​Sources ： https://www.harvardreview.org/content/the-life-of-king-kesar-of-ling/

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The Life of King Gesar of Ling
translated by Siddiq Wahid and Elizabeth T. Gray Jr.
introduction by Siddiq Wahid

Introduction

In societies where a majority of the population is not literate storytelling assumes an important position in education and cultural life. The Tibetan epic of Ling Kesar (also transliterated as “Gesar”) is just such a story. Like all epics, it is long and instructive, sometimes taking up to a week of evenings of telling. But the story at its core is simple.

The story is set in the “land of men” (Tibetan: mi-yul), a middle kingdom between the “land of the gods” (lha yul) above and the “land of serpents” (Tibetan: klu yul) below. At the time it takes place there is much confusion in the land of men because the kingdom has become leaderless. An ancestor asks the chief of the gods to give the people a leader, and after three generations of preparation a prince of the chief of the gods dies in heaven so that he may be reborn in the land of men.

This prince, who comes to be known as King Kesar, is part hero, part medicine man, and part trickster. After a childhood spent in disguise, some early adventures as a youth, and various initiations, Kesar sets out to do his work. Through a combination of divine cunning, heroic action, and magical powers of healing, he slays demons, defeats foreign rivals, conjures treatments, and ultimately restores order to the land of men. It is significant that the story does not tell of Kesar’s death; at the end of his mission he presumably departs for the land of gods to await a return.

The epic of Kesar of Ling may be as many as a thousand years old but it has only been known to the scholarly community since the middle of the eighteenth century, when a temple dedicated to him was uncovered by an explorer named P. S. Pallas. The first translations of extracts appeared in the early nineteenth century, when the German scholar Benjamin Bergmann translated two chapters from a Mongolian version. J. Schmidt also retold a Mongolian version of “Gesser” (the Mongolian rendition of the name) in a translation published in Beijing in 1839.

The next work done on this remarkable story was undertaken by A. H. Francke, a Moravian missionary to the Ladakh wazarat, which then included Baltistan, the westernmost bastion of Tibetan civilization. Francke, who had come across the epic in the late nineteenth century, published an important translation of it in 1905 with accompanying abstracts and notes. In 1934, a Central Tibetan version was retold in translation by Alexandra David-Neel. But the most extensive treatment of the epic was undertaken by R. A. Stein in the 1950s, culminating in two major publications in 1956 and 1959.

Curiously, a version also exists in Burushaski a little-known, unclassified, or “orphan” language (that is, one that does not belong to the Tibeto-Burman, Shina, or Indo-European language families) spoken in Hunza and Nagar in the shadow of the Pamirs. This oral recension was transcribed into an invented script (the language has no script of its own) and translated by D. L. R. Lorimer in 1935.

Although the name of the hero remains constant, textual and oral versions of the epic can differ radically in temper and content. Broadly speaking, the textual versions have a Buddhist flavor to them. They are defined by Buddhist patron-deities, sometimes memorized by rote, and read or recited with a semi-religious reverence. The versions studied by Stein and David-Neel, and the Mongolian version belong to this group.

The western Tibetan (or Ladakhi) and Burushaski versions, on the other hand, are direct transcriptions of traditional oral performances. They have been transmitted by word of mouth from singer to singer, each of whom learned the art of narrative in a way that is different from rote memorization. Even today, singers are invited by patrons to tell the tale during the long Himalayan winter nights for the entertainment of villagers. They chant the Kesar epic in a combination of verse and prose to an audience that is familiar with the story.

Part of the problem of studying the Kesar today, in addition to its inherent obscurity, is that there are so many versions. The extracts presented here, for example, are from one narration of one recension of one oral traditional version that was extant during the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the western Ladakhi village of Khalatse, and was preserved and studied by Francke.

The extracts accompanying this introduction are from the opening of the epic and have to do with the preparations for Kesar’s arrival in the land of men, a mise en scene that combines a foreshadowing of events to come with a kind of pre-theological eschatology contextualizing the arrival of our trickster-hero and his exploits. Although this section is not about the hero Kesar himself—he is barely mentioned—it is indispensable for a proper understanding of the oral traditional narrative. Significantly these “preparatory” episodes are absent in the textual versions of the Kesar.

