The Epic of Gesar of Ling

by Robin Kornman

If you do not, there is no way to explain it.

  Cousins and uncles of Ling, bear this in mind.

  The very determined girl prepared to follow where the dri had gone. Then Chipön said, “Now White Ling has accomplished the aim of its raid. There won’t be a plunder to surpass this. The words of truth of the warrior Sengtag have come to pass, and the imperial gods have bestowed siddhis. Now we can return to the highlands of White Ling. These spoils will be the ornament of the world [Jambudvīpa].”

  He spoke, and then Senglön said, “Uncle promised today’s plunder to me as the prize of the divination. She belongs to me.”

  Then Trothung said, “The girl is not loot. It is not the custom to call something found in an empty place ‘booty.’ In any case, I saw her first.”

  It was then that the great arbiter Werma Lhadar [Divine Banner] said, “Since this is the innermost treasure of Ralo Tönpa, it is called booty, and is determined by its value. So, Senglön is right.”

  A slip of the tongue can’t be recanted by a horse.

  An arrow released by the thumb can’t be drawn back by the hand.

  “Isn’t it like that? However, let the twelve-volume One Hundred Thousand Verse Scripture and the nine-partitioned azure tent of the nāgas be the general wealth of White Ling. The girl and the dri, according to Uncle, are the prize for the divination, so they go to Senglön.”

  All the Brethren said, “Good plan. So be it.” So Trothung was left with no choice. And then, just as before, the nāga scriptures and nāga tent were carried on the backs of horses and mules, and the dri led, but this time to White Ling. Even the girl was satisfied with the outcome.

  They were going to mount the girl on her horse, but there was no saddle. When they said, “What do we do?” she replied, “Once last summer, when I went out for a stroll,34 there was a white boy standing next to that white crag over there. He gave me a golden saddle, a turquoise halter and crupper, and said to me, ‘You must not take this anywhere or tell anyone. The time will come when you will need these. Until then, leave it here and I will stand guard.’ So I placed them in a cave in that crag, and I forgot until now. I wonder if these things are still there. Since they were given to me either by my guru or my father’s family, I think they are.”

  Several brawny men went to look for it, but saw nothing. Chipön said, “Girl, you should go. It will be there. And whoever wants to accompany her should go along, too.” She went into the cave, and the golden saddle was sitting right there. Then they all knew for certain that she was the nāginī. Overwhelmed with joy and happiness, the Brethren called to the gods, shouting ki! and so! and they slowly returned to Ling.

  The minute the girl arrived in the tent of Gyaza, the abode became a mass of light. The girl was wondrously beautiful, and wherever you looked, around her there were auspicious signs.

  Gyaza thought, “She’s going to overcome me.” In her jealousy she was a bit annoyed.

  Then Chipön thought, “I guess that since Gyaza’s race is Chinese she must suffer the fault of great jealousy, which goes along with being Chinese. If this girl stays with us in our kingdom, then the intentions of the divine gurus and the prophecies of the ḍākinīs and all the signs and dreams that have come day and night seem to indicate that a divine child will be born here in White Ling. It seems that this nāginī will be his powerful mother. If he and Zhalkar are brothers together in the same house, it is predicted that both of them will have long life and good fortune. On the other hand, if they go their separate ways, it’s hard to say if Zhalkar’s life will be long enough to reach its appointed end. I don’t think I dare say this. It’s like the saying:

  Why count on winnings that haven’t come about?

  It is as pointless as naming your child before it is born.

  What’s the use? Gyaza is not especially thoughtful; she won’t listen,” he thought and just let it go for a while.

  Gyaza herself said, “There is no way I will allow myself to be in her thrall.” Since the girl’s nāga tent had passed into the common property of Ling, Senglön thought, “I will set up a charming little tent for her [the nāginī] and all her needs will be supplied. Only she will be allowed to drink the milk of her dri, and only she will be in charge of it. Since she is a wisdom ḍākinī,t no matter what is done, she will only feel joyful.”

  Chipön resolved the matter in this way: The nāginī would not be allowed to go anywhere except to the tents belonging to Gyaza’s household. Senglön must keep his marriage to Gyaza as before, and the nāginī should not be given the power to control the Gyaza household wealth. And as far as the house and livestock were concerned, Gyaza was to determine the nāginī’s fair share and distribute it as she would. Based on this, Gyaza gave her four animals—a mare, a dzomo, a dri, and a ewe. As this was an auspicious connection, the place came to be called Yang Rawa Go-zhi [The Four-Gated Prosperity Corral].

  Gyatsha Zhalkar said, “Even though we can’t be sure whether this girl is good or bad,35 she is my first reward. Besides, all the other signs and connections have been positive; it’s quite all right for me to keep her for myself. My mother may have thrown her out now, but later she will realize to her regret that it is no different than sending her own son away. It is too bad, for this diminishes the auspicious connection.”

  His heart was in great turmoil. He said, “I will not cast the girl away.” He was purple with anger, and when he spoke these words he was standing beside Gyaza’s tent looking like a rhinoceros horn. From that time on the nāginī’s little tent was called Tritse Seru Tag-khama [Little Rhino Tent at the Back],36 and everyone came to know it as that. For the three days that followed Gyatsha was sick with heartwind.u in the chest and during that time did not utter a single word.

