3. Nyatri Tsanpo as descendant of God Yablha Daldrug

There are several ancient Bon texts like mDo 'dus, mDo dri med gzi brjid, mGrags pa rin chen gling grags, Nyi zer sdron ma, Srid pa rgyud kyi kha byang, Yang rtse'i 'grel ba etc. which discuss about the origin of the king. It is widely accepted that drung, deu and bon were popular in the land before the thirty third king of Tibet Srongtsan Gampo [Tib:Srong btsan sgam po]. Therefore, the Bon narratives and the early texts can be taken as authoritative sources of ancient history of Tibet. According to these Bon texts, Nyatri Tsanpo was a descendent of one of the Bon gods Yablha Daldrug, the eldest of the four sons of sTag cha yal yol and Tshe za khyad khyud. The four brothers were popularly known as four gods of the universe [Tib:Srid pa'i lha rabs ched bzhi]. These gods were the descendants of the Srid pa sangs po bum khri and Cu lcam rgyal mo, two of the four principal divinities of Bon hagiography. The other two are, gShen lha 'Od dkar and gShen rab Mi bo^[1]. The king descended from heaven to be the master of black headed humans and the cattle. With the help of divine dmu-rope and dmu-staircase, the king descended from the sky in twenty one stages. He was accompanied by two attendants: mTshe mi and gCo gshen. They reached Yar lung Sog ka, and built the fort, mKhar phyi ba stag tse.

mDo dus, the shortest version of Tonpa Shenrab's biography has a prophecy relating to the coming of the first king of Tibet. The biography is considered to be one of the earliest accounts of the life of Tonpa Shenrab Mibo. It is in one volume with twenty four chapters. The work is supposed to be translated from the Zhangzhung language into Tibetan by sNya chen li shu stag ring at the place called gTsang bye ma g.yung drung. Drenpa Namkha, one of the leading Bon scholars during King Khrisrong Deutsan's time in the eighth century concealed it at Samye monastery. It was discovered at Ca ti mar po stupa at Samye in 961 CE by two Indian Acharyas^[2].

In the Bon text bsTan 'byung ke ta ka by dPon slob mkhas grub lung rtogs rgya mtsho [1879 CE], the quote from mDo dus follows:

"Three hundred years after me, from the center of the sky will appear the king of Tibet on the Mount Lha ri gyang tho. You, Nam mkha' sNang ba mdog can, shall be there around the same time, you shall support the King, gShen and the Teaching."^[3]

mDo dri med gzi brjid, the longest version of Tonpa Shenrab's biography has 12 volumes with 61 chapters. It was said to be orally transmitted to sPrul sku blo dan snying po by sTong chen dmu tsha gyer med in 1360 CE^[4].

The text reads:

"You, Nam mkha' sNang ba mdog can, around that same time, in the Bon land of snows, at the Mount lHa ri gyang do, with the Khri bar gyi bdun tshigs, shall support the king, gShen and the teachings, and spread the secret Tantra teaching…"^[5]

Tonpa Shenrab was said to have predicted the coming of the first king of Tibet from the sky on Mount Lharigyangtho. Furthermore, one of the disciples at the teaching would be born the priest Namkha Nangba Dogchan. He would disseminate the teaching of Bon. Many writings record the presence of a priest by the name of Nam mkha' sNang ba mDog can during Nyatri Tsanpo's time.

rTsa rgyud nyi zer sdron ma

rTsa rgyud nyi zer sdron ma^[6] , is a treasure text revealed by Bra bo bsgom nag in 1173 CE, is attributed to eighth century scholar Drenpa Namkha. According to the text, Phyva Yab bla bdal drug's wife, Dmu lcam mchong rong ma had seven sons. The middle son was Khri bar bdun tshigs. His father appointed him king of the people of Tibet^[7]. He along with dMu lcam khab bring ma had a son. The son, while in mother's womb said if he comes from the top, the space is narrow, if he come from below, the space is dirt. So he asked his mother to make space at the nape of her neck. The Bon priest Phyva bon De skyong opened the mother's nape. Out came a child, and he was wrapped in a white garment and named gNya' khri btsan po. It is written that his coming from the sky to the earth was in order to become the King of Tibet and he was also blessed by the Tonpa Shenrab. Escorted by two Bon priest attendants, mTshe mi rgyal and gCo gshen phyag dkar on the both sides, the king came to Yar lung sog ka. This was how the first king and Shen priests appeared. People lifted him on a throne and proclaimed him as the king, and he was named gNya' khri btsad po.

