GREY WOLF IN TIBETAN TRADITION

-MYNAK R.

\ "Holding the banner of wolf symbolises holding by force, that is, conquest". (1) It is true that the expression "grey woJf" is used much later than "wolf", though ordinarily the colour of the wolf is grey in as in other parts of the world too (2). The first instances-in the works on Mahakala (mgon-po ~ifjili·ij') and KiIa (phur-pa ~~·t:r) in Kanjur (bka' - 'gyur I:\"l""«;~') and Tenjur (bstan-'gyur I:\~~''''~'''') (3)-did not use the epithet grey while later in Kahbum (sa-skya-bka'-'bum ~'~'I:\"l"""'El~') (4), Rinchen Terzod (rin-chen-gter-mzod '"'iIi·iili·zq~::.·~t,,·) (5) and the 5th Dalai 's (Ina-pa-chen-po ~'w:J,~'ij') works, (6) the epithet was quite current.

When the (dkyal-'khor ,,]Ill''''F''';) (7) of a deity was threatened by the evil spirits an animal like tiger, elephant or wolf emerged from the body of the same deity to protect the Mandala. The fat of the wolf is used in Tantric (rgyud ~,,') chemistry (8) and some Mandala is surrounded by eight graves and also eight different creatures (9). Wolf is one among the eight creatures.

In Eastern Tibet ( I"~.w) a traveller would regard it as a good omen, if he comes across a hawk, a kite or a wolf on the way. This belief can perhaps be traced back to King Gesar (ge-sar ~'~""). Gesar had three big generals who were represented by these three creatures. In the epic of Gesar one reads about the general who was symbolised by wolf and who described himself as the wolf of a man who killed or preyed on others as if they were lambs (10). There are possibilities that the grey wolf motif itself might have developed in Khotan (1i-yul lit ~Ill) and had come to Tibet via India, in the time of Guru (eighth century A.C.) The Tsenmara (tsi'u-dmar-po ~a',\~",·ij·) and his six brothers appeared as wolveS in seven different colours and approached Guru Padmasambhava, desiring to distrub him while he was in meditation in a grave in India (11). On asking who the demons 98 were, Guru was told that they were the SOilS of the king of Khotan. By his supernatural power the seven demons were made to be the protectors of the Doctrine. They are known as Isenmar Pundun (btsan-dmar-spun-bdun ~~;":;'3-Ir..'€j\~~'i') in Tibet.

In the banner of wolf (spyangk.'i-rgyal­ mtsan U~'~Q ~

It is interesting to note that in Tibetan tradition a deity riding a grey wolf or having a grey wolf head is usually found on the north, northw(~st or back of the principal deity surrounded by its retinues (18). In Mongolia the word for north, umar-a, also stands for back. The animals which the Dharmapalas (Defenders of Law) have are tiger, wolf, kite, crow and owl etc. Thu'u Kan (lhu'u-bkan a~CI"J~) divides the day and mght into six. periods and finds the 99 evil spirits disguised in six forms. To subdue these evils there are six retinues; for instances, when an evil spirit appears in the form of a sheep, the wolf is th~ subduer of it (19).

Dhalha (dgra-Iha <::''1/ ~ /god ~)f war, see Sarat Ch1ndra Das: Tibetan English DicfionGlY) is one of t\1e five gods, who are inseparable companions of humanity. Dh dh3. is accompanied by a wolf and a hawk; it is said that Dhllha let emanations of wolves and hawks (20). The Turks might have got grey wolf banner from Tibet. When the third visited the Mongol Khan in the 16th century, as it W<..lS prophesied in Kadam Legsbam (bka'-gdams-glegs-bam Cl"1"t:!J,\iI-I>l ~"l~ Clil-l) and also by ChJgyal Phagpa (chos-rgyal-'phags-pa h'~"''''~t:!J'''Q) (21), he (D.L.) built a m,mastery which included a temple named Pehar Cbog (22). Whether there was a wolf banner or not on the roof of that temple but there must have been paintings of all the retinues of the Pehar. Among the retinues of Pehar, some hold the banner of wolf (23).

The third Dalai Lama was born in Water Rabbit year corresponding to 1543 and passed away in Mongolia in Earth Rat year, that is, 1588. A recent traveller to Mongolia says that Erdeni Tsu, the largest monastery, was founded in 1586 (24). Though the f .. )Under of the monastery is not mentioned ill th:s travel book, one can guess by its date that the third Dalai Lama may have been the founder of it.

