National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0210 |
Ancient Khotan : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
predicted that after his death the lake would dry up and become a country called *Li-yul*, with
the city of 'U-then' (*Hu.then* in Mr. Thomas' transcription) as its capital.
Resem-
blance of
Khotan and
Kashmīr
legends.
Mr. Rockhill has compared with this tradition the legends relating to the draining of the
lakes which were believed to have once occupied the present valleys of Kashmīr and Nepāl,
as well as Bod-yul or Tibet. Its resemblance to the ancient legend which represents Kashmīr
as having been originally the lake of Satīsaras deserves special attention, in view of that close
connexion of Khotan legendary lore with Kashmīr which we shall have occasion to note here-
after. I have fully discussed the Kashmīr legend, as told by the Nīlamata Purāṇa and also by
Kalhaṇa, in my 'Memoir on the ancient geography of Kashmīr' ¹¹. A reference to it will show
how closely the rôle here ascribed to Buddha and his two companions corresponds to the part
played in the Kashmīr legend by Brahman and the gods Viṣṇu and Balabhadra, who upon the
former's command drained the lake by piercing the mountains. Buddha's stay on Mount
Gośṛṅga seems to reflect the position taken up by Brahman and his divine host on the lofty
peaks of the Naubandhana Tīrtha in the mountains south-east of Kashmīr. This close relation
between the Khotan legend and the one told of Kashmīr in the Nīlamata Purāṇa is all the
more noteworthy because the Kashmīr legend had assumed in Buddhistic lore a materially
different form, as seen from the account of Hsüan-tsang and Mr. Rockhill's extracts from the
Tibetan canon ¹¹ᵃ. Thus the transfer of the Kashmīr legend to Khotan cannot be attributed to
any specifically Buddhist channel or agency.
Tibetan
story of
foundation
of Khotan.
The 'Annals of Li-yul' begin the story of the foundation of Khotan with a reference to
King Aśoka, who is said to have ruled over India 234 years after the death of Buddha ¹²:
'At that time the lake had dried up, but Li-yul was uninhabited.' In the thirtieth year
Aśoka's consort bore a son, whom the king, alarmed by the soothsayers' prediction that he
would be king in his father's lifetime, caused to be abandoned. 'But when the child had been
abandoned, there arose a breast on the earth from which he derived sustenance.' For this
reason he was called Kustana or 'breast of the earth' (*sa.nu*) ¹³. This child was miraculously carried
off by Vaiśravaṇa to the king of China (*Rgya*), who had 999 sons, but wanted one more to
complete a thousand, and brought up the boy. Kustana having found out his true origin
'wanted a kingdom for himself', and accordingly when twelve years old he 'got together
a host of 10,000 men, and with them went to seek a home in the west, and while thus employed
he came to Me-skar of Li-yul'.
About that time Yaśas ¹⁴, a minister of Aśoka, had been obliged to leave India as 'his
relatives had become obnoxious to the king; so he left the country with 7,000 men, and
sought a home to the west and to the east, and thus he came into the country below the
river of U-then' ¹⁵. Two followers of Kustana who had run away from Me-skar, came at *Tola*
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
11
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
21
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
31
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
41
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
53
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
64
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
76
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
87
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
97
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
107
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
118
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
128
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
139
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
149
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
160
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
170
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
181
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
191
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
202
.
.
.
.
|
208
209
210
211
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
222
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
232
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
243
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
254
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
264
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
274
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
284
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
294
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
305
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
317
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
328
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
338
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
348
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
358
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
368
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
378
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
389
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
401
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
413
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
423
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
433
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
443
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
454
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
464
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
474
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
484
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
494
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
505
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
516
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
527
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
537
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
547
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
559
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
569
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
581
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
594
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
605
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
615
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
625
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
635
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
645
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
655
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
665
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
675
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
685
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
695
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
705
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
715
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
724
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
