and father of Chöla Bum, grandfather of King Senglön.

  Thöpa Gawa. See Gesar.

  Thubten Nyima. A Tibetan Rinpoche who is an incarnation of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje from Golog, and who is responsible for the discovery and preservation of thousands of Buddhist scriptures that would have otherwise been lost forever. Well known as Zenkar Rinpoche, or simply Alak Zenkar, he was actively involved in the compiling and editing of the first three volumes of the Gesar of Ling epic in 1980, using a xylograph made from the original Derge woodblocks as his source.

  Tongnyid Chödrön [Emptiness Dharma Torch] (Tib. stong nyid chos sgron). Gesar’s name for his divine mother. This is also the name of the daughter of a blacksmith in the kingdom of Gurkar when she emanates as [Tongnyid] Gardza Chödrön [Dharma Lamp of the Blacksmith Caste] (Tib. mgar gza’ chos sgron). Later in the epic when Gesar invades the kingdom of Hor, she is his main helper and also becomes Gesar’s lover as was prophesied.

  Tongpön Treltsei Shemchog [Chiliarch Supreme Knowledge] (Tib. stong dpon gral rtse shes mchog). Leader of one thousand (chiliarch) of the clan of Dra, chieftain of one of the six districts of Middle Ling, and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors].

  Tönpa Gyaltsen [Teacher Victory Banner] of Kyalo (Tib. skya lo ston pa rgyal mtshan). Drugmo’s father, the king of Gog, one of the four Gyaltsens, one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors], an emanation of Jambhala. Also called Kyalo Tönpa; not to be confused with Ralo Tönpa.

  Tricham Dzeiden, Queen. The mother of Ratra Genpo, the first king of Dokham. She was from the Drong (also called Dri) clan, and married King Chatül.

  Trichang Pagyal [Wolf Throne Victorious Warrior] (Tib. khri spyang dpa’rgyal). The son of Chöphen Nagpo and his second wife Omza. He founded the Middle Lineage, which consists of the six Mukpo tribes of Ombu.

  Trogyal. See Trothung.

  Tromo-tso [Wrathful Lake] (Tib. khro mo mtsho). Tag-rong’s daughter, one of the Seven Fair Maidens of Ling.

  Trothung of Tag-rong (Tib. khro thung). Gesar’s uncle, brother of Chipön, king of Tag-rong, and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors]. He is sometimes called King Trowo, or simply Tag-rong. He is also called Trogyal (Tib. khro rgyal), which means “wrathful king” and is a reference to the wrathful yidam Hayagrīva, of whom he is an emanation. He is an incarnation of the Indian Mahāsiddha Naropa, and is prophesied to manifest as the dharma king of Shambhala, Lhayi Wangpo. He is often referred to by the epithet Mazhi Chieftain (Tib. ma bzhi dpon po). The Tibetan literally means “chief of four mothers.” There are many explanations of this name, one being that four women nursed Trothung when he was a child, but it may simply be a tribal name.

  He was a mighty warrior alongside Chipön and on the side of Ling, but out of jealousy he was always opposed to Gesar and repeatedly attempted to betray him. The reader is reminded however that while he was still in the celestial realm Gesar requested that he would have an adversary in the human realm, and to this end Hayagrīva incarnated as Trothung’s role as a foil is actually an indispensable part of Gesar’s primal retinue of deities and dralas.

  Trowo. See Trothung of Tag-rong.

  Tsangpa’i [Brahmā] Ngo-lug of Agê [Ram Face of Purity] (Tib. a ge tsang pa’i ngo lug). One of the three Sheep-a-Peep brothers; a member of the Elder Lineage, and one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors].

  Tshazhang. See Denma.