Francke commissioned a local scribe [Urdu:munshi] to transcribe a version of the story that was being told. The flow of the munshi’s text is hampered by many omissions, especially in these early, and arguably conceptually more remote, beginnings of the story. This is a loss. One consolation is that in recent years there have been many new digital recordings of oral retellings of the story which will have saved much of the wisdom contained in living versions of the epic. Until such time as these are transcribed and translated, however, Francke’s work offers us a tantalizing glimpse into the world of oral traditional narrative and the pre-Buddhist, perhaps “shamanic,” context of Tibetan culture.

from The Life of King Kesar of LingA Castle Is Constructed

The oral versions of the Ling Kesar begin with several episodes that prepare Ling for the arrival of our hero. The segment translated below belongs to this section. In the episodes prior to this an elderly couple—alien, wandering, and childless—is magically granted a child. The old man consults a seer, Nine Lives. The adopted child is named Green-One Three-Faced Man. This episode describes his role in the construction of Ling Castle.

 Now the neighbors of the old couple had a dog. When the dog gave birth to two puppies, Green-One Three-Faced Man reared them and trained them to hunt. Every day he took the dogs off hunting for ibex and wild yak. He brought back great quantities of meat and gave it to the old couple.
One day Three-Faced Man set off, letting the dogs run on ahead. As he followed their tracks, he came into the high pastures of the Cold Country. When he arrived he saw a large boulder behind Elder Nine Lives’ hermitage. On the top of the boulder, trapped by his dogs, Three-Faced Man found a demon with nine heads. When he saw Three-Faced Man approach, the demon sang thus:

Alas! Honorable sir, hear me!          
Alas! Great hunter, hear me!
Sir, your dogs have trapped me.
The hunter’s dogs have cornered me.
Spare me, and I shall be a friend-at-arms.
Spare me and I shall be your huntsman.
Spare me and I will help you.

Listening to the demon’s words, Three-Faced Man did not know whether to slay or spare him. So he sang these questions to Elder Nine Lives:

O my Elder, hear me!
Teacher Nine Lives, hear my true and essential words!
On that lucky rock is a nine-headed demon.          
My dogs have trapped it on that lucky rock!That demon, should I kill or spare him?          
Grant me your wisdom.
The nine-headed one, should I kill or spare him?
Grant me your wisdom.

And the Elder sang in reply:

O hunter child, hear me!
O Three-Faced Man, hear my true and essential words!
You must slay this demon.          
You must slay this nine-headed one!
Slay it outright and then ride away.          
Ride away and make an invocation.          
Invoke the Precious Lord from the bottom of your heart.

If you cut off the Demon’s four heads and cast them down          
They will become the foundations of Ling castle.
If you cut off the demon’s four other heads and cast them down          
They will become the courtyard of nine-gabled Ling castle.
If you cut off the last head of the Demon and cast it down          
It will become the floor of nine-gabled Ling castle.
If you cut off the Demon’s legs and cast them down          
They will become the pillars of nine-gabled Ling castle.
If you cut off the Demon’s arms and cast them down          
They will become the cross-beams of nine-gabled Ling castle.
If you cut off its fingers and cast them down          
They will become the willow ceiling of Ling castle.
If you break off the Demon’s ribs and cast them down          
They will become the willow trim of Ling castle.
If you extract the Demon’s entrails and cast them down          
They will become the butter-smooth clay roofs of Ling castle.
If you extract its lungs and cast them down          
They will become a yellow mountain of gold.If you cut out its heart and cast it down          
It will become a white mountain of silver.If you cut out its stomach and cast it down          It will become the vast, fertile Plain of Wild Yams.
If you cut out its small intestine and cast it down          
It will become the high valley of Tasty Sausage.
If you cut out its large intestine and cast it down          
It will become the hunting grounds of Soaring Inner Delight.If you gouge out the Demon’s eyes and cast them down          
They will become the clear spring Complete Pair.If you cut out its nostrils and cast them down          
They will become the flute Glorious Voice.If you cut out both kidneys and cast them down         
They will become the boulder Back-Support.


