Fr. 80 (730, vol. lxxiii, fol. 37, imperfect at the right; 15.5 x 16 cm.; ll.11 of
clear, rather small, regular dbu can script).
[1]@/:/Pho brang 'On cang [note 1: Inverted below
line. [note do nas bkye'i phyag rgya phog ste//zha sngar snyan du/...[2]pos
(mos, sos, los?) /Sha cu'i skun kar 'bangs dang bchas su phyag du bzhes
te//...[3]chab srid la bsdos te/ /Bod 'bangs kyi mchog bkum gyis shing
//thugs....[4]pag[mag?] To dog rtse rjer bskos the dgung lo bdun lags na yang
//Sha [cu?]...[5]bkum nas//slad gyis khrom gyis mdab non pas lhog pa'i
[rno?]...[6]bdag spus bthus te rtse rjer stsald nas//dgung lo bchu...[7]nang krug
dang pan pun du ma gyurd pha lags//rje blas [kyang stsang]...[8]pa yang myi chad
phar 'bul zhing blar yang sman yon thogs pa bdag [glo]...[9]snas myi dbul bra
phyag rgya 'ga' zhig chi gnang zhes gsol...[10]dbul bar gnang zhes//Bka'/blon
Btshan bzher dang blon [ny]...[11]phyag rgya 'chang du stsald pha://
"[l. 1] From the palace 'On cang
do sent, seal attached, for hearing in the presence.
'The Btsan (?) po having taken possession of
the fort of Sha cu along with the subjects,
the Chinese(?), in rivalry for domination, having killed the best of the Tibetan
subjects, appointed...as To dog chief ruler. [ll. 4-6]
Seven years having passed...killed. Afterwards the city, according merit to
me...when I had been able to recover it by great efforts(?), sent me as chief
ruler. [ll. 6-8] Ten years...there has been no internal strife and disagreement.
To His Excellency also corn...has been delivered without intermission (or order),
a highly beneficial gift. [ll. 8-11] Please send signature that...is not to be
delivered' – upon this petition...to be delivered is sanctioned, - to this effect
Bka' Councillor Btshan
bzher and Councillor...sent, bearing a signature."
This document refers apparently to a capture of Sha
cu by the Tibetans, a subsequent revolt, instigated, no doubt, by the
Chinese, and the recovery of the palace and its retention during a peaceful period
of ten years. The event may be that related from Chinese sources by Bushell in Bushell_1880:
p. 514. The writers reside in the palace 'On cang do, which therefore must have been
situated not too far from Sha cu. From a
colophon in the Bstan 'gyur (Cordier_1909_1915:
II, p. 478),
again, we know that 'On cang do was in Skyi, a district several times mentioned in the
Chronicle, ll. 81, 88, 110, 115, to which further we may assign the following places
(the authority is added in brackets): -
Bra ma thang (Chronicle, ll. 4 and 56).
Byar lings tshal (ibid., ll. 96, 197, 251).
Dra tshal (ibid., 133, and therefore also
Dra'i Gro pur, of Dra, ibid., ll. 66, 154, Dra 'i
Zar phur, l. 157).
Gling rings tshal (ibid., ll. 59, 101, and
M.I.viii.46 (IOL Tib N 420), M.Tāgh.iii.0016). Phyi
tshal (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 8212/187, l. 19).
Lhas gang tshal (ibid., ll. 110, 115, 119,
125, 182, 193, 210).
Rtse gro in Dra (Brit. Mus. MS., l. 10).
Sho ma ra (ibid., ll. 201, 207, 245).
Zar phur (ibid., l. 157, Dra 'i Zar phur).
It seems possible that 'On cang do, which
itself is mentioned in the Chronicle (ll. 81, 88, 111, 115, 120), may mean "'On city-land", the 'On being a people known
from Buddhist literature and from the Chronicle (ll. 12, 52, 73).
l. 3. chab srid la bsdos te: For the phrase see Index.
l. 4. To dog = Chin. tu tu, Turk. tu tuq, recurs p. 81.
l. 5. mdab non pas"by a great effort (or strong rally)" (?).
spus bthus: The phrase has been found above, p. 23.31.
l. 7. nang krug ('khrug)"internal strife".
pan pun"dissension" = phan phun; cf.
M.Tāgh.a.vi.0065 (Or.15000/163), phan phun zhig du gyur na.
l. 8. blar"highly": cf. p. 23, l. 16 (IOL Tib J 1253) and Index.
sman yon"beneficial gift" occurs also Vol. I, Thomas_1935:
p.
29, n. 1.