Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 40

36
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARI..
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[JANUARY, 1902.
The King of Hor, called Gur-dkar is referred to in the prophecy (Spring Myth No. IX. 1-3), when 'a Brugama takes a blue ribband and sits down on a blge carpet. This fact seems to suggest that he may be conneeted with Yog-klu in some way or other.
The Devil bDud. A In the g Ling-glu of Phyang No. 1., to the three realms of the world, as described above, a fourth is added, the Land of the Devil bDud. We hear of the devil in Spring Myth No. I. 2-12, where he tries to carry away the heavenly goats and is killed. Apparently he comes to life again ; for the first half of the Winter Myth tells of Kesar's victory over him. The devil is in possession of great treasures (g Ling-glu of Phyang No. III.) and of a girl, who is kept in an iron cage (Winter Myth No. III.). As regards his size, appetite and stapidity, he closely resembles the giants of European mythology and folklore. The colour of the devil is black (Spring Myth No. I. 2; Winter Myth No. II. 25). At first I was inclined to believe in a certain connection between the black and blue colours, because the hair of the Ladakhi girls is called turquoise' in some popular songs ; however, this expression may refer to the actual turquoises, which are worn on the head. But alao Kosar's pigtail, which is certainly without turquoisea, is called blue; and the pool of the klu mentioned in Spring Myth No. III. 27, is called black,
Other names of the devil bDud are; Brinpo (Wimter Wyth No. III, 2); Ourulugu (Winter Myth No. III. 8); 'ADro-lha-btaan-bos (Spring Myth, Additions, No. IX.); Digpa (Winter Myth No. III. 26).
Of a very similar nature is Aga Za in Spring Myth No. III. 34-45. He devours not only Kesar, bat also the sun and moon. He is in possession of the srin yahu, the bow of the giants.
The devil bDud lives in a castle in the north (byang). There can be no doubt, that the word byang means actually the north, because everybody understands it in this sense. Near the castle there is the well of nectar (bdud-rtsi) and milk (Winter Myth No. IV. 17).
The Agus, Dr. Lanfer in his criticism tells me that the word akhu, from which the word agu may have developed, means uncle' in Tibetan. As I said before, it will be safest to look at the Ladakbi version of the Kesar Saga from a Ladakhi point of view; and in Ladakhi the word . uncle' is never expressed by akku or agu, but by ashang.
With regard to this word I can only repeat, what I said in my German Ed, of the Kesar Saga: In Ladakhi the word agu serves to express (1) a husband in general, (2) from a child's point of view one of the principal husband's younger brothers, who is more than an uncle to the principal husband's children; he is something like their step-father, as the principal husband's wife is his wife too.
Thus the word agu may be variation of the word pha-apun, father-brothers (Spring Myth No. V. 88, VI. 66) of Kesar. At present the word phanipun is always used in the sense of
undertaker.' The pha-rpun bave to burn the dead; but it is possible that in ancient times the relatives of the dead had to take care of this office,
It is quite true that neither the Spring nor the Winter Myth tells us anything of a possible relationship between Kesar and the Agus. The Prelude to the Kesar Saga' will probably throw Bome light on the question. The latter contains a list of all the 16 Agus with their characteristic mars. Many of them seem to possess more than a single name. This list was published ante. As far as I can see, their attributes point to an ancient zodiac and to the days of the week. A picture, showing all the 18 Agus, can, as I am told, be seen at Phagyptgonpa, Laboul, and at Hemis, Ladakh.