By the time all of these body parts had been cut and cast down, seven days had passed. On the seventh day Three-Faced Man and his dogs returned home, hungry and tired. The old man and old woman had been worried and were glad when the boy returned.

Raiding Pachi Paldong Castle

Ling castle constructed, the seer is again consulted by old man Tashi, resulting in Three-Faced Man’s marriage to eighteen maidens, whom he impregnates simultaneously and who give birth to his eighteen companions on the same day. This episode narrates the first adventure of these heroes of Ling, one of whom begins to emerge as a first among equals.
 
The sons of Green-One Three-Faced Man then marched off in single file, and each of them built a house. The mothers did not remain, but returned to their family homes. Each of the sons took a wife. As none of them had any belongings they discussed a plan. “There are said to be riches in Pachi Paldong castle. We should all go conquer it and bring them here.” It was agreed and off they went.

Among them was Pal-le, Prudent Nobleman. Because his mother was born of a blacksmith he was considered polluted and could not go with the others. He cleansed himself often near the house of Elder Nine Lives, in the high pastures of the Cold Country. One day he, too, decided to go to Pachi Paldong castle to find riches. He set off on his horse and after some time came to a wide river. A fox waited on the near side, unable to cross. “Hey, you there,” said the fox, “if you carry me up behind you across the river, I will agree to help you.” “If you will help me, come along,” replied Pal-le, and helped the fox up.

The fox led him through a shortcut, and thus Pal-le, Prudent Nobleman, was the first to arrive at Pachi Paldong castle. Why hadn’t the others arrived? Because they could not avoid the difficult path with its thickets and thorns. Cutting their way through the thickets meant that they made only a rope’s length of progress each day and thus were delayed. Pal-le arrived before them because he went with the fox.

At the edge of the clearing where Pal-le halted lived an elderly woman. After several days he finally decided to ask her, “Honorable grandmother! What kinds of jewels lie in this castle?”
“O son,” she replied, “I shall tell you all that I have heard. It is said that in the land of Ling there will be born to Blue Lady, the Exalted One, a maiden named Digu-ma. There is Tashi, the Auspicious, the blacksmith, who lives beyond Ling castle, and it is said that three daughters will be born to him. The eldest will be named White Spot, the second will be named Black Spot, and the youngest will be named Gogzang-lhamo, Auspicious Goddess of Base and Worthless Birth. Now it is also said that in Heaven three sons will be born to Gyab-zhin, the Lord of the Gods. The eldest will be named Don-dan, the second will be named Don-yod, and the youngest will be named Don-dub. This youngest, it is said, will become Kesar, Chief of the land of Ling, which has long been leaderless.

“How will this come to pass?” she continued. “It is said that Don-dub will give up his life in the land of the gods and will be born to Gogzang-lhamo, daughter of Tashi the blacksmith. It is also said that the bird Ornament Bestowed will be born to the bird King Cuckoo, and that to Ornament Bestowed will be born the bird the Sun. It is said that on the body of Sun, born of a demon, there are nine jewels, and that this bird is to defeat King Kesar of Ling. Until Kesar is born, in the heavens this bird will mark the boundary between the sun and moon. It is said that this bird’s younger brother, Red-Eyed, Red-Toothed One, will be born and then, on top a high boulder, will be made to listen to the news of Kesar’s birth.”

After she had finished, Pal-le again asked her, “O honorable grandmother, I have heard all this. Now can you tell me what kinds of jewels lie in Pachi Paldong castle?”