  The people of Ling began to call the girl Gogza Lhamo,v which they shortened to Gogmo [Gog Lady]. Because Gogmo’s dri gave an inexhaustible supply of milk morning, noon, and night, this saying became familiar:

  The white dri of prosperity

  Has a hundred and three udders,

  But only Gogmo can milk it

  And only the turquoise pail can contain the milk.

  The nāginī stayed there next to Gyaza’s tent for several months, and one night she dreamed of a guru who said, “Just below where your tent is pitched, there is a frog-shaped boulder. Move your dwelling in front of it.” She told Senglön she had had this dream, and he said, “Do it, but keep the dream secret.”

  The next morning Senglön said, “Let’s move this little tent of Gogmo close to the canyon, because I don’t like it above our own tent.” So they moved it in front of the frog-like boulder, near Chumig Nagring [Long Black Spring] of Nāga Tsugna.

  While she was staying there, Gyatsha himself gave her whatever provisions she needed. Without ever going to seek permission from either his mother or his father, he took it upon himself to give things whenever she required them. And Gyaza did not dare say a thing. Gogmo was happier than Gyaza. Content with her little tent and small portion of wealth, she lived a blessed life.

  Chipön thought, “If Gyatsha is not the best around, then who is? Whatever I, Chipön, have desired, he has brought about. He is a warrior complete in the six powers, with vast knowledge. He can do anything at any time without errors, accomplishing things perfectly whenever necessary.” Thinking, “How wonderful he is!” his spirits soared.

  Gogmo, too, offered Gyatsha choice portions of dri milk and curd. Her mind became quite attached to him, and she loved him as though he was her own son, and he cherished her no differently than Gyaza. As is said in the famous proverb:

  If a son is noble there will be happiness from within and without.

  Thus it was.

  Although there are various divergences concerning the biography, it is not necessary for biographies of the Noble Ones to be exactly the same. Aside from this version, most of the literature found about the Trung Ling [The Birth in Ling] is actually incorrect. Rather than spending time refuting those errors and creating more pages,
I [Gyurmed Thubten Jamyang Dragpa] will just let it be as it is.37

  a. Gyatsha Zhalkar is the nephew of the Emperor of China and is Gesar’s elder half-brother.

  b. Because she lived with Ralo of Gog upon arriving in the human land, the nāga princess is referred to as Gogza, the girl from the Gog clan.

  c. Chipön Rongtsha Tragen.

  d. Senglön.

  e. Gyatsha Zhalkar.

  f. Gesar and so forth.

  g. The Brahmin Legjin could have been the teacher of Thönmi Sambhota, who was the founder of the Tibetan literary language.

  h. A lump of freshly churned white butter often given to nomadic children as a treat.

  i. “Twelfth month” (Tib. rgyal zla ba). Literally, the “Royal Moon”; that is, when the moon is in the eighth constellation, mid-winter.

  j. The ceremony of tantric initiation involves touching a blessed vase to the initiate’s head.

  k. Yamshüd is the king of the tsen.

  l. The the’u rang are spirits who support gamblers.

  m. In the wintertime the earth and water is frozen, so here he is emphasizing the fluidity and gentleness of the newly born earth and the flowing water of springtime.

  n. This means the best of all the dzo—like the greatest steed.

  o. The addition of the syllable “lu” to a name is a term of endearment, and so Bumpa Zhal-lu means “dear Zhalkar of Bumpa.”

  p. Mikyong Karpo is also known as Sengtag Adom.

  q. “Maroon” here is smug po and could simply be the name of the Mukpo clan.

  r. These two lamas were very important for the Gesar epic and its place in the historical chronicles of Tibet.

  s. Black offerings (Tib. dkor nag) are probably religious offerings to the Three Jewels, which this monk appropriates to his own benefit, thus planting a karmic seed of rebirth in hell.

  t. A wisdom ḍākinī is the embodiment of an absolute principle and thus already innately enlightened.

  u. Heart-wind (Tib. snying rlung) means “depression.”

  v. Meaning “goddess wife from Gog.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  To the nāga princess Gogza

  Is born Gesar Norbu Dradül.

  He bands together with the dralas and wermas

  And for a period of time he is called Joru.

  ONE DAY THE GIRL WENT for a stroll by the edge of the lake. The lake was cool and refreshing with its garlands of waves that came slowly washing in with a gentle splashing sound. The variegated flowers on the green meadows were so vivid and bright that at first she felt astonishment. Then, remembering the nāgas, she saw the prosperity of the nāga realm, her mother, father, and all her relatives as though they had appeared before her. In this mood she called to the nāgas with a sad song in the melody River Slowly Flowing.

  Helpless but to sing a few songs,

  I must sing these or do nothing at all.

  If happy, this is a joking song of joy.

  If sad, this will uplift the mind.

  I take refuge in the guru, yidam, and the Rare and Precious Three Jewels.

  Remain inseparable as my crown ornament.