A special importance of the wolf for the Mongols is that the first Mongol king had the name Borte-chinua which means grey-blue wolf (25); and the MonglJls also believed that their first king was descended from the Tibetan kings. The Mongo) historians say that he was the youngest son of Dalai Subin Aru Altan Shiregtetu (Tibetan gri-gum-btsan-po §j;g~'Clt' q) whose name was Shaza Thi (sha-za-khri .fj,;EI' , means flesh eater) and his two brothers fled to Kongpo (kong-po ;n~ ~) after their father's assassination (26). From 1 here he crossed over the Tenggis Sea in the direction of the north and came to the land of the Mongols (27). Mongol Chronicles of the Sevemeenth century say "tere gongbo-yin utus-i ulu itegegsen" meaning that he (Borte-chinua) did not trust the Kongpo people (18). and came to Mongolia. On the other hand the Tibetan historian:; as Golotsawa ('gos-lo-tsa-wa i"

of Heaven (29) and about Shaza Thi, they said that he later on became the king of Kongpo (30). The wolf was also described as the god of the travellers ('gro-lha ,,'lj,~,) (31). It is however difficult to say whether the association of wolf with travels is ('l!1y) or Buddhist (nang-pa "i"!.\').

NOTES

(1 ) ~~. ~",'~~~ ';;q~. Vol. ~: :!1'll' :q:~r~ C\F~' .::t~·~·9~~·f·~"'·0-!~· '" ~·.::tir~· pp. 10, 11; and ~~'.::t~d\'~~':::r~' Vol. ~: book No. 37, pp. 13, 19.

(2) Encyclopaedia Britannica (1959) Vol. 23, p. 697.

(3) Kanjur, ~~. Vol. ~: PP.44,56and,~~' Vo1. .:::t: p.209. Tenjur :]"'. Vol. ~: p.185. \," "" (4) ~·~·q1i.\·'\5~· Vol. ~: pp. 3{)2, 370, 374, 378~

(5) ~~.~y~~.~~. Vo1. fTr ~~·.:,j~·"'~~·~Y~¥-·~~·Ill~·~~· pp. 8,12; and Vol. a: ~'l1,\·~c·..q·~·:£~·q.~::!'l~r~'~~:3\·O-!~· pp. 3, 6. -.....:>

(6) Fifth Dalai Lama Vol. "': ~.~~.:;~. g'll'~~'~~~r~~'q~'",;,r'i\~'

~ _#'e-...... -...... -...... - '" -...- ~ ~ i,~r~f':!1'~a; ~·~c.:~·1?,1Ra;",·~erll· .::t~C:: . .::t-<9~~·~l(~:q~·ill~·~~·~~· ~l~·t~]-:y· pp. 177, 188; S9·E;::·ei~·6~;.:~?I\·2if!:J:r p. 5. ~ ~ ~

(7) Kanjur ~~. Vol. a: p. 282. '" (8) Kanjur :TJ~' Vol. ~: p. 56. '= '" (9) Tenjur ~~. Vol. a: p. 185. '" 101

(10) C\~5:r~::' ~r~~: Si~'::r ~p.::: .:J~~·~·~·~;:,r~r yrp':i,;:~:~tI~r:J~' fJ~'{f,' Ms. with author part. II, p. 35. reads as: ~c:.'!"~'~'~'~'~::"fTj"~.:: 11

<::-- -- <::-- ~:::r~::rr ~c:.·;:·~Q.,·'l1"9~·~·tJ-l~! I

(11) ~~.j;~'~~,",'~~' Vol.~: ~·~~r""G~·q.~t:·::r~~·~26·L:l5~·~1 ~1R~·~2fi'~·~~·~(r~.::J~·~t:·.::)~~rz:r pp. 2, 13, 15 .

...:J '" (12) RENE DE NEBESKY; Oracles and Demons of Tibet (London 1956) p. 16.

(13) :.r~.qrrr"\·{Jt:· Ms. in Namgyal Institute of Tibetology p. 160; and £It;·'':FTl,t· Vol. e.: book No. 37. p. 9; and same thing is ,:;-....::; ~-1 said by the Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. -5: p. 13. In the Golden-

Annals the Bhata Hor is described as middle ('I:':") Mongolia. see part I, p. 3. in LOKESH CHANDRA (ed. New Delhi 1964)

(14) ~~''::I'!J~' Vol. e.: book N0. 37, p.9.

