Ganapati Dharani Sutra: Oirat Texts

Introduction. The tradition of worshiping Ganapati in Buddhism, including in religious traditions of Mongols, is an interesting — though understudied — issue. In Hinduism, this ancient deity was believed an evil demon (Vinayaka) inclined to create obstacles. Subsequently, when included in the Buddhist pantheon, its tantric forms became widespread enough in Tibet and Mongolia. In Buddhist teachings, Ganapati is seen as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and in some of its forms is associated with Chakrasamvara and Tara, hence having little in common with the Hindu Ganesha, the son of Parvati and Shiva, the Lord of the Ganas. The cult of Ganapati in Buddhist countries shows how the ancient deity of Hinduism had lost its original essence — to become an organic part of the Buddhist tantric tradition. Goals. The paper aims to introduce Oirat texts of the Ganapati Dharani Sutra. Materials and methods. Collections of Mongolian manuscripts in Russia and other countries contain a total of seven dharani sutras in the Oirat Clear Script. The study focuses on a Kalmyk manuscript from the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (Mongolian Collection) and a manuscript from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Language and Literature, Oirat Collection). The work employs textual research methods and tools of comparative historical analysis. Results. Some manuscripts in the Clear Script are literary works of minimal size that include two parts — Dharani Sutra of Lord Ganapati (Oir. Xutuqtu čuulγani ezen kemēküyin toqtōl) and Collected Dharanis of the Five Chapters of Pancharaksha (Oir. Pañcaragšyin tabun bölögiyin xurangyui). The combination of the two texts in a single work makes it possible to assume the worshipping practice of Ganapati be somewhat tied to that of the five Pancharaksha protector goddesses. In Buddhism, the Ganapati Dharani Sutra is recited for various purposes, such as welfare, virtuous reincarnation, new knowledge, and spiritual progress. Conclusions. Texts of the Ganapati Dharani Sutra and various iconographic images (forms) are integral to tantric practices believed instrumental in acquiring, cognizing and organizing new knowledge, thus forming milestone spiritual experiences on the path towards the ultimate goal of Buddhists.

1. Dharani Sutra of Lord Ganapati (Oir. Xutuqtu čûlγani ežen kemeküyin toqtol). At: Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB Dresden). 201 Msc. Dresd. Eb. 405b-q. 6 p., 7×20 cm, 19 lines, clear handwriting. (In Oir.)

2. Dharani Sutra of Lord Ganapati (Oir. Xutuqtu čuulγani ezeni toqtōl orošiboi). At: Mongolian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Language and Literature. Call. no. 464. 2 p., 8×21cm, 15–19 lines, clear handwriting, red and black ink, Chinese paper. (In Oir.)

3. Andreeva E. M. Ganesha and His Cult: Origin, Iconography, Mythology. Moscow: Ganga, 2020. 464 p. (In Russ.)

4. Bicheev B. A. An Oirat literary collection from the National Museum of Tuva. The New Research of Tuva. 2019. No. 4. Pp. 18–31. Available at: https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/878/1274 (accessed: 20 July 2023). (In Russ.) DOI: 10.25178/nit.2019.4.2

5. Burmistrov S. L. The cult and mythology of Gaṇeśa (Based on manuscripts of the Indian Collection of IOM RAS). Pis’mennye Pamiatniki Vostoka (Written Monuments of the Orient). 2014. No. 1(20). Pp. 168–179. (In Russ.)

6. Catalogue of the Mongolian Kangyur and Tengyur. Vol. 1. Hohhot: People’s Publ. House, 2002. 928 p. (In Mong.)

7. Chattopadhyaya D. Lokayata: A Study in Ancient Indian Materialism. Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1961. 735 p. (In Russ.)

8. Dubyansky A. M. Ganesha. In: Albedil M. F., Dubyansky A. M. (eds.) Hinduism. Jainism. Sikhism: A Dictionary. Moscow: Respublica, 1996. Pp. 138–139. (In Russ.)

9. Ganbold D. Center for Script and Culture: A Catalogue of Mongolian and Tibetan Manuscripts. Ulaanbaatar: Bit Press, 2012. 88 p. (In Mong.)