The elderly woman replied, “These are the jewels among the castle’s belongings: The red-edged pot and the beaked pan. The axe known as White Moon. The rope known as Long Speckled Tiger. The cloth bag known as Thousand Holder of the Pure One. At the head of the herd of horses is Feisty Galloper. At the head of the herd of cows is the she-dzo 1 Crooked-Horn. At the head of the herd of goats is White Goat. At the head of the herd of sheep is Warm One. At the head of the herd of asses is White-Mouthed Black One. At the head of the pack of dogs is the bitch White One. At the head of the pack of cats is Black One. There will be the horse Mouth Aflame. There will be the bow of iron. There will be the hearth-tripod of gold. There will be the hearth-tripod of silver. There will be the copper puppy. There will be the coral hand. There will be a ball of pearl. There will be the seed turquoise. These are all the jewels.” So the elderly woman instructed him.

Then Pal-le went into the castle and carried off all the items of which the old woman had spoken. He then went to the land of Ling. He built a treasure room in the castle of Ling to hold all that he had brought home.

Seven days after Pal-le, Prudent Nobleman had left Pachi Paldong castle, all the other seventeen heroes who had left before him arrived there. Because Prudent Nobleman had taken the jewels, not much remained. They carried away some gold, silver, and copper into the land of Ling, and each went to his own house. Because everything in Pachi Paldong castle had been taken away, it fell to ruins and nothing remains of it.
 
Don-dub Visits the Land of Men

This last set represents translations of three consecutive episodes at the end of the “preparations.” Much has happened in between with Pal-le emerging as the first among the eighteen heroes. Earlier he had been helpful in the defeat of a demon who is battling Gyab-zhin, the Lord of the Gods. The latter grants Pal-le a boon. Recognizing the need for “a leader in leaderless Ling,” he asks for one and is promised the fulfillment of this request. Gyab-zhin elects to send one of three sons, institutes contests for a selection in which the youngest, Don-dub, emerges victorious. Meanwhile, the hero Pal-le has forgotten about his own request even as the coming is delayed. He travels to the land of the gods and demands the fulfillment of the promise. The youngest son begins his own preparations.
 
After three days had gone by, Gyab-zhin’s youngest son, Don-dub said, “O Father, I will first go to the land of Ling and look around.” He transformed himself into a beautiful bird and flew off. He flew straight to the house of Sro-thung, Short-Tempered, Chief of the Hawks, one of the heroes of Ling, and landed there. Sro-thung saw that the bird was beautiful and sang to his wife:

There is a high-born bird atop our roof today!          
It appears to be a demon-bird!O Maiden, arise and start a fire in the stove.          
Once it’s started, place a stone pot on it!Today we will eat bird meat.          
Go to the chamber of arrows and bring out an arrow.Go to the chamber of bows and bring out a bow.          
We shall cook a stew of bird-meat today!

As Sro-thung, Chief of the Hawks, said this, his wife arose and started a fire. She placed the stone pot on it and brought arrows from the arrow-chamber and bows from the bow-chamber. As she placed these in Sro-thung’s hands, the bird deposited some droppings and flew off.

Then Don-dub, the bird, landed on the roofs of the houses of all the other heroes of Ling. They were pleased, and said, “This bird appears to have come from the Land of the Gods!” So Pal-le, Prudent Nobleman, sang to his wife thus:

O maiden of mine, hear me!         
There’s a bird atop our roof today!
It appears to be a shining bird from the Land of the Gods.          
It appears to be a serpent bird from the Nether-World.
O maiden, rise and prepare a feast.          
O maiden, rise and prepare for a gathering.          
Give a nine-level offering of butter and flour to the Mistress of the Serpents.

Thus he spoke, and went up to the roof carrying an incense offering. The bird then flew back to the Land of the Gods.
 
Don-dub Asks for Help

When Don-dub the bird arrived back in the Heavens, the Land of the Gods, his father asked him, “O Son! What did you learn about the people and the countryside in the Land of Ling?” His son, Don-dub replied, “Sro-thung, the Chief of the Hawks, appears to be a short-tempered man. Aside from that, all seems well.”

