The Transmission Of Sanskrit Manuscripts 87
From this we learn that Atiśa’s Sanskrit manuscripts, having been damaged
by fire, were stored at Retreng and that they contained Ratnākaraśānti’s
Hevajrapañjikā and the Kṛṣṇayamāritantra. Next we shall focus on Gendün
chöpel’s point (b) in order to see what it can tell us about the origin of the
collection.
2.1 Atiśa’s Sanskrit Manuscripts Sent Back to India
Point (b) is attested in the biography of Atiśa composed by Chim Namkha
drak (Tib. mChims Nam mkha’ grags, 1210–1285) and in Lechen Kunga gyelt-
sen’s (Tib. Las chen Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, 1432–1506) History of the Kadam
Tradition (Tib. bKa’ gdams chos ’byung). According to Gendün chöpel, it was
Dromtön who sent back Atiśa’s manuscripts to India, while Chim states that it
was Lhodrakpa Chagtrichog (Tib. Lho brag pa Phyag khri mchog, 1042–1109):9
At that time [i.e. after Atiśa’s passing], the yogin Chagtrichog (Tib. rNal
’byor pa Phyag khri mchog) repeatedly dispatched messengers with let-
ters [to India or Nepal] in order to import silver for [making] Jobo’s [that
zhes ngo bstod mang po byed kyin ’dug / See also van der Kuijp and McKeown, Bcom ldan ral
gri, xiv (they read gdam for gsham and translate the word as “on the seal” instead of “below”).
This story is integrated into Tāranātha’s biography; see Ngag dbang blo gros grags pa,
dPal ldan jo nang pa’i chos ’byung rgyal ba’i chos tshul gsal byed zla ba’i sgron me [Lamp of
the Moon that Illuminates the Religious Precepts of the Victor: A History of glorious Jonang
Tradition] (Koko Nor: Krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, 1992), 55–56: dgung grangs
nyer drug skor / rwa bsgreng sogs su phebs skabs ’tshogs su chos ’brel dang khyad par brag seng
ge’i zhul rje tsong kha pa’i bzhugs khri’i steng nas lam rim gsungs shing / rgya dpe me thub ma
rnams mjal tshe dgra nag gi rgyud skad gnyis kyis smra ba’i spobs pa che zhing shugs myur bas
rwa bsgreng ba rnams (p. 56) ngo mtshar bas bsngags pa sogs bstan ’gro la phan pa rgya cher
byas so //
Tāranātha mentions in his autobiography running across Sanskrit manuscripts in other
monasteries as well: bDag nyid kyi rnam thar, vol. 2, 15, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 57, 179.
9 He is also called sNyug rum pa brTson ’grus rgyal mtshan. For his life, see Las chen Kun dga’
rgyal mtshan, bKa’ gdams chos ’byung gsal ba’i sgron me [Illuminating Lamp: a History of
Kadam Tradition] (Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, 2006), 141–145; ’Gos lo tsā
ba gZhon nu dpal, Deb ther sngon po [Blue Annals] (Chengdu: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun
khang), 390–391; a Japanese translation is offered in Hadano Hakuyū 羽田野伯猷, Chibetto
Indogaku shūsei daiikkan chibettohen I チベット・インド学集成第一巻チベット篇I
[Collected Papers of Indian and Tibetan Studies, vol. 1] (Kyoto: Hōzōkan, 1986), 169–171). He
served Atiśa during the latter’s last five years, and then, on Atiśa’s advice, went on to serve
Dromtön.