  Tsugna Rinchen [Precious Jewel at the Crown] (Tib. gtsug na rin chen). King of the nāgas. Literally, his name means “Jewel in the Crest,” referring to a classical Asian belief that all serpents have a jewel in their heads just above and between the eyes. He has three daughters: the eldest Gödchung Karmo, the middle daughter Khatsar Lumo-tso, and the youngest Lenyu Khatam, who is also called Metog Lhadzei. This third and youngest daughter is brought to the human realm as Yelga Dzeiden, where she becomes Gesar’s mother and is known by the name of Gogmo.

  Vajra Lake-Born Lord of the Victorious Ones (Tib. rgyal dbang mtsho skyes rdo rje). An epithet for Padmasambhava.

  Wangpo Darphen [Powerful Unfurled Silk] (Tib. dbang po dar ’phen, or ’phan). A judge; one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors].

  Werma Lhadar [Werma Divine Banner] (Tib. wer ma lha dar). One of the great arbiters (Tib. gzu chen) of Ling; one of the Thirty Brethren [Mighty Warriors]. He is the one who establishes the order of the great council meeting in volume 3.

  White-Conch Garuḍa. See Dungkhyung Karpo.

  White Supreme Bliss. See Demchog Karpo Ngangyag.

  Wrathful Lake. See Tromo-tso.

  Yamshüd (Tib. yam shud). The king or leader of the tsen.

  Yatha (Tib. ya tha). One of the Thirteen Lamas of Ling who assume a more prominent role in future volumes of the epic.

  Yelga Dzeiden [Lovely Branch] (Tib. yal ga mdzes ldan). Gesar’s mother, also known as Gogza or Gogmo, was born as Lenyu Khatam Do-to [Stupid Mute Stone Target] (Tib. glen yus kha ’tham rdo tho), the youngest daughter of the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen. Because she was not as beautiful or smart as her sisters, the nāgas gave her this name; however, she was also the ḍāki
nī Metog Lhadzei [Flower Divine Beauty] (Tib. me tog lha mdzes). She is the nāginī princess brought to the middle realm of humans by Padmasambhava. When she comes to the human realm, she is called Gogmo (Tib. ’gog mo), literally the “woman from Gog,” and she is raised by the king of Gog, Ralo Tönpa Gyaltsen, as her human father. She becomes the second wife of King Senglön, and is known as Gogza Lhamo (Tib. ’gog bza’ lha mo), goddess wife from Gog, or simply Gogza. Senglön is thereby Gesar’s earthly father.

  Yemön Namkhai Gyalpo. The first king of the ancient clan that was eventually called the Mukpo clan.

  Yerpa’i Trin-ga [Cloud Lover of Yerpa] (Tib. yer pa’i sprin dga’). The nāga child of the untouchable caste who volunteered to invite Padmasambhava to the land of the nāgas.

  Yu-gyal [Turquoise King] (Tib. g.yu rgyal). The son of Chöla Bum and Muza; later on in the epic, he is lost to the Hor in battle.

  Yudrön. See Lhamo Yudrön.

  Yuphen Tag-gyal [Turquoise Benefit Tiger King] (Tib. gyu phan stag rgyal). The eldest son of Chipön Rongtsha Tragen and Metog Tashi-tso. Also simply called Yutag.

  Yutag. See Yuphen Tag-gyal.

  Yuyag Gönpo [Protector of Excellent Turquoise] (Tib. g.yu yag mgon po). One of the Thirteen Cherished Sons of Ling; one of the Thirty Brethren/Mighty Warriors.

  Yuyi Metog. See Nangchung Yutag.

  Zhal-lu. See Gyatsa Zhalkar.

  Zigphen (Tib. gzig ’phen). Trothung’s eldest son, leader of the Elder Lineage, and one of the Seven Super Warriors; personal minister of Nyima Daryag. Also called Anu Zigphen [Youthful Leopard Leap] (Tib. a nu gzig ’phen), or Tagphen, a contraction of his full name “Tag-rong Zigphen.”

  Zima-tso [Ocean Froth] (Tib. zi ma mtsho). The lover or wife of Lenpa Chögyal, who was sent to Ling from Hor.

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