(15) Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. ~: p. 13.

(16) Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. ~: ~",r~.:::!~·~~·~~·~~·5j· p. 39 and -....:; also in Vol. ~: p. 14; ~·]·~·~·~·G.lg.'~F~.rft:~r~541·~iSr:::·9~~· tI~·O(~·~::rr~·9'~·~~r~r~rif'~~~·s·q· p. 95.

(17) Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. \5: p. 92. (18) =-~'~5j.t11if' '5:l~' Vol. ~: ~~'.::)Q'~t:'~'~r:::.q~~''l~'~'fr:::.;r-~. "" 5:lt'~. ~Q: ""F~' ar= p. 3; Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. ~: ~~"lJ' ~~:::'" p. 171, 188 and also sl:Trft·~aD::·iiflS.:J· p. 5.

(19) ~~.q'1J~: Vol. e,: book No.5, p. 6. 102

-. .. e-. :"" :;::-...... --- (20) !J~=ll'a;~':!l·9.z:.' ':::]~·lGar::,' :JC\' r::,t.!r:..;·~r a;~' .:: ~C:~r ~'l]' r::,9~' ~ ",,\~15i '-" tT];:r Ms. with author p. 86 ; ~ ~~'.q~~' Vol. i\: book No. 43, p, 2.

(21) The Golden Annals (ed, Lokesh Chandra) part III, p. 20. reads as: "e·~r::,'r::,·.::!1~'9~iI'l~'8J=ll~·.qo;rrll~ I ~'9t::'~r~?'~~'~t::' '-'> '

...... - ...... -- -;:.. -.. ""'v-' <::""-- ~~·~=Il·~9·q·..:J~~ I ~D..·E,~·~·r::,1.z:.·q·9X1iqr~rll·q~1

- :::-- '" - <:--:::- c-- -.-..-. r::,·c::,,·~:::::'.:rh ~:~·.:rq~a;·~·~t::·~~~1 r::,'a;~:'El:\'

- '" e"<:"- ....., :!l~' q·9~.z:.· j'~t::'i\~''''C::'' :l:\' ~'~~'~~'q~ '~t::'i\~'r::,'~':;: ·a;'o;:s:.r...r '-l) "" 5i~·~~~·~·~~·q.§r::,·~1 "

(22) Fifth Dalai Lama: Vol. ,: ~·.q~~·~~;:·i\r::,·~§a;·q·!J~\5i';'l~f :!l·iI'l~rZ'~~~·~~·r::,~'~.q·~·~~r.\~t::·i;- (Life story of the III Dalai Lama) p. 96.

(23) ::::~'~Oi'9~~'~~' Vol. ~: ~~~'l:Tj~~'F' pp. 10, 12; ~~·.q11~· I I "-..;l - ~'-?

(26) ~'~'~9'';;t::; Ms. in NIT p. 90; ~!'ll' .z:."'~r t:ll~~' .q~.~. aJt::' Ms. in NIT p. 27. and ~rll·.:;:q~'~1'li~1~d\'9~·a;· p. 12. "" (27) C. R. BAWDEN: The Mongol Chronicle Altan Tobci (Wiesbaden 1955), p. 113. 103 (28) A. Z. ZAMCA RANO: The Mongol Chronicles of the Seventeenth Centwy (Wiesbaden 1955), p. 32.

(29) $'ll·.l\Q~·~~tlJ·.:tr.:~·2;c: p. 13; ~~'~~~'~~'2f book No. "l: p. 26 and GEORGE N. ROERICH: The (Calcutta 1949) part J, p. 57. and ti1.~.~~.~c:. p. 177.

~. ,

(30) 1t:l.r'::''::;~·'f]~o.t·.q~·i:·.::.J::· p. 27; ~'::\~'ll . p. 87; 111e Red Annals (N IT 1961) and ~..:)·~~·e· .:r~.q·~~tlJ·~~·~· (Primary Schoo/ Reader 5, published by the Council for Tibetan Education 1963) p. l48.

All these books mention their (three sons of ~''f]~'Qi(~' :1') flight to Kongpo but they disagree about who"" was the youngest or eldest.

(31) ~C:'~~';~~,n:\Z:'ii:~~',:j-0~'tTl~~''::'~'= 'f]~'~~' p. 136.