Tibetan Historical Literature

291 Pages·9.007 MB·English

by  Andrej Ivanovic Vostrikov

TIBETAN HISTORICAL
LITERATURE
A. 1. Vostrikov
Translated from the Russian by
Harish Chandra Gupta
13 RoutledgeCurzon
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
© RoutledgeCurzon Press 1994
Published in 1994 by
RoutledgeCurzon Press Ud.
2 Park Square, Milton Park,
Abington, Oxon, OXI4 4RN
Transferred to Digital Printing 2006
ISBN 0 7007 0267 9
Printed and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, Eastbourne
British Library Catalogumg-in-PtibUcation Data
A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library
CONTENTS
Transient’s Note
Mrad*etory Note: N. P. Vostrikovs
TIBETAN HISTORICAL LITERATURE
Author's Preface 3
Introduction 3
CA. /
Earliest Historical Works of Tibet 21
Ch. 2
•Books from Buried Treasures* 27
•) bKn'-chems-ka’khet’mo 28
h) Padma-bka'^thQh 32
o) Thah-ytt-fsfr-'phrth 46
d) bKa'-tSobsJe-tho 49
e) Mfrnl-bka'-bvrn 32
CA.3
Main Types of Tibetan Historical Literature 59
1. General Remarks 39
2. CfaronieU* {Lo~rgyus) 6)
3. Oeneatogfcat Historical Works: Dynastic d Pamlty Chronicles
(rCyal-rabs. Jo •robs. sDuh-robs) 62
4. Monastery CHronfetes (tDart+obs) 88
3. Histories of Incametlons (’Mrufu-rabs) 92
6. Chronological Treatises ibsTon-rtsh) 101
7. Histories of Religion or The Doctrine (Chot*’byvh) 139
8. Biographical Literature 180
9. Thob^ytg Of gSon-ylf 199
(0. Reference Works 202
Ch. 4
HislortcO'Biograpbica! Surveys of tbe Tibetan Buddhist
Canon 205
CA. 5
His'orico-Ceograph'tcil Literature 217
Cortclusicn 233
postscript hy O. N. Rocrieh 233
Conversion Tehle (Vostrikov) 237
Blhllofraphy 241
Index

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
The present work was taken up for translation at the suggestion and request
of Dr. Alaka Chattopadhyaya. The Tibetan language beiog almost Greek to me,
the work of steering me safe through the complex Tibetan jargon of this brilliant work
obviously fell on her shoulders.
However, despite all care, certain discrepancies have still crept in into the present
publication, some of these having been reproduced in toto from the original Russian
edition.
Two different Russian words—kuritsa (lit "hen", "chicken”) and ptltsa (lit.
"bird”, "fowl")—have been used for the animal "Hen" of the Tibetan sexagenary cycle *
(for example : god zhelexa-ptltsa (Iron*Hen year; A D. 1681) on p. 113. but god umli•
kuritsy (Ear(h*Hen year ; A.D. 1729) on p. 317, etc.).
Certaio obvious misprints, when detected, were "silently" corrected : “bsTan*
pa-tshe-rin (b. 1678)" in place of "bsTan-pa-tshe-rin (b. 1668)”; "Pire*Mouse year
(A.D. 1696)" in place of "Fire-Hen year (A.D. 1696)" in f. n. 553 ; "336 years" in
place of "396 years" in f. n. 608 ; "fols. 236* 4..." in place of "fols. 263* 4 . " in f. n.
298 ; "544 years B.C." In place of "554 years B.C." in f. n. 342 1928" in place of
"1927" in f.n. 673, etc. etc.
As will be seen, the work abounds ih footnotes, and the footnote numbers follow
each other so closely that, in certain cases, I had no choice but to retain the very syntax
of the original sentence.
I would also like to take this opportunity of expressing gratitude to my
friend Professor Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya (the editor of the series in which the
present translation has been published), for constantly putting me on the rails and
literally making me move whenever and wherever I got stuck up.
To my friends Shri Ramakrishna Maltra,. Professor Haridas Sinharay and
Professor Mrinalkanti Gangopadhyaya, I am greatly indebted for kindly assisting me in
seeing this book through the press.
November 7,1970 Hartsh C. Gupta

INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Professor Andrei Ivanovich Vostrikov was one of the distinguished representa­
tives of the Russian scholars of Oriental studies. He made an enormous contribution to
the study of the history and philosophy of Tibet and India, though his untimely death
put an abrupt end to this creative academic life.
In 1931, Professor Vostrikov prepared for publication his work O JltosoJIt
Darmaktrti [On the philosophy of Dbarmakirti]. In 1933, he translated from Sanskrit
Kau)itya*s political and economic treatise—the ArthaSBstra—jointly with Academician
Shcherbatskoi, Academician OPdenburg, Professor ObermilUr and B. V. Semichov,
and also compiled a terminological lexicon to it.
In 1934, Vostrikov published the article Logical Works of Vasubondbi, and the next
year he completed the monograph Logic of Vasvbandhu which is a comprehensive treatment
of the problem on the basts of all available sources. In 1934, he also published in the
"Indian Historical Quarterly" (vol. xi. No. I, March 1935) his article The NyByavBrttka
of Uddyotakara and the VBdanyBya of DharmakXrti.
Towards the end of his life, Professor A. I. Vostrikov was engaged in the study
and translation of the ancient Sanskrit philosophical monument KBlacakra. He
prepared for the press a composite text of the KBlacakra frcm two manuscripts (one
preserved in London aod the other the southern edition of the KBlacakra ; the latter
was brought from India by Professor I. P, Minaev) aod a Tibetan translation. He
was also translating this work into Russian and writing a commentary oo it, but he
could not complete these.
A. I. Vostrikov paid great attention to Tibetan studies. He worked on the
compilation of a scientific grammar of the Tibetan language, which was completed by
Shcherbatskoi in 1941. However, the problems of the Tibetan historical literature held
a greater attraction for Vostrikov. Io 1934 was published his article Blbtiografiya
tibetskol liieratury [Bibliography of Tibetetan Literature) in the journal "Bibliograflya
Vostoka" (Nos. 2-4).
This article contains a critical analysis of the article of van Maneo (Contribution
to the Bibliography of Tibet) and some new valuable information oo Tibetan historical
literature. In 1936, this article was published in English (Some Corrections and Critical
Remarks on Dr. J. van Mnnen*s "Contribution to the Bibliography of Tibet**,—'“Bulletin
of the School of Oriental Studies", London, vol. viii, 1935, pp 51*76) when it attracted
a most lively attention of the Tibetologists of the whole world.
< vi )
Of the remaining works of A. 1. Vostrikov, mention must be made of the Letopis*
barguzinskikh buryat [Annals of the Btrguzinsk Buryats] snd the article 5. F. OVdenburg
i izuchenie Tibe/a [S. F. Ol'dcnburg and the Study of Tibet],—which gives an outline of
the history of Tibetan study In Russia and of the history of tbc formation of the
collection of Tibetan manuscripts and xylographs (the largest in the world) in the
Leningrad Branch of the Iustitute of Peoples of Asia (Academy of Sciences, USSR).
The present monograph on Tibetan Historical Literature is the result of all that
Vostrikov could do for a systematizatiou and description of the vast and multifarious
literature of Tibet, which tilt then had not been much studied. To this work is also
appended a apecial table compiled by him for the conversion of the dates of Tibetan
sexagenary cycle into European calendar.
Htb June, 1958 S. P. Vostrikova