The Tibetan manuscript A

The Tibetan manuscript referred to as “manuscript A” is kept in the manuscripts department of the Insituteof the oriental sciences, the USSR Academy of sciences, Tibetan fund, B-1477 and is entitled “The life story of Geser-khan, the sovereign of the world”. It contains 262 sheets. The manuscrpt A despite its big volume appears to be merely the second part of the chapter of the war of Geser with the sharaigols, namely of the struggle of Geser who came back from the North  with the sharaigol khans. This is the part of the struggle of which David-Neel narrates (chapters V-IX). Manuscrpt A starts with the reference that Geser is already in the land of the demons.

Having learned that the sharagols destroyed his motherland, took away his wife Rogmo, he returns home. The chapter is completed  with Geser’s victory over the sharaigols and punishment of the traitor Tsoton.  

The chief events set forth in this version coinside with the content of the Tibetan manuscript Пб and the Mongolian “Lin Geser”. But there is no full coincidence. Many details in the manuscript are given in such detail that the reader might get even tired. For example, it is narrated of only one hat in the course of 600 versified lines (lists 138-149). There are many repetitions.

This version is abundant in the manifestations of mysticism. Unrolling with all might on the 300 sheets is an incredible fantasy of a mystical poet. The realistic features of the manuscript Пб are substituted for by the fantastic hyperbolism. The social sharpness is also smoothened down and substituted for by the stories of wonder-working and regenerations.

Those transformations and regenerations are piled to such a great degree that somewhat interfere with the course of the story. Geser comes to the country of sharaigols as the three birds, a young novice, a small boy, a bat; sometimes those reincarnations of Geser coexist  simultaneously and even talk with each other. His adversaries are not inferior to him in the capacity of magic transformation.

Therefore it is hard to determine who is Geser and who is his adversary. Geser’s brother Djasa who died flies back to him as a hawk without any head because his head was taken away by the sharaigol khans and was hanging on the fortified wall. The genius- guardians of  Geser and the sharaigol khans also fly down from the skies and take part in the fight turning into either man or bird.

Geser calls the celestial and underground warriors to help him. All those fantastic creatures struggle and bring all into the chaotic state, both the sky and the earth. Geser at this moment in his true form commands all the celestial and earthly warriors and in the form of youth Tannid (Foundling) manages all the sharaigol affairs. 

That young Tannid only pretends that he manages all the affairs, in reality he paralyzes all because he is the embodiment of Geser. Such endless reincarnations and transformations are typical of tantric Buddhism.   

The notion of the god and genius-protector is quite original and peculiar . geser killed the sharaigol celestial genius-protector (god) Bartig-Tabo. The meat and blood of the genius is eaten by a tiger, leopard and bear that appeared to be killed by Geser’s bogatyrs. The souls of those bogatyrs got resettled into the beasts mentioned (sheet 190). Thus the god appeared to be a creature having a physical body. Geser sends the souls of his bogatyrs that have been killed to the divine country (paradise) having previously given them to drink the blood of the sharaigol khans (sheet 242). Thus it appeared that the soul was also bodily or corporal.

This manuscript is penetrated through with the Buddhist frame of mind, the desire to propagate Buddhism. For example, bogatyr Chen-on says to Geser: “Tsar, you are an embodiment of the saint Djanraizig [“with the suffering eyes gazing”], with your mercy direct the souls of those who died to the path of ‘bodhi’ [the path of Buddhist perfection]” (sheet 26). In the other place it is said: “He, the tsar Lutszan, is an enemy of the Buddhist teligion… ” (sheet 23). It is necessary that the old prince, demon Lutszan with his lips unceasingly pronounced “mani”, constantly  counting his beads” (sheet 27).

Occuring along with the religious content sometimes are highly humane thoughts and social motifs as the remnants of the people’s version that underwent then the lama treatment. Thus, Geser having come to his land destroyed by Tsoton proclaims the four principles:

  1. To create a happy life without the poor. “Without the rich and without the poor, so that everybody should be rich and have the things needed and that all should be happy” (sheet 72).
  2. To give the people the right to live without war: “To find happiness with no war and quarrels” (sheet 73).
  3. To introduce and strengthen in Amdo the Indian teaching (sheets 9, 96-97).
  4. To introduce and strengthen in Amdo the Chinese law (sheets 9, 96-97).

Having proclaimed all those regulations Geser started to give back the property taken by Tsoton from thr people: “The property collected by Tsoton belongs to the Ling people therefore all that he had not given to the Sharaigols was given back to people. They gave back from 100 to 1, as much as it was taken and to the one from whom it was taken” (sheet 69).

Further on in the manuscript A it is often said of some teacher Lkha-lama. Thus it is said that: “The meeting of the teacher with the disciples was like with Lkha-lama, i.e. a school was founded”. Rogmo informs Geser that the sharaigols did not accept the teachings of Lkha-lama (sheet 136).

Lkha-lama was a well-known religious activist living in the XIth century in West Tibet. He is a grandson of the Tibetan khan Nima-gon. Once Lkha-lama ruled the West-Tibetan state and then having become a religious person revived Buddhism in West Tibet, built the To-Ling temple (in the year of 1014), sent to India scholar Rintchen-ambo together with the other 20 lamas. He was captured by the heretics, to some garlogs where he died.

One should note that in this version full of the Buddhist frames of mind there are neither the names of the latest Buddhist activists such as Tszon-khava, dalai-lama and panchen-lama nor the names of the largest monasteries of the yellow-capped. Here we come across merely the early activists of the Buddhist monasteries. Geser having won the Northern heretical country, builds in it a sakya (Buddhism of the red robes) temple.

In it he erects as a deity only the Tibetan khan Srontszan-Gambo (the VII century), Tisron-Detszan (the VIII cntury), preacher of Buddhism Badmasambava (VIII crntury) and the image of Buddha Galsan-Sandjai. Mentioned in this version are only the two temples: Samiye built in the VIII century and Djobo (Lhasa) as well as a stone column – the monument to Dorin (l. 128). That stone pillar-monument Dorin (l. 128). That stone pillar was erected in Lhasa in 822 on the occasion of the conclusion a peace treaty of Tibet with China.

Besides, we find in this version many geographical data. Thus, e.g. mentioned not once are the names of the countries surrounding Geser’s native land Amdo: Djagar – India; Djanagг – China; Djabo-yul   «the Lord’s country» ,the Central province of Tibet Uyi (This name was originated from the name of Buddha’s statue that was in Lhasa);

Danma-yul – “The country of Dansyans” (?). The tribe dan lives in the Derge province
Adjag-djan – Tangut (?).
Dar-yul – “the Dar country” (?).
Anri – Western Tibet
Balbo-yul - Nepal
Djan-yul – the Northern country (Uiguria) where there are many sheep
Luprug-yul – the country “the Dragon’s chilren” where there are mony horses. Those are perhaps the carlugs.
Ase-Yul – the Ase country where many coats of mail or armour are made
Khor-kar – “the country of the white khors”. These are the east-Tibetan tiurks, or mongols
Khor-nag – “the black-yurted tanguts”
Khor-ser – sharaigols, the yellow uigurs
Tammy-lin – the state of Geser in Amdo. This country in the A manscript is frequently called Samdo or Amdo
Djalo – Dalyao or Kidan’ (?) (sheets 143-146).

The Kuku-nor lake in this version is not mentioned but mentioned quite often is the name of the Machu river (Hwang Ho) and mountain Machen=Bompa near which Geser dwelled as well as the Achin-tan steppe where living were the sharaigols, the Yagda-Serbo-ri mountain that separates the Lin country from the country of the sharaigols.