10. Gedeeva D. B., Mirzaeva S. V. ‘Hṛdaya-dhāraṇī of Mothers’ (Oir. ekeyin zürken tarni orošiboi): An Oirat manuscript from the National Museum of Tuva. The New Research of Tuva. 2019. No. 4. Pp. 79–86. Available at: https://nit.tuva.asia/nit/article/view/884/1278 (accessed: 20 July 2023). (In Russ.) DOI: 10.25178/nit.2019.4.6

11. Gerelmaa G. Institute of Language and Literature: A Concise Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Clear Script. Ulaanbaatar: Soyombo Printing, 2005. 270 p. (In Mong.)

12. Glushkova I. P. Ganesha: A pan-Indian deity. In: Glushkova I. P. (ed.) The Tree of Hinduism. Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 1999. Pp. 283–312. (In Russ.)

13. Grintser P. A. Ganesha. In: Meletinsky E. M. (ed.) A Dictionary of Mythology. Moscow: Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, 1991. Pp. 140–141. (In Russ.)

14. Heissig W. Mongolische Handschriften, Blockdrucke, Landkarten beschrieben von Walther Heissig; unter Mitarbeit von Klaus Sagaster (Verzeichnis der orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland 1). Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1961. 494 p. (In Germ.)

15. Hymns to [Mother] Tara. A. Zorin (transl., text prep., etc.). Moscow: Otkrytyi Mir, 2009. 272 p. (In Russ.)

16. Ivanov D. V. One rare depiction of Ganesha in Buddhist collections of the Kunstkamera. In: Rodionov M. A. (ed.) The Asiatic Bestiary: Animal Images in Traditions of South, Southwest, and Central Asia. Collected scholarly papers. St. Petersburg: Kunstkamera, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (RAS), 2009. Pp. 96–100. (In Russ.)

17. Lepekhova E. S. Ganeša’s cult and his veneration in Japanese Buddhism. Vestnik Instituta vostokovedenija RAN. 2020. No. 1. Pp. 33–46. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.31696/2618-7302-2020-1-33-46

18. Muzraeva D. N. Tibetan- and Oirat-Language Buddhist Written Sources in Collections of Kalmykia. Elista: Dzhangar, 2012. 224 p. (In Russ.)

19. Pozdneev A. M. Essays on the Life of Buddhist Monasteries and Buddhist Clergy in Mongolia, and Relations of the Latter to the People. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, 512 p. (In Russ.)

20. Ratnabhadra. The Moonlight: A Biography of Rabjam Zaya (dza ya) Pandita. Facsimile of manuscript. G. Rumyantsev. A. Sazykin (transl.); A. Sazykin (translit., foreword, etc.). St. Petersburg: Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie, 1999. 176 p. (In Oir. and Russ.)

21. Sazykin A. G. Institute of Oriental Studies (RAS): Catalogue of Mongolian Manuscripts and Xylographs. Vol. 2. Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 2001. 415 p. (In Russ.)

22. Temkin E. N., Erman V. G. Ganesha: The birth of the elephant-headed God. In: Temkin E. N., Erman V. G. Myths of Ancient India. Second edition, rev. & suppl. Moscow: Nauka — GRVL, 1982. Pp. 184–188. (In Russ.)

23. The Story of White Tara: An Oirat Version (The Tale of Bagamay Khatun). Facsimile of manuscripts. B. Bicheev (study, transl., etc.). Elista: Kalmyk Humanities Research Institute (RAS), 2013. 248 p. (In Oir. and Russ.)

24. Tulku Thondup Rinpoche. Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. A. Besedin (transl.). St. Petersburg: Uddiyana, 1997. 288 p. (In Russ.)

25. Zaya (dza ya ) Pandita. The Oirat Dictionary of Poetic Set Expressions. Facsimile of manuscript. N. Yakhontova (translit., foreword, etc.). Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 2010. 615 p. (In Oir. and Russ.)

26. Zorin A. V. The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: Zungdü (gzungs 'dus) and Domang (mdo mang) Collections in the History of Tibetan Literature. St. Petersburg: Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie, 2021. 292 p. (In Russ.)