Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 22

18
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JAN., 1921
to locate here the district headquarters of Kua-chou, where the 'Life' makes Hsuan-tsang arrive towards the close of 629 A.D.6
The learned Buddhist monk had set out from Ch'ang-an, the Chinese capital, with the avowed object of "travelling to the west to search for the Law in the kingdom of the Brahmans," i.e. India. But though the great Tang Emperor T'ai Teung (627-650 A.D.) W&s already engaged on that policy of expansion westwards which was destined before long to reassert Chinese power and authority in the Tarim Basin and even beyond after the lapse of long centuries, the traditional methods of Chinese seclusion against the barbarian West were still rigorously enforced on the Kan-su border. "At that time the administration of the country was still new, and the frontiers of the Empire did not extend far. The people were subjected to severe restrictions, and nobody was permitted to leave in order to visit foreign countries" (cf. Julien, Vie de H.,' p. 16).
So Hsuan-tsang had been obliged to leave Liang-chou secretly and to travel to Kuachou by night marches. After his arrival there "the Master of the Law, on inquiring about the western routes, was told : 'At 50 li from here, marching to the north, one comes to the River Hu-lu, of which the lower course is wide and the upper one very contracted. Its waters are constantly whirling and flow with such impetuosity that they cennot be passed in a boat. It is near to the widest part that the Yu-mán Barrier has been established, by which one is obliged to pess, and which is the key of the western frontiers. To the north west, beyond this barrier, there are five signal-towers wbere the guards entrusted with keeping the look-out reside. They are a hundred li apart one from the other. In the space which separates them there is neither water nor berbage. Beyond these five towers there lie the desert of Mo-ho-yen and the frontiers of I-wu (Hami)."
The Life 'gives a touching account of how the eager pilgrim came to brave the official prohibition and to venture into the dread desert beyond (see Julien, Vie de H.,' pp. 17-21). On receiving that information be had first become downcast, and having also suffered the loss of his horse, passed a month in distress. Then the local governor, who happened to be a map of piety, learned from spies of Hsüan-tsang's intentions, showed him secretly their report, but in the end, moved by his sincere fervour, decided to close an eye-more Sinicoe Still the saintly traveller's troubles increased through the defection of two young monks who were to have accompanied him, and through the difficulty of securing a guide. But auspicious dreams and omens gave him fresh courage, and a devout young native helped him to meet in secret an aged "barbarian" who had done the journey to l-wu fifteen times to and fro. The old man gave him the greve warning: "The western routes are bad and dangerous. At times streams of drift sand obstruct, at others demons and burning winds. If they are encountered no one can escape. Often big caravans lose themselves and perish."
But Hsüan-tsang remained firm and declared that if he did not reach the country of the Brahmans in the end he would never turn eastward again to China. "If I were to die on the way I should not regret it." Thereupon said the greybeard: "Master, since you are decided to start, you must mount my horse. More than fifteen times already, going and coming, he has done the way to I-wu (Hami). He is strong and knows the routes. Your horse, on the contrary, is weak and will never reach there." We eball see further on how
Cf. Stan. Julien, Histoire de la vie de Hionen-thoang' (Paris, 1863), p. 17; sloo Beal, The Life of Hiuen-tsiang,' p. 13. In subsequent quotations from the Life the version of the great French Sinologue will be followed, from which the latter'work is in the main retranslated.