Then his father and mother, his brothers, and his younger sister all gathered together in one room. The mother wept and said to her son Don-dub, “There is not a son who can equal you. There is not a man who can equal you. O son Don-dub! You must go to the land of men. If you should have to do battle, I will give you weapons. If there is a debt you must pay, I will pay it. But a father’s promise cannot be unmade. What was sworn cannot be changed!”

After his mother spoke, the son Don-dub sang to his father:

O my father, hear me!          
O Lord, hear my essential words!
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly mother?          
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly castle?
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly horse?          
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly elder brother?
How can I go to the land of men without bow, arrows, and a scepter?          
How can I go to the land of men without a pot?
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly goat?          
How can I go to the land of men without a plough-bull?
How can I go to the land of men without a Guardian Deity?          
How can I go to the land of men without a goddess?          
How can I go to the land of men without an earthly wife?

In reply, his father sang:

It has come to pass that my son, Don-dub, must go to the land of Ling!          
Your earthly mother is Gogzang-lhamo, of Worthless Low-Birth.
Your earthly castle is Nine-Gabled Ling castle!          
Your earthly horse is the wild horse Jung-cherba!Your elder brother is Golden Hair!          Your younger brother is Turquoise Hair!Your arrow is Arrow White-Notched!          
Your earthly bow is the bow Invincible Steel!Your scepter is the sword Stone-Cleaver!          
Your earthly lance is the lance Noble and Long!Your jug is the jug Crooked Spout.          
Your earthly pot is the pot Red Spout.Your earthly goat is the goat Red-Born Gift.          
Your plough-bull is the bull-mdzo White Hooves!Your Guardian Deity is Kerzong-nyonpo!          
Your Protective Goddess is Ane-kurman, the Queen, Esteemed Lady!          
Your earthly wife is the Crystal Lady, Digu-ma!
Thus the father spoke, instructing him, and all those gathered around were moved to tears.
 
Don-dub Dies in the Land of the Gods

Now each of the brothers’ spirits was held in a bowl of milk. Because Gyab-zhin controlled all the bowls of milk, he said to his daughter: “O daughter! In the other room are three bowls of milk, each a different size. Bring the smallest of them here.” So the daughter went and brought the smallest bowl. Then the father said, “Pour out the milk and turn over the bowl.” As soon as the younger sister poured out the milk and turned over the bowl, the boy Don-dub died on the spot.

At this, great clouds gathered in the Land of the Gods, and a great gale and hailstorm began to move toward the land of Ling.

1 The dzo is a cross between a cow and a yak.
Published on February 8, 2012

《岭国格萨尔王的生平》译者：Siddiq Wahid 和 Elizabeth T. Gray Jr.引言作者：Siddiq Wahid
引言在大部分人口不识字的社会中，讲故事在教育和文化生活中占据着重要地位。藏族史诗《岭国格萨尔王》（也被音译为“Gesar”）正是这样一个故事。像所有史诗一样，它篇幅浩大且具有启发性，讲述起来有时需要连续几个夜晚。但其核心故事却很简单。

故事背景设定在“人类之地”（藏语：mi-yul），这是“神灵之地”（lha yul）和“蛇灵之地”（藏语：klu yul）之间的一个中间王国。故事发生时，人类之地因王国无主而陷入混乱。一位先祖向神灵之首请求派遣一位领袖，而经过三代的准备后，神灵之首的一位王子在天界去世，以便转世在人类之地。

这位王子后来被称为格萨尔王，他既是英雄，也是治愈者，同时也是诡计多端的智者。在童年隐姓埋名的生活、少年时期的冒险以及各种仪式洗礼后，格萨尔开始了他的使命。他利用神灵的智慧、英雄气概以及神奇的治愈力量，斩杀恶魔，击败外敌，创造治愈之术，最终恢复了人类之地的秩序。值得注意的是，故事并未提及格萨尔的死亡；在完成使命后，他似乎返回了神灵之地，等待再次降临。