Here, Khri bar gyi bdun tsigs, the middle son of Yablha bdal drug was appointed the king of Tibet [Tib:Bod khams mi'i rje ru bskos] by his father and that his appearance was blessed by Tonpa Shenrab. He, along with Dmu lcam Khab bring ma had a son, who came out from the nape of his mother's neck. He, along with two priests descended to Yar lung sog ka and the people accepted them as the king and priests of the land.

bsGrag pa rin chen gling drags:

The text is one of the oldest Bon treasure texts. It was revealed by gTer ston blo gros thogs med^[8] somewhere between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.^[9] The passage starts with Ye lha sems kyi sgron ma requesting Srid pa sangs po, one of the leading gods of the Bon religion, to appoint a king to look after the welfare of the people and the cattle.^[10] Srid pa sangs po with Chu lcam rgyal mo gave birth to eighteen sons and daughters, out of which came genealogies of gods and goddesses of Bon pantheon. After the nine 'Then brothers came the three 'Al 'ol brothers. The youngest sTag cha 'al 'ol and his wife 'Tsham za khyad khyud had a son named Yab lha bdal drug. He along with mZes ldan ma had seven sons. The three eldest went to the higher realm and the three younger ones created a number of gods and goddesses in the universe. The middle one Khri bar la bdun tsig, also known as Lha rabs gnyan rum rje, was sent by his father to the earth to rule the earth. He was respected by everyone and was honored and was known by the name of gTsug khri btsad po, and also known as gNya khri btsad po. Putting the world in order, he is said to have returned to the thirty third realms of gods. There he married with dMu lcam bra ma, the daughter of the King of dMu. From her nape grew a big hump. From it came a mass of crystal and turquoise. This later manifested as four sons. They claimed to be gNya' khri btsan po and the other three as the priests: Ya ngal, mTse mi and Co mi. The father sent them to the earth to become king and priests of the human world. Through magical rope of dmu and cloud-horses driven by winds, they descended to rTse mo byung rgyal of Yarlung sog khar and built the fort Bye ma stag rtse.

This is how the text has narrated the origin of king. Here the Yab lha bdal drug's son was Khri bar la bdun tsig. This is common to find in most of the texts. But here he is said to have also been known by Lha rabs gnyan rum rje. He was sent to rule the earth where he was known as gTsug khri btsad po, and also known as gNya' khri btsad po. Establishing proper order in the world, he was said to have returned to thirty-third stages of heaven, where with the daughter of dMu king, they had a son Nyatri Tsanpo, who came from his mother's nape along with other three attendants.

Srid pa rgyud kyi kha byang:

This is a treasure text revealed by gTer ston gyer thods med also known as Khod po blo gros thogs med [born:1310] in the mid-fourteeth century. It is considered the lengthiest of early Bon historical writings (excluding writings on the Tonpa Shenrab)^[11]. The passage starts with honoring Srid pa sangs po 'bum khri and Cu lcam rgyal mo as the primal creator of gods and goddesses in the universe^[12]. Starting from Srid rje brang kdar, the text goes on narrating the genealogies of gods and deities. After the nine Then gods came the sTag cha 'al 'ol, and he and sTag-cha 'tshams za had a son, Phyva rje Yab bla dbal drug. The later had seven sons with dMu btsan rgyal mo. The middle one, Khri sad 'bar ba, was banished to the land of dMu, where, with dMu za gnyis mthing ma, they had a son coming from his mother's nape. He was named Nyag khri btsad po. When he descended to the earth, he was known as rGyal bo khri sras bya tsi, the universal king of black-headed people and all the beasts with manes^[13]. He descended through the nine steps of a stair case and performed ablution to wash away the karmic stains. In the land of Yar lung sog ka, he stayed at Phyi ba stag rtse. It was said that with the coming of the king, the land prospered. Phyva bon thang yag and Pha ba mtshe gco were the two Shen priests who attended to the king.