  This place is Yagnyi Katröd;

  I am the nāginī Yelga Dzeiden.

  Dear blue lake with pleasing splashing sound,

  Perhaps you are a messenger of the nāga king Tsugna.

  Listen, for I have something to tell you.

  In the azure firmament of this borderless sky of darkness,

  The way the imperial sun benefits beings

  Is to establish them in bliss by illuminating the four continents.

  Above us the sun and moon encircle the land that is theirs,

  Never separate from happy celebration with close kinsmen.

  In the middle land of men, happiness appears

  When the dear imperial chief leads his subjects to joy.

  The laws of the land are enforced by the minister.

  The chief who occupies the precious golden throne

  Is never without the respect and veneration of his kinsmen.

  From below, the princess of the subterranean nāgas

  Has come to the human realm

  To accomplish the benefit of beings in the six mountain ranges of Tibet.

  My benefit for beings amounts to nothing—like the daughter of a barren woman;

  I, the nāginī, am like a stray dog in the wilderness.

  I’ve left my father’s family behind in the depths of the ocean.

  Did you understand this, O Golden King of the River?a

  When the divine guru teaches dharma, he is full of clever words.

  He says, “All wealth is impermanent like bubbles on water.”

  He says, “All friends are impermanent like birds on a branch.”

  He says, “Life is impermanent like a display of lightning.”

  His words don’t fit with his actions.

  Whether he’s pleased or not depends on the size of the offering;

  Whether he scolds or not depends on the students’ good looks.

  Wealth and material possessions are for his own pleasure—

  Look how his honorable hands tie the knot of avarice.

  When the dear chieftain dispenses law, he’s full of clever words.

  He says it’s for the happiness of the lower classes.

  He says craving the wealth of others is not permitted.

  He says the dishonest will be punished by the law.

  His words don’t fit his actions.

  Inflicting suffering and famine on his subjects,

  For the rich, penalties are just a painting;

  If the previous secret payoff is significant,

  Then look and see how an evil person escapes from the law.

  My father Tsugna can say whatever he wants.

  He said all three sisters are equally precious.

  He said he would come to me from any distance.

  He said “My daughter, I will make you happy.”

  Kind father, you don’t stand by your words.

  Father Tsugna, since you’ve forgotten me three years has passed.

  It’s been three years since I’ve heard our nāga language.

  In the human land above I have neither kith nor kin.

  The nāginī has neither protector nor possessions.

  Did you understand that, O Golden King of the River?

  The unborn and unceasing azure firmament

  Is said to be one with the guru’s mind.

  Since this is true, here is my message to you:

  The realization and conduct of the best guru

  From the milky ocean of the sutras and the tantras

  Churns the buttery essence of the dharma’s view and meditation,

  Which is mingled, so they say, with the core of his mind.

  They never say that once mingled it becomes separated again.

  The meditative practice of the mediocre guru—

  Playing the harmonious cords of the scriptural canon,

  He sings the sweet devotional words of dharma to others,

  But only occasionally does he practice himself.

  The righteous conduct of the inferior guru

  Who deceptively takes valuable wealth from the unpleasant city of suffering,

  Benefits no one and loses it to the thieves,

  Bringing him both public ridicule and private torment.

  The regret of the patron who cherishes his wealth,

  The regret of the guru who can’t hold on to it,

  And the dissension caused by vain regret—

  How surprising to think that these are ways to benefit beings.

  Oops, not supposed to say that, I was just teasing.

  In this lifetime, if you want to have companions

  Only the dear chief can offer you protection.

  In the next life, if you want to head toward liberation

  Only the guru can save you.

  My body, this arm-span triangle of flesh—

 
Only my parents can make it complete.

  Now for the honest truth in the words of my song,

  If you can see me, O guru, grant me your blessings.

  If you can see me, O parents, give your support.

  If not, from this day onward

  This girl is on her own.

  Neither the guru’s words nor his prophecies

  Have I ever transgressed, in letter or in spirit.

  But if this song has erred, I fully confess it.

  If my words seem frivolous, I beg your forgiveness.

  Thus she sang. She sat there, weeping, when suddenly her father, the nāga king Tsugna Rinchen, appeared before her, rising up from the lake in the guise of a blue man on a blue horse.

  “Daughter, don’t be so very distraught. It is not that the guru and I didn’t see you. I miss you so much, how could I possibly forget you? Nonetheless, here’s my advice on the situation,” and he broke into song.

  The song begins with Ala Ala Ala.

  Thala is the melody of the song.

  The place is the spring of the nāgas

  And I am Tsugna Rinchen.

  The sun and moon that ornament the space above

  Seem to illuminate the four continents,

  But the pointless impositions of the one who inflicts punishment,

  Rāhu, causes suffering anew;

  If they are oblivious to this, they will be happy.

  The imperial chief who sits on the golden throne

  May be respected by his ministers, who are never far,

  But if the myriad masses, beggars, and dogs are unhappy,

  This will cause him suffering anew;

  If he is oblivious to this, he will be happy.

  The divine guru, who mixes appearance and mind,

  His every action is for the benefit of beings.

  The imperial chieftain, who has gathered the power of karma,