《岭国格萨尔王》的史诗可能已有千年的历史，但直到18世纪中期才被学术界所知。当时探险家彼得·西蒙·帕拉斯（P. S. Pallas）发现了一座献给格萨尔的寺庙。19世纪早期，德国学者本杰明·伯格曼（Benjamin Bergmann）首次将蒙古语版本中的两个章节翻译出来。1839年，J. Schmidt 在北京出版了一部蒙古语版本的“格斯尔”（蒙古语对格萨尔的称呼）翻译。
接下来对这部非凡史诗的研究由摩拉维亚传教士阿尔伯特·弗兰克（A. H. Francke）完成。他在19世纪末发现了这部史诗，并于1905年发表了一部重要的翻译，附有摘要和注释。1934年，亚历山德拉·大卫-尼尔（Alexandra David-Neel）翻译并再现了一个藏语版本。然而，最全面的研究由R. A. Stein 在20世纪50年代完成，其成果在1956年和1959年出版了两本重要著作。
有趣的是，这部史诗还存在于布鲁夏斯基语中，这是一种鲜为人知的、未分类的“孤立”语言（即不属于藏缅语系、希纳语系或印欧语系），使用于帕米尔山脉阴影下的罕萨和那加尔地区。这一口述版本由D. L. R. Lorimer 在1935年用一种发明的文字记录了下来，因为这种语言本身并没有文字。

虽然格萨尔王的名字在不同版本中保持一致，但文本和口述版本在情感风格和内容上可能有很大差异。总体而言，文本版本带有佛教色彩。这些版本由佛教的守护神定义，被人们记忆，并以半宗教的敬意诵读或朗诵。斯坦和大卫-尼尔研究的版本，以及蒙古语版本属于这一类。

另一方面，西藏西部（或拉达克地区）和布鲁夏斯基语版本则是传统口述表演的直接记录。这些版本通过口耳相传从歌者传给歌者，每位歌者学习叙事的方式都不同于机械记忆。即使在今天，歌者仍会被邀请在漫长的喜马拉雅冬夜中为村民讲述这个故事。他们以诗歌和散文结合的形式吟唱格萨尔史诗，而听众对这个故事通常已经非常熟悉。

如今研究格萨尔史诗的一个难题是其版本众多且内容复杂。比如，这里呈现的摘录就来自于19世纪末至20世纪初在拉达克村庄卡拉策（Khalatse）流传的一个口述版本，由弗兰克保存并研究。

本书序言中呈现的摘录选自史诗开头，讲述了格萨尔降临人类之地之前的准备工作。这些场景既是对即将发生事件的铺垫，也是一种预神学式的背景叙述，为我们这位英雄的降临提供了背景。虽然这部分内容与格萨尔本人关系不大——他几乎没有被提及——但对于深入理解这一口述传统叙事却是必不可少的。值得注意的是，这些“准备”情节在文本版本中是缺失的。

弗兰克曾委托一位当地文书（乌尔都语称为“munshi”）记录下正在流传的一个版本。然而，这位文书的记录中省略了许多内容，尤其是在故事的早期阶段，而这些阶段可能在概念上更加遥远且难以理解。这是一个损失。不过值得安慰的是，近年来已有许多口述故事的数字化录音保存了这些活生生的史诗版本中的智慧。直到这些录音被转录并翻译之前，弗兰克的研究为我们提供了一个口述传统叙事世界的诱人一瞥，以及藏族文化中可能存在的前佛教或“萨满教”背景。

《岭国格萨尔王的口述版本》

故事从几个为英雄格萨尔降临岭国做准备的情节开始。以下翻译的片段属于这一部分。在前面的情节中，一对年迈的夫妇——外乡人，无依无靠且无子嗣——被神赐予了一个孩子。老者向一位名叫“九命”的先知求教，收养了这个孩子，取名为“绿面三面人”。这一节描述了他在建造岭城中的作用。

岭城的建造

老夫妇的邻居家养了一条狗。这条狗生了两只小狗，“绿面三面人”将小狗养大，并训练它们打猎。他每天带着狗外出狩猎岩羊和野牦牛，带回大量肉食供养老夫妇。

一天，“三面人”带着狗出发，让它们跑在前面。他沿着狗的踪迹追踪，来到寒冷之地的高地牧场。当他到达时，看见“九命”长者的隐居处后面有一块巨大的岩石。在岩石顶上，他的狗困住了一只九头妖怪。当妖怪看见“三面人”靠近时，唱道：

