Tattvasangraha 01

Author(s): Embar Krishnamacharya
Publisher: Central Library

Page 13

FOREWORD
§ 2. S'ântaraksita's personal History. S'Antarakṣita was one of the greatest scholars India had ever produced, though she unfortunately recorded no personal incidents of his life. All that we know of his personal history, comes from Tibetan sources. Unlike other great scholiasts of Buddhism he was unknown in China, as it does not appear from Nanjio that his works were ever translated into Chinese, or that S'ântarakṣita was in any way connected with that country. In Tibet our author was well-known under the three names, S'antarakṣita, S'åntirakṣita and Acârya Bodhisattva. The details of his life was first given by Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Das in his article entitled, Indian Pandits in Tibet published in the first part of the Journal of the Buddhist Text Society as compiled from Bu-ston's Chos hbyun." As this is the only account of S'ântarakṣita left to us, we do not hesitate to reproduce the article in extenso, even though it abounds in numerous matters which may appear to a student of history as legendary or fanciful:
The king (Thi-sron-deu-tsan of Tibet ) sent Yeses dvafi with threo compa
nions namely Lañ groñ sna-ra, Gier stag btsan stoï gzigs and Sprañ rgya-ra legs gzigs to bring Åcârya Bodhisattva from Nepal. They met the Roarya in Mangul. Leaving Lañ groñ 80a-ra with the Acârga they returned to the ospital to pay homage to the king and to know if he continued to favour Buddbiem. The Shañ blon, (the minister who opposed the Buddhism ) said, whether it would be propor to permit the use of evil charms of the Southern country of Nepal is a matter which should be carefully examined. So saying he sent Sañ s'ls, Sen guí lha lub gzigs and Mohim me-lan to Mangul for the purpose of ascertaining the usefulness of the cult of the Buddhists. Being unacquainted with the Indian language the messengers employed Apanta, the K'shmirian Pandit, to interpret it. On their reporting in favour of the Acarya be was brought to the palace of the King together with Ananta or his interpreter. During his residence at Rluñ tshubs for four months the Âoarya expounded the dootripe of Das'a Kus'ala (the ten virtues ), the eighteen regions and the twelve causal concatenations. The gods and domigods of Tibot grow indignant at this intrusion of Buddbism in their country, caused the rivers to overflow the higher plains, the thunder-bolt to fall on Dmarpohiri the red hill of Lhasa and on which
Pobala was latterly built and diseases and murrain to rage in the : 1. op. cit. p. 1 ff.