Nyatri Tsanpo is shown here as the son of Khri sad 'bar ba, who descended to Yar lung sog ka and established himself at the fort Phyi ba stag rtse.

bKa' thang sde lnga:

A Buddhist text revealed by one of the notable treasure revealers [Tib:gTer ston] Guru Ogyan Lingpa (1325-1360 CE) of the 14th century^[14], is believed to be taught by or considered testament by Guru Padmasambhava to the deities, king, queen, ministers and teachers^[15] during his period. It briefly mentions about the origin of the Tibetan king in rGyal po'i bka' thang and bLon po'i bka' thang. The Tibetan king 'Od de spur rgyal, came from the gods in the sky as a human king^[16]. The text describes nine Then brothers and sTag cha 'al 'ol, from who came the Yab la bdal drug. He had seven sons, the middle one was not faring well with his parents and the brothers. He was sent to his uncle's home, where he married with dMu gza' lde mo btsun. They had a son. He was named gNya' khri btsan po. He went to look after the welfare of humans and the animals. From him, Tibet's seven heavenly kings [Tib:gNam gyi khri bdun] and the others started. In bLon po'i bka' thang, it mentions about secret Buddhist version of an Indian king, established Bon version of heavenly king and ultra-secret version of the public and the ministers^[17]. It briefly talks of the Theurang version in two lines but does not say anything about the Buddhist version. It describes the Bon version to some extent, on how god sKar ma yol sde entreated gNya' khri btsan po to descend to the human world as a king. This corresponds to what is mentioned in rGya bod chos 'byung rgyas pa of mKhas pa lde'u.

rLang kyi po ti bse ru rgyas pa:

The text is about the record of what was discussed by mKhan blob chos gsum [Khanpo Shantarakshita, Lobpon Padmasambhava and Chosgyal Khrisrong Deutsan] during the completion ceremony of Samye monastery. The text is in three volumes: the second volume is said to be by rLang byang chub 'dre bkol [968-1076 CE] and the third volume is mostly about the origin of rLang lineages^[18]. In the first volume, there is a description about the origin of the universe and beings. It talks about the Sangs po 'bum khri and Chu lcag rgyal mo, and genealogies of gods thereafter. It was said, from the youngest sTag tsha 'al 'ol and his queen 'Tsham sa khyad khyud, lineages of humans unfolded with the four sons: 'O de gung rgyal, Yab lhag brda drug, Khri de gsum po, and Tsha grang shing kdar po. From here it goes on to explain how the six original Tibetan tribes^[19] came to exist. sTag tsha 'al 'ol is said to be the last of the divine beings and the beginning of the human manifestation^[20].

Importance of the text and its passage here is that the text is an ancient Buddhist writing and it corroborates to the facts mentioned in Bon scriptures. Although it does not speak of the origin of King Nyatri Tsanpo, the narration from Sangs po 'bum khri to Yab lha bdal drug and the six tribes of Tibet, without any reference to gSang ba chos lugs corroborates the veracity of the Yab lha bdal drug theory of the Bon version.

