Yab bla bdag drug

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Other names / Alternative spellings 

Yab lha bdag drug (ms. PT 1286 l. 30) 

Yab bla bdag drug (ms. PT 1286 l. 42, ITJ 731 l. r60) 

Ya bla bdag drug (ms. ITJ 731 r. 62-r 63, inscr. rKong po l. 3) 

Social groups (status, family, lineage...) 

phyva deity 

lha deity ?

Period of activity 

Myth 

Biographical data 

Yab bla bdag drug was residing in [the celestial realm called] "gNam lhab kyi bla" (ms. PT 1286 42) or "gNam gyi ya bla dgung gi ya stengs" ("Ya stengs of the celestial supreme high sky" ? ms. ITJ 731 l. r59).

Yab bla bdag drug was [an ancestral deity of the sPu rgyal btsan po,] the father of seven sons, the middle one was Khri 'i bdun tshigs (ms. PT 1286 l. 30-31, 42). 

Titles 

rje (ms. ITJ 731 l. r60, r62) 

mgon tshun pyva (ms. ITJ 731 l. r60) ? 

mgon tshun phyvas (ms. ITJ 731 r. 63) ? 

thog ma phyva (inscr. rKong po l. 3) 

Notes 

See also the father mGon tshun phyva' and the mother Ta nga ngur mo tang (or Ta nga ngur mo?) also residing in the celestial realm of gNam gyi ya bla dgung gi ya stengs ? (ms. PT 1134 l. 11-12). 

According to mKhas pa lde'u 129na-130ba (2010 ed. p. 217-220), the srid pa'i lha rabs mched bzhi (the four sons of yab sTag cha yal yol and yum Tshe za Khyad khyud), played dice to decide who would stay in the divine land (lha yul) and who would go to the human land (mi yul).

The two younger lost :

- rGya la 'brong went to act as the god of the rGya people (rgya mi mangs) and had nine sons

- 'O de gung rgyal went through intermediary space to earth where he acted as god of men and fathered nine gods (lha) from various mothers and then had another son

The two older brothers won :

- Phya la bram chen became the god (lha) of the mGon btsun phya, he fathered the phya lcam dral drug.

-gcen Yab lha brdal drug acted as lord of all gods (lha thams cad kyi rje) at the top of the thirteen celestial levels (gnam rim pa bcu gsum gyi steng nga), he had three older sons (Rong rong rtsol po - father of the Zhang zhung gods, Khri rga stag gzigs - father of the Sum pa gods, and Than tsho zo 'brang), three younger sons (lHa rje gung rtsan, lHa rje thog rtsan, lHa rje zin gdags), a daughter (Thang nga lha mo), and a middle son (Bar gyi bdun tshigs - father of gNya' khri).

See also "Yab la brdal drug" in rGyal po bka' thang II (bKa' thang sde lnga 2011ed. p. 87): 

"...bod kyi btsan po 'o de spur rgyal de / gnam gyi lha las mi yi rje ru gshegs / tshangs pa phyag nas gnam lha than dgur brgyud / gnam than sprin than char than than dgur byon / rtags chags wal wal sras po mched bzhi la / rje gcig yab la brdal drug bya ba byon / de la sras mchog spun 'dun 'khrungs pa las / bar lha tshigs bdun yab yum mched la gnod / yab yum skor bon zhang po'i yul du spyugs / dmu bza' lde me btsun dang bshos pa'i sras / gnya' khri yan 'khrungs srid pa'i lha rabs yin / rje gcig gnya' khri btsan po bya ba de / mgo nag mi dang srog chags rkyen du byon /..."

"Yab bla bdal drug" in Srid rgyud (2010ed., p. 226-227):

" ... de nas stag chag 'tshams bza' bshos pa'i sras / rje yab bla bdal drug yin / de yi sku srung mu cho ldem drug yin / phya rje yab bla bdal drug dang / dmu btsun rgyal mo gnyis kyi sras / lhe'u rje mched bdun bya ba yin / lha sras de'i bdun tshigs ni / khri sad 'bar ba zhes kyang bya / de zhang po dmu yi yul du spyugs / dmu za gnyis mthing ma dang bshos pa la / yar gshegs su ni yum grongs la /mar gshegs su ni sras mnol bas / ltag pa'i bdud sgor skra nyag gcig dang 'khril nas gshegs pa'i sras / lde nyag ri brtsad so lags so / yab bla bdal drung gdung rgyud las / bdun tshig khri sad 'bar gyi sras / gnam dgu byon pa'i ming / rje gnya' khri btsad po yin /..."

See also Yab lha brda drug in Rlangs kyi po ti bse ru 1986 ed. p. 5.