Indian Antiquary Vol 31

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

Page 41

JANUARY, 1902.)
THE SPRING-MYTH OF THE KESAR SAGA,
The Spring Myth of the Kosar Saga. This is the portion of my raythology, that has met with the greatest opposition. Not taking the names into account, there were two reasons in particular, which induced me to believe in the possibility of a Spring Myth: (1) The two forms of Kesar. One of them is ugly, and in this Kesar is born (Spring Myth No. IV. 3, 4, 5). The other is beautiful, and its attributes are the sun and moon (Spring Myth No. VII. 33). These two forms he changes continually, as is shown by the Spring Myth. (2) Kesar's ability to disappear altogether (Spring Myth No. VIII. 5, No. IX. 6, 7, Additions No. 7).
According to Dr. Lanfer's criticism, the Kesar Myths, as related above, are very ubrupt, and do not explain the motives for certain actions. They are repetitions of certain passages of the Kesar Epic, in which important ideas were forgotten. He gives an example : The story told in Spring Myth No. VIII. 33-41 is according to his conception a weak reflection of a passage of the Kesar Epic, given in Additions No. 10. With regard to this example, I must say that it does not hit the point. The Ladakhis themselves distinguish between the two stories. There is no more similarity between the two than there is between the story of Dongrub's descent to the earth through hail and the story of Zeus's descent in the golden rain. There is an endless variety of versions of the Spring Myth as well as of the Winter Myth, changing sometimes considerably from one village to the next. Most of them are matter learnt by heart. But all this material is never learnt by consulting the Kesar Epic. These are stories handed down in those villages from time immemorial. They are a necessary supplement to the g Ling-glu, which would be unintelligible without them. Now the story, given in Additions No. 10, is not only a portion of the Kesar Epic (dPe-sgrungs), but is a portion of many oral tales as well (Kha-sgrunge). (The Ladakhis themselves distinguish emphatically between dPe-sgrunge and Kha-agrunge). In one of my MSS. of the Kha-agrunge, the story, given under Additions No. 10, is told at the end of the story of the banquet, that is, after Spring Myth No. VI. 16, and the story Spring Myth No. VIII. 83-41 in its usual place. Thus one and the same M8, contains both of them.
If it be a characteristic mark of the Kesar Epic to give motives for all the sudden disappearances of Kesar, that would not induce me to believe in the previous origin of the epic; it would confirm my belief that there are fundamental differences between the epic and the oral tiles. All the oral tales agree on this one point, that Kesar is capricious to the utmost extent. He comes and goes without a given reason, and likes nothing better than teasing.
That the form of the oral Kessr-stories, as we find them in the different villages, is not the original, is shown by their conglomerate character. They do not exhibit the labours of an editor but tell the same story several times according to different versions. Examples are :
(1) Spring Myth No. JI. 1-28. The father asks his sons, who would like to go to the
country of men, and Dongrub decides to go. Now this story ought there to come to a end. However, the same tale continues (compare Additions No. 11; Spring Myth No. II. 36-42; g Ling-glu of Phyang No. VII.) that he shall go who looses
in the contest. (2) The full stories of Kesar's birth on the earth (Additions No. 2, 3, 4) were told
in the following way. The first MS. relates the birth-story (Additions No. 2), and then, without any break or preceding notice, continues with Additions No. 3. The second MS. at first tells Additions No. 4, and then continnes with Additions No. 3:
Thus the child is born twice in the same tale. (3) Spring Myth No. 71. and No. VII. are two different versions of the engagement
story, told one after the other in the same oral tale.