妖怪歌唱唉呀！尊贵的先生，请听我说！唉呀！伟大的猎人，请听我说！先生，您的狗把我围困住了，猎人的狗把我逼到了绝路上。饶了我吧，我将成为您的战友；饶了我吧，我将成为您的猎手；饶了我吧，我将助您一臂之力。

听到妖怪的话，“三面人”不知是该杀还是该饶他。于是他唱着向“九命”长者提问：

三面人歌唱哦，我的长者，听我说！哦，九命老师，听我真实且重要的话！在那块幸运的岩石上，有一个九头妖怪，我的狗把它困在了那块幸运的岩石上！这个妖怪，我该杀还是该饶？请赐予我您的智慧。这个九头妖怪，我该杀还是该饶？请赐予我您的智慧。
九命长者的回答哦，猎人孩子，听我说！哦，三面人，听我真实且重要的话！你必须杀死这只妖怪，你必须杀死这个九头妖怪！将其彻底杀死，然后骑马离开，离开后做一次祈求，从心底向珍贵的主祈祷。

如果你砍下妖怪的四个头扔下去，它们将成为岭城的地基。如果你砍下妖怪的另外四个头扔下去，它们将成为九重屋顶岭城的庭院。如果你砍下妖怪的最后一个头扔下去，它将成为九重屋顶岭城的地板。如果你砍下妖怪的腿扔下去，它们将成为九重屋顶岭城的柱子。如果你砍下妖怪的手臂扔下去，它们将成为九重屋顶岭城的横梁。如果你砍下它的指头扔下去，它们将成为岭城的柳条天花板。如果你折断妖怪的肋骨扔下去，它们将成为岭城的柳木装饰。如果你取出妖怪的内脏扔下去，它们将成为岭城如黄油般光滑的黏土屋顶。如果你取出它的肺扔下去，它们将成为一座金黄色的山。如果你挖出它的心扔下去，它将成为一座银白色的山。如果你挖出它的胃扔下去，它将成为辽阔肥沃的野山药平原。如果你挖出它的小肠扔下去，它将成为美味香肠的高山谷地。如果你挖出它的大肠扔下去，它将成为“翱翔内心喜悦”的猎场。如果你挖出妖怪的眼睛扔下去，它们将成为“成双美泉”的清泉。如果你切下它的鼻孔扔下去，它们将成为“荣耀之声”的笛子。如果你切下它的两个肾脏扔下去，它们将成为“背靠巨石”。

当所有这些身体部位被砍下并扔下去时，七天过去了。第七天，“三面人”和他的狗回到了家，饥饿且疲惫。老夫妇一直为他担心，看到他回来非常高兴。

抢劫帕奇帕尔东城

岭城建成后，老者塔希再次向先知求教，促成了“三面人”与十八位少女的婚姻。这些少女同时怀孕，并在同一天生下了他的十八位同伴。这一节讲述了这些岭国英雄们的第一次冒险，其中一人逐渐成为领袖。

“绿面三面人”的儿子们排成一列行进，每人建造了一座房子。他们的母亲回到了各自的家族中，而每个儿子都娶了一位妻子。由于他们一无所有，于是商讨计划：“据说帕奇帕尔东城有许多财富，我们都应该去征服它，把它们带回来。”大家同意后便出发了。
他们中有一位叫帕勒的“谨慎贵族”。由于他的母亲是一位铁匠的女儿，他被认为是不洁的，不能和其他人一起出发。他经常在寒冷之地高地牧场的“九命”长者家附近净化自己。有一天，他也决定去帕奇帕尔东城寻找财富。他骑马出发，经过一段时间来到了一条宽阔的河流。河边有一只狐狸，无法渡河。狐狸说：“嗨，你那边的人，如果你带我过河，我将帮你。”帕勒答道：“如果你帮我，那就上来吧。”于是他把狐狸抱上了马背。

