8. Tibetan Grammar; Sum cu pa and rTags 'jug

These two works are the two main Tibetan grammar texts, popularly known as Sum rtags together, which anyone who wants to master the Tibetan written language must study. Thonmi Sambhota was credited to have composed these two works, but many facts do not corroborate to this assumption. Grammatical rules followed in the ancient writings on obelisks [rDo ring] around eight century and in Tunhuang documents of around tenth century do not subscribe to the Sum rtags rules. Modern scholars are of the opinion that the two grammar texts evolved and were established at a much later time. A Japanese Tibetologist Professor Yamaguchi Zuiho and American R.A. Miller were among the pioneers who raised the doubt on the authorship of Sum rtags^[1]. Na ga Sangs rgyas bstan dar, a Tibetan scholar at Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) has noted that in no Tibetan works^[2] in between twelfth and sixteenth century reflected that Thonmi Sambhota composed Sum rtags grammar. Bu-ston has also not said clearly that these two texts [Sum rtags] were among the eight treaties [Tib:bsTan bcos brgyad] supposed to have composed by Thonmi Sambhota^[3].

In 2006, several ancients manuscripts was said to have discovered in the Lhokha region of Tibet bordering India and Bhutan in the south, during the reconstruction of a stupa named, dGa' thang 'bum pa che mchod rten. The texts contain both Buddhist and Bon works and literatures. A Tibetan researcher, lCags mo mtsho has studied one of these texts [gNag rabs] from the linguistic angle, and found that the writings conform to the style of Tunhuang and early sPu rgyal Kings of Tibet's time.^[4] It does not follow the grammatical rules established in Sum-rtag. Particle rules in speeches based on 'Brel sgra [gi, kyi, gyi, yi and 'ai], Byed sgra [gis, kyis, gyis, yis and 'ais], and La don [su, ra, ru, du, na, la and tu], have not been followed in the text. Therefore, it would be inadvertent to impose the authorship of Sum rtags to Thonmi Sambhota, when the historical facts do not support the assertion.

Professor Tsul khrim skal bzang was also of the view that Sum cu pa grammar may have been composed by some other than Thonmi Sambhota:

Although Tibetan grammar Sum cu pa and sTags 'jug were attributed to Thonmi Sambhota, it is doubtful. Sum cu pa grammar rule in relationship speech ['brel sgra], suffix ga and nga should be followed by particle Gi. A Tibetan pillar [rdo ring] erected in Lhasa zhol during King Khri srong [754-797 CE] does not comply with this rule. But the writings on a pillar erected at Lhasa gTsug lag khang during King Khri ral pa can [815-841 CE] follow this grammatical rule. This indicates that Sum cu pa grammar was composed in between 38th King Khri srong and 41st King Khri ral pa can's time, this should be researched further.^[5]

Therefore, the assertion that Thonmi Sambhota composed Sum cu pa and rTags 'jug is little doubtful. From the above analysis, we found that Lantsa and Wartu could not be the origin of Tibetan dBu can and dBu med scripts, because the two formers came only around 11th century. We have not been able to establish the approximate time Thonmi visited India and where actually did he study and under whom. Tibetan scholars need to look at this "rGya la med pa'i yi ge drug" and the different interpretations surrounding the discovery. Sound like ca, cha and ja were there in Indian language since the time of Brahmi script in third century BC era. Origin of zha, za and 'a, the sounds are among those used daily in Tibetan life, an external inspiration for the intelligent Thonmi Sambhota does not sound credible.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Khri g.Yung drung, brDa sprod gzi mig dgu pa, p-229, p-234

[2]:

Meaning: mKhas-pa ldeu, lDeu jo-sras, Deb-ther sngon-po, rGyal-rab gsal-ba'i me-long, mKhas-pa'i dga'-bston etc..

[3]:

Na ga Sangs rgyas bsTan dar, Bod kyi brda sprod nag tig, p-28 ff

[4]:

lCags mo mtsho, Bon gyi yig rnying [gNag rabs] zhes bya ba'i brda sprod kyi khyad chos la dpyad pa

[5]:

Tshul khrims skal bzang, Bod dang bo mi, p-48 ff