National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

INTRODUCTION   9

kha-sait-iza-yis-rmi-lam-du

mtsho-nas-sen-ge-nar-gyis-mchoizs

rgyal-kha-tun-la-thim par-mthoia

de-dan-dus-mtshuns-bu-rto-hdi

sems-can-dan-ni-ldan par-gyur

hdi-la-bu-zig-nes par-skye

rnin-1 a-sen-ge-rnam-rgyal-thogs.

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Then also, in the tale of the battle of Babsgo, Schlagintweit's MS., we find

a little song of four lines included, as follows (with two corrections by myself) :-

Rgyal po-Bab-sgor-bzugs-sii4

Kha-chul-dmag-dais-bcas

Sog po-rnams-la-brgyab pas

Sog-hbros-tabbs- su-soit.

Another song referring to Ni-ma-rnam-rgyal is found in C MS., and the last

chapter of the chronicle contains a few proverbial sayings.

Thè influence of prose productions of folklore (the Kesar-saga in particular) on

the writing of history is, of course, very distinct in the early parts of the chronicle.

Let me mention only the description of the seven heroes under Gun-sron-hdu-rje,

which at once calls to mind the seven 'Agus of the Kesar-saga. But also passages

like the description of Lha-dban-rnam-rgyal's three sons, who lived as late as the

sixteenth century, look as if they had just been copied from the Kesar-saga.

This brings us to the question of the Bon religion, which religion is apparent in

many parts of the Rgyal-rabs. Thus (1) in the chapter on cosmology we find

a line of gods, preceding the gods of the four continents, which looks as if it

might. be of Bon-po origin. It begins with Nam-kyer-rgyal po, who is probably

identical with Kyer-rdzoii-span-po of the Gliin-chos (religion of the Kesar-saga) .

(2) The tables of nations in the same chapter, which are not yet entirely intelligible,

also look as if they had come down to us from early Bon-po times. (3) The ancient

dynasties of kings from Gna-khri-btsan-po down to Lha-tho-tho-ri-seen-bsal, look as

if they had been introduced wholesale from Bon-po mythology. As we know from

the mythology of the Kesar-saga (Glin-chos, the most original type of the Bon

religion), the world consists of three realms, viz. (a) heaven, the land of the gods ;

(b) the earth, the land of men ; and (c) the underworld, the land of the Nei gas (klu).

Now it is remarkable that all the five groups of mythological kings are connected

with one or other of these three realms of mythology, as follows :—The seven heavenly

khri (thrones) are connected with the land of the gods ; the two Bar-gyi-ldin, the

six Saiti-legs, and. the eight Sahi-lde are connected with the earth ; and the five

Smad-kyi-btsan or Kiu-rgyal (Nága-ráj as) belong to Yog-klu, the realm of the Nágas.

(4) Then the history of Sron-btsan-sgam-po with his two wives at once calls to mind

the tale of King Kesar with his two wives, as I have repeatedly stated. And the

influence of the Kesar-saga is felt also in other parts of the chronicle, as stated

c

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