130 MANASAROVAR AND SURROUNDING REGIONS IN TIBETAN WORKS.
those that drink its water ... Nowadays the pilgrims and devotees of Gangs-ri designate the snowy mountain mentioned in Mngon-mdsod and other sacred books by the name of Kang Tesi, and the lake Mtsho ma-dros-pa by the name of Mtsho Maphan. The commentators of Mngon-mdsod describe the four great rivers of Upper Tibet as issuing from rocks, which respectively have the appearances of an elephant, an eagle, a horse and a lion. According to other writers the rocks have the appearances of the head of a bull, a horse, a peacock and a lion, from which spring Ganga, Lohita, Pakshu and Sindhu. Each of these great rivers is said to flow into one of the four oceans, after receiving more than five hundred tributaries. The great lake Mtshoma-dros-pa is mentioned as extending over an area of 8o leagues. These accounts vary very much when compared with what is now seen. This may be attributed to the difference of moral merit in the different generations of mankind. It is probably owing to the smallness of moral merit in us, that we do not see these sacred places in their original state as our ancestors saw them. There is no other explanation except this why great things should look small. The mighty river Sindhu, issuing from a glacier on the western slopes of Kang Tesi, flows westward through Balti and afterwards in a southwestern direction through Kapistan, Jalandhra, and Panchanad, till joined by the rivers Satadru, etc. ... On account of there existing numerous snowy mountains in the countries of Panchanad, Kashmir, Ushmaparanta, Kabela and Jalandhra, which send their water into it, the river Sindhu is very powerful, and in fact it is the greatest of the four rivers mentioned above. — The river Pakshu springing from the glaciers on the north-western slopes of Kang Tesi, and flowing through the country of Tho-kar in a westerly direction, and Balag Bhokar and Hiva, and also through the steppes peopled by the Turushka hordes, discharges its contents into the great lake Mansarovar (!) — The river Sita, issuing from the glaciers of the Tesi mountains on their eastern side, flows through the country of Yar-khan and Thokar to empty itself into the lake Tsha-mtsho. Tradition says that formerly this river, flowing through the centre of the Hor country, discharged itself into the eastern ocean' but on account of its being drained by means of aqueducts, cut from it to irrigate both Chinese and Thokar countries, its progress to the sea was arrested ... Confronting the sacred mountain, at a short distance is situated the famous lake Mtsho-mapham, to the west of which there is another but smaller lake, called Lagran-mtsho ... — From Pal Sakya (the famous monastery) if you go northward for a full day's march, you arrive at Khahu Tag Jong ... To the north of Khahu Jong there is a very lofty snowy range on the back of which is the district inhabited by a tribe of Hors called Toi Hor, said to be descended from Srinpo (cannibal hobgoblins) ... This mountain is extremely high. Beyond these snowy mountains exist many Dok tribes. These Lalo (Mohammedan people) are subject to Kashgar ... To the north of the famous monastery of Pal Sakya flows the river Tsangpo, on the bank of which stand Lha-rtse, Ngam-ring and Phun tshogs-ling Jong, which all now belong to the Government of Tsang.
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