狐狸带他抄了一条捷径，因此帕勒成为第一个到达帕奇帕尔东城的人。而其他人为什么没到呢？因为他们无法避开那条荆棘密布、困难重重的道路。他们每天只能砍出一绳之长的路，因此被耽搁了。帕勒因带着狐狸而抢先到达。

在帕勒停留的空地边上住着一位老妇人。几天后，他决定问她：“尊敬的祖母，这座城里都有什么宝物？”

老妇人回答：“孩子，我告诉你我听到的一切。据说在岭国，尊贵的‘蓝夫人’会生下一个名叫‘蒂古玛’的少女。而岭城外的铁匠塔希将有三个女儿，长女名为‘白点’，次女名为‘黑点’，最小的叫‘谷桑拉姆’，意为‘低贱无用之生的吉祥女神’。据说在天界，神之主贾布森将有三个儿子，长子叫‘顿丹’，次子叫‘顿尤’，最小的叫‘顿都布’。据说这个最小的儿子将成为岭国的领袖格萨尔王，而岭国已长期无主。

“这一切将如何发生呢？”老妇人继续说道，“据说‘顿都布’将放弃其天界生命，转世为铁匠塔希的女儿‘谷桑拉姆’的儿子。”
之后，帕勒进入城堡，带走了老妇人提到的所有宝物，并将它们带回岭国。随后，帕勒在岭城建造了一个宝藏室，存放从城堡带回的所有财宝。

七天后，其他十七位英雄才抵达帕奇帕尔东城。由于帕勒已带走了所有宝物，剩下的不过是一些金银铜器。他们带着这些返回岭国，各自回到自己的家。帕奇帕尔东城因被洗劫一空，最终沦为废墟，什么都没有留下。

Video : One hour of  LECTURE for GESAR, KING OF THE VAJRA LIFE
SSIUK Lecture: Gesar, King of the Vajra Life with Dr. Gregory Forgues

The Tibetan epic of Gesar is considered to be the largest in the world. It narrates the life, adventures, and deeds of Gesar, a manifestation—as a human being—of Padmasambhava, who is sent to earth to protect the Buddhadharma and to destroy demons threatening the land of Gling. First and foremost a versified oral narrative in the form of cantos (sgrung) told by bards (sgrung pa or sgrung mkhan), this living storytelling tradition, first mentioned in rLangs po ti bse ru (15th c.), has been in constant expansion since its inception, with new episodes continuously added to the vast corpus of existing songs.

A later religious development in Mongolia and Tibet that finds its source in this epic is the propitiation of Gesar as a Dharma protector, and later, as a yidam. Gesar, as a manifestation of Padmasambhava, is usually associated with Buddhist tantric rituals pertaining to auspiciousness, happiness, and protection. In the region of Khams, Ris med masters revealed important gter ma cycles of rituals and practices in which Gesar is the main deity. In these texts, Gesar is worshipped as a protector as well as the manifestation of the ultimate guru. Historically, these gter mas constitute a vast corpus of Vajrayāna practices that is inextricably related to the epic. However, the gradual integration of Dzogchen teachings in these Ris med rituals gave them a unique character at the intersection between the Buddhist path and the Tibetan culture as exemplified by Mipham Rinpoche’s famous prayer to Gesar, the King of the Vajra Life.

Dr. Gregory Forgues is Director of Research at Tsadra Foundation. Before joining the foundation, Gregory was part of the Open Philology research project with Professor Jonathan Silk at the University of Leiden. He also worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Heidelberg and a Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Bochum. Gregory has published on a wide variety of topics including Mahāyāna sūtra translations, Tibetan tantric rituals, Dzogchen teachings, and digital humanities methods. His PhD dissertation on Jamgon Mipham’s interpretation of the two truths under Prof. K. Mathes’ supervision was reviewed by Professor Birgit Kellner and Professor Matthew Kapstein, receiving a distinction from the University of Vienna.