The above Bon and Buddhist texts and scriptures speak of how the king descended from the sky. It does not speak of twelve wise men or the bonpos asking him about his whereabouts and receiving him. Inscriptions on rocks and imperial pillars are in line with these Bon scriptures. Tunhuang manuscripts discovered in 1899 CE in Tunhuang caves are considered as authoritative ancient manuscripts written around the tenth century. The contents of the Tunhuang manuscripts subscribe to what is being said in the Bon texts about the origin of the king. We shall discuss this in the following pages.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Spindle and Arrow, p-133

[2]:

mDo-dus, p-xxii ff

[3]:

"mdag ni mya-nyan 'das rjes su, mi lo sum brgya drug gi dus, nam mkha'i dkyil ns bod kyi rgyal, lha ri gyang ma gyang thor 'byung, nam mkha' snang ba mdog can kyod, de dus de dang dus mnyam par, rgyal gshen bstan pa mnyam chags mzod' 1) mKhas grub lung rtogs rgya mtsho, p-59, 2) bsTan 'zin brug grags, Bon-sgo 2, p-40, 1988

[4]:

Bon sgo, Vol 1, p-19, 1987

[5]:

"Nam mkha' snang bam dog can khyod, de dus de dang dus mnyam du, kha ba can gyi Bon yul du, lha rig gyang to bya ba ru, Khri bdun par la bdun tshigs dang, rgyal gshen bstan pa mnyam chags mzod, gsang ba sngags kyi bstan pa spel.." gZi brjid Vol 12, Chapter 61, p-365 "

[6]:

Dren pa nam mkha', rTsa rgyud nyi zer sgron ma, p-vii ff, Treasure text revealed by Bra bo bsgom nag in 1173

[7]:

"Phya yab bla bdal drug gi chung ma, dmu lcam mchong ron ma la, sras le'u rje mched bdun ltams pa'i bdun tshigs de, khri bar la bdun tshigs yin, yab kyis bod khams mi'i rje ru bskos" [rTsa rgyud nyi zer sgron ma, p-181. BDS 2013]

[8]:

Tenzin Namdak, 'Bel gtam lung gi snying po, p-188,

[9]:

Dan Martin, Unearthing Bon Treasures, p-45

[10]:

"de nas bod kyi rgyal po ji ltar srid na, ye lha sems kyi sgron ma can gyis, srid pa sangs po la de 'gro ba mi la mgon med, dud 'gro phyugs la skyob med pas, 'gro ba'i don la sras sprul cig, ces bskul btab pas" [sGrags pa rin chen gling grags. p-299 ff]

[11]:

Dan Martin, Unearthing Bon Treasures, p-45

[12]:

gTer ton pa Khod po blo gros thog med, Srid pa rgyud kyi kha byang, p-40

[13]:

"mGo nag mi yi spyi rje dang, dud 'gro rngog chags rgyan du gshegs", Srid pa rgyud kyi kha byang, p-42

[14]:

Guru Ogyan gling pa, bka'-thang sde-nga, p-1,

[15]:

"Lha dre bka' thang, rgyal po'i bka' thang, btsun mo'i bka' thang, blon po'i bka' thang, lo pan bka' thang"

[16]:

"Bod kyi btsan po 'Od de spur rgyal de, gNam gyi lha las mi yi rje ru gshegs, tsangs pa phyag nas gnam lha Then dgr brgyud, gnam then sprin then char then then dgur byon, rtags chags wal wal sras po mched bzhi la, rje gcig Yab la bdal drug bya ba byon, ……. rje gcig gNya' khri btsan po bya ba de, mgo nag mi dang srog chags rkyen du byon" [bKa' thang sde lnga. p149 ff ]

[17]:

"gNam lha babs kyi rgyal po gNya khri btsan, gleng lugs mi mthun gsang bsgrags las gsang zer, gsang ba rgyal po chad pas chos lugs gleng, bsgrags pa lha las chad pas bon lugs gleng, yang gsang The'u brang chad ps dmangs blon gleng" [bKa' thang sde lnga, p-398]

[18]:

rLangs kyi po ti se ru rgyas pa. p-1

[19]:

According to the text the six tribers are: lDong, dBra, 'Gru, dGa', dBal and zLa, p-6

[20]:

"mChed gsum gyi chung ba Phyva rje sTag tsha 'al 'ol yin, lha rabs srid pa'i tha chung de, mi rabs srid pa'i mgo bo yin" [rLangs kyi po ti bse ru, p-5]