mGar

rus0011

Alternative spellings 

Notes 

mGar and mNyan were ministers of dGu gri zing po rje khri pang sum in Ngas po (ms. PT 1286 l. 11). 

A mention of the "line of blon po mGar" (blon po mgar gyi rabs) in ms. PT 1156

 

(source : Gallica) 

Blon po bka' thang, ch. 3 (bKa' thang sde lnga 2011ed. p. 338-339) lists the mGar ministers as hailing from Ba gor: "The five ministers of Ba gor: mGar Srong btsan yul gzung, Khri 'bring btsan srol, bTsan snya ldom bu, Khri thog rje a nu, Khri sgra zin lung".

Some gter ma and later histories are making mentions of members of mGar in various lists of characters: 

- mGar Shak 'od, one of the 108 lo tsâ mkhas pa enumerated in Lo pan bka' thang ch. 33 (bKa' thang sde lnga 2011ed. p. 313) 

- 'Gar lHa bzher tshe gsar, "bon po nang nas thar phyungs pa", "a bo gsang ba'i sgo srung" before the time of Khri Srong lde btsan? (Srid rgyud in Blo gros thogs med 2010ed. p. 234, 236), also Ghar lHa bzher tshe gsar, one of the twenty scholars (bsTan pa'i shan 'byed 'phrul gyi me long p. 29).

- mGar Khyung po dum tshugs, a singer during the inauguration of bSam yas (rGyal rabs ra gsal ba'i me long 2005ed. p. 218-219, transl. in Sørensen 1994 p. 397).

Genealogies

Since this database is focusing on the Tibetan empire, the following genealogies are only given from the mythical origins to datable post imperial characters.
Please be aware that, although I follow partially the original texts, these are not translations: my main concern being to provide names and, when possible, a historical time frame.

The line of mGar According to the genealogy of Tshal pa
in the XIVth c. Tshal pa drung che'i rnam thar,
composed by Kun dga' rdo rje
(see TBRC W26464, p. 8 l. 4-p. 9 l. 7) 

Some spellings are unsure due to my poor reading skills 

[p. 8 l. 5-6] At first, 'Gar tshe gnam tshe 'brug came down from the heights of the celestial divine land (lha yul gnam gyi mtho). 

[p. 8 l. 6] [With ?] Deng g.yu za bDo dkar, [his] son (sras)  [was] 'Gar mthing na rje. 

[p. 8 l. 6] His son [was] 'Gar bla mkhyen chen po Khri sgra 'jing smug... 

[p. 9, l. 1] His son [was] Me khri lchags. 

[p. 9, l. 1] His son [was] blon chen po sTong btsan yul gzung* 

*According to the text, he was a contemporary of rgyal po Srong btsan sgam po.

[p. 9, l. 3] Khi lim [was] his elder son, born from Thang Tha'i tsung's niece. The 2nd [was] Yon tan rGyal gzungs*, the third was Si glu[...]' pa pho lun (?)... 

*According to the text, Yon tan rGyal gzungs was as a contemporary of rgya'i rgyal mo 'U ji then (=Wu Zetian). 

[p. 9, l. 4] His* three sons were 'Gar bTsan po dred po, bTsan gnyan gung rton, bTsan gnyan ldem bu. 

*The text seems to imply that they were the sons of Yon tan rgyal gzungs but the last two names are suspiciously similar to those of the alleged sons of mGar sTong rtsan yul zung: mGar bTsan nyen gung rton, mGar bTsan snya ldom bu. 

[p. 9, l. 6] The son of bTsan gnyan ldem bu [was] Khri bzang do bu. 

[p. 9, l. 6] His son [was] Khri gnyer khri lcags. 

[p. 9, l. 6] His son [was] rTong mes khri snang. 

[p. 9 l. 6-7] His four sons [were] blon chen po Khri lâng lha skyang (?), Khri to re rtag.zungs, Khri bzher khus po, and sTong bzher khus chung... 

[p. 9, l. 7] The son of Khri to re stag.zungs [was] Khri btsan 'phan gzigs. 

[p. 9, l. 7] His son [was] blon chen po Chas pa sgong drug*. 

*No blon chen of that name is known so far from Old Tibetan sources.

[p. 9, l. 7] His son [was] blon chen po rDor gzungs*. 

*No blon chen of that name is known so far from Old Tibetan sources.

[p. 9, l. 7-p. 10, l. 1] His son [was] blon Khri gzungs btsan. 

[p. 10, l. 1] He [had] 3 sons: Khri btsan 'bar re, Gung gnam btsan po and Khri thog rgyal ba*. 

*A sku srung of the time of Khri Dar ma 'od srung and Khri lde yum brtan named "So Khri thog rgyal ba" is mentioned by the Legs bshad mdzod (see transl. by Samten Karmay in Treasury of good Sayings p. 104, 269), this is conceivably the same as the blon po dGu Khri thog sgra mentioned under the same kings by mKhas pa lDe'u (XIIIth c., see 2010ed. p. 350) but cannot so far be identified to mGar Khri thog rgyal ba since the family names are different. 

[p. 10, l. 1-2] The line of the elder [Khri btsan 'bar re] was cut, and Khri thog rgyal ba went in mNga' ris stod. The son (bu) of Gung gnam btsan po was Khri rje mang gnyen, from there, as for [his] lineage [there was] : Mu sgra 'phan gzigs, lHa legs, lHa po, Don po, gNam lha rgyal, bTsan lha rgyal, 'Gar Yang thog rgyal ba... 

[p. 10, l. 2-3] That one had 2 sons (sras) : rGyal le gra'i tu chags (?), [and] 'Phanes who seized Ram pa... 

[p. 10, l. 3-4] the son (bu) of rGyale was 'Gar rGyal ba 'byung gnas* 

*He lived in the XIIth century since, according to the text, he was a contemporary of 'Gro ba'i mgon po rin po che (a.k.a. zhang Rin po che, see infra, a.k.a [sNa nam] Zhang g.Yu brag pa brtson 'grus grags pa, see BDRC, Treasury of Lives). 

[p. 10, l. 4] His son dpon chen po Sang rgyas dngos grub, was the chief of dge 'dun Tshal pa. 

[p. 10, l. 5] The Tshal pa sde, head and branches, was then entrusted to dpon chen po Dar ma gzhonu* spiritual son of 'Gro ba'i mgon po rin po che...

*Dar ma gzhonu died in 1220 according to BDRC.

The line of mGar according to the genealogy of Tshal pa
in the Great Fifth's Deb ther dpyid kyi rgyal mo'i glu dbyangs
(see 1980ed. p. 106-107, transl. in Zahiruddin 2008 p. 83)

mGar Tshe nam tsha 'brug (descending from the sky). 

Then, mGar Bla ma mkhyen chen po, mGar sTong mes khri chags. 

His son [was] mGar sTong btsan yul bzung*...

*The minister of chos rgyal Srong btsan sgam po according to the text

His son [was] bTsan po yon tan rgyal bzung.

Then, progressively, lHa gcig snyan ldem bu, Khri zangs dum bu and Khri gnyer khri lcags.

His son [was] sTong mes khris snang. [Then] Khri sto ro stag gzung, blon chen Chas pa sgo drug.

His son(s?): rMu bza' and 'Phags gzigs.

Then, progressively, mGar Thog yang rgyal, rGyal le, mGar rgyal ba 'byung gnas, who established a "priest-patron" relationship with zhang rin po che* ('di dang zhang rin po che mchod yon du gyur)...

*Another name for 'Gro ba'i mgon po rin po che, XIIth c. see supra and BDRC, Treasury of Lives. 

The line of mGar according to the genealogy of the kings of sDe dge,
in the XVIIth c. sDe dge rgyal rabs
composed by Tshe dbang rdo rje Rig 'dzin

(Lhasa : bod ljongs mi dmang dpe skrun khang, 1989ed., p. 3-5)

'Gar gNam tsha 'brug (came down from the sky)

His son [was] mGar sTong mes khri chags

His son [was] Phyag na pad dkar 'chang

His son [was] sTong btsan yul srungs

His son [was] bTsan po yon tan rgyal bzung

His sons [were] lHa gcig snyan ldem bu and Khri bzan ldum bu

It is said that this one had two sons : Khri gnyer khri lcags ... from whom originated the throne of Tshal pa, and mGar chen A myes dge ba dpal

His son [was] lHa rje byams pa'i dpal.*

*According to the text, he was a contemporary of Padma 'byung gnas and g.Yu sgra snying po and would thus have lived around the second half of the VIIIth century.

His son [was] dPal gyi yon tan.

His son [was] dPal gyi phur bu.

His son [was] dPal 'byung gnas.

His son [was] dPal gyi shes rab.

His son [was] dPal gyi bkra shis.

His son [was] dPal gyi bla ma.

His son [was] bKa shis bla ma.

His son [was] Yon tan bla ma.

His son [was] Shes rab bla ma.

His son [was] Byang chub bla ma.

His son [was] Grags pa rgyal mtshan.

His son [was] dKon mchog rgyal mtshan.

His son [was] dGe 'dun rgyal mtshan.

His son [was] Byam spa rgyan mtshan.

His son [was] Ye rgyal.

His son [was] Grub pa'i rtse later known as dPal gyi byams pa.

His son [was] dPal gyi 'bum pa.

His son [was] dPal gyi grags pa.

His son [was] dPal gyi rdo rje.

His son [was] 'Gar dPal gyi bsod nams.

His son [was] dPal gyi rtse mo.

He had three sons : grub pa dBang pyug gzhon nu rdo rje, known as mGar chen chos sdings pa*, an emanation of slob dpon Ârya de wa..., his younger brothers were 'Gar chen Ye shes bzang po and sGom ston gtsug tor 'bum....

*mGar Dam pa chos sding pa a.k.a. Shâkya dpal, born in 1180, see BDRC, and Treasury of Lives