'O de gung rgyal

00625 

Other names / Alternative spellings 

'O de gung rgyal (ms. ITJ 734 l. 5r193, ITJ 740 l. 70) 

'O de lha dpal gung rgyal ba ? (ms. ITJ 734 l. 5r188-189) 

'O de lha dpal phu rgyal (ms. ITJ 734 l. 5r188-189, as suggested in OTDO, although it could also be read as 'O de lha dpal gung rgyal from the digitized document) 

lDe bla gung rgyal ? (ms. PT 1287 l. 17-18, identification unsure) 


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

lha deity ?


Period of activity 

myth 


Biographical data 

lDe bla gung rgyal took Dri gum to the sky, but was prevented of doing so by Lo ngam. lDe bla gung rgyal was projected into the snows of the Ti se and departed (gshegs, died? see transl. in Hill 2006 p. 92, ms. PT 1287 l. 17-18) 


Titles 

lha (ms. ITJ 740 l. 70) 


Notes 

Whether 'O de gung rgyal is the same as 'O de spu rgyal or not seems a bit unclear from Old Tibetan material. 

In later tradition, yab 'O de gung rgyal is thought to be the father of the following mountain deities: Yar lung gi Yar lha sham po of Yar lung, byang gi gNyan chen thang lha, rGad stod kyi Jo bo 'gyog chen, shar gyi rMa chen spom ra, Jo bo g.yul rgyal, She'u mkha' ri, sKyid sho Zhog lha phyug po and the gnod sbyin Gang ba bzang po (see Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1996 reprint p. 208-209).

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 became god of the rGya people (rgya mi mangs) and had nine sons

- 'O de gung rgyal went through intermediary space (where he had sons and was know as 'Od lha 'breng 'breng) to earth were he acted as god of men and fathered nine gods (lha) from various mothers (Yar la sham po, 'Chims la than tsho, gcen dBye lha spya dkar and gcung Gro lha gang bu, gcen rTsang lha dar and gcung rTsang la bye'u, Dvags lha sgam po, Thang lha ya bzhur, Kong la de yag, and then had another son, sGam lha'i lha)

The two older brothers won :

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

- gcen Yab lha brdal drug acted as the lord of all the gods at the top of the thirteen celestial levels (gnam rim pa bcu gsum gyi steng nga), he fathered seven sons, and a daughter.

See "'O de gung rgyal", the son of sTag chag yal yol and Tshe za Khyad khyud, the brother of Yab lha brdal drug, Phya lha bram chen and rGya la 'brong nam and the father of ten deities in mKhas pa lde'u 129na-129ba (2010ed. p. 217-218) :

[yab stag cha yal yol] "...dang yum tshe za khyad khyud bshos pa'i sras / srid pa'i lha rabs mched bzhi 'khrungs te / yab lha brdal drug / phya lha bram chen / rgya la 'brong nam / 'o de gung rgyal / lha rabs mched bzhi lha yul du gang sdod / mi yul du gang bzhud sho btab pas /... yab lha brdal drug dang / phya lha bram chen gnyis rgyal / gcung gnyis pham ste / rgya la 'brong nam rgya mi mangs yi lhar gshegs  / ... 
'o de gu rgyal bya ba de / ...
khu bza' khu ma dang bshos pa'i sras / yar lha sham po dang gcig 'chims yul nag po dgu sul du byon nas / khab kha bza' hor sman dang bshos pa'i sras mchims lha than tsho dang gnyis / khab phyi mo g.yag sngo ma don bshos pa'i sras / gcen dbye lha spyi dkar / gcung gro la gang bu / khab bya bza' mthong sman dang bshos pa'i sras gcen rtsang lha dar / gcung rtsang lha bye'u / khab thang nga dang bshos pa'i sras / dvags lha sgam po / srin yul du gshegs nas srin bza' sbyar lcam ma dang bshos pa'i sras thang lha ya bzhur / kong yul du gshegs nas thang nga kong mo thar dang bshos pa'i sras kong la de yag de nas chab ma smon mo thang dang bshos pa'i sras sgam lha'i lha sras so / 
phya lha bram chen mgon btun phya'i lhar gshegs...
gcen yab lha brdal drug de gnam rim pa bcu gsum gyi steng na lha thams cad kyi rje mdzad..."      

See also  'O de gung rgyal (born from a conch shell egg with other deities according to one of the traditions) in the XVIIth c. Dam can bstan srung gi rnam thar (2003ed. p. 269-278):  

"...dung sgong gi nang nas rim pa bzhin du / rgyal chen gnam lha dkar po / 'o de gung rgyal / mgur lha gsang ba / tig gu dkar po ste gcen po bzhi dang / de rjes nyi spangs sad kyis skyes pa gcig ces pa 'khrungs /... " (p. 270) 

"...bu bdag cag 'a 'ol .... dang / bu mo ... bse ba rgyud rgyud skyes pa bshos pa las chen rje sras drug / mgo sras cha lha brang chen / 'o de... gung rgyal la sogs 'khrungs par / gung rgyal 'od des 'dzam gling khengs shing lha'i gung la bzhugs te 'dre srin byur gsum gyi thog tu rgyal bas 'o de gung rgyal grags /..." (p. 274-275) 

"...gzhung khungs ma 'ga' zhig las yab lha brdal drug / phya lha bam chen / rgya la 'brong rnam / 'o de gung rgyal te srid pa'i lha rab mched bzhir bshad /..." (p. 275) 

"...'o de gung rgyal bod yul gling dgu'i bdag por bzhugs /..." (p. 275)

"... 'od de gung rgyal gyis shes 'bur btsun mo dang bshos pas gcen 'od gung rgyal dang / rgyu lha pho bong gnyis khrung / kha la gtsang du byon nas thang nga gtsang mo dang bshos pas gtsang lha phu dar khrungs / skyid ro ljang sngon du thang nga skyid mo dang bshos pas skyid lha bya ma khrungs / mdo ti ri nag tu thang nga mdo mo dang bshos pas mdo ri bo 'khrungs / yar klung sogs khar thang nga yar mo dang bshos pas yar lha shambho 'khrungs / e yul drug tu / e mo thang nga dang bshos pas mchims lha thang tshogs 'khrungs / kong yul bre nar thang nga kong po dang bshos pas kong btsun de mo 'khrungs pa sogs yul tha dad du yum mi gcig pa du mar bshos pa las sras so sor  'khrungs pa'i lugs dang / yum g.yu bya gshog gcig dang bshos pa las gnyan chen thang lha sogs mched dgu sbrum pa rdzing phyir pha bong sbom pa'i gsham gyi char 'khrungs zhes ngag rgyun khungs mar grags pa sogs lugs mang du snang / gang ltar yang yul khams sgang gtsang stod na dvags lha rje dkar / mnga' ris skor gsum na sku lha ge rod dang / stod lha zang zang / myang yul myang stod na ha'o gang bzang / g.yag ru stod ma shang lha sgo ru / yar klungs su shambho / er e lha dkar po / lung pa nang du ...gnyan lha sbyar ma / chos 'khor rgyal du rta rgod shel lcags / sgam por dvags la sgam po / rol phu dang kong stod du mchis lha spun dgu'am mchims lha sde drug / kong smad du kong lha de yags sam kong lha dkar po / nyang po klu rir nyang lha btsan drug / lho brag tu sku lha mkha' ri / ru mtshams su sku lha sde bzhi / 'dam du gnyan chen thang lha / rma khams su rma chen spom ra sogs te phyogs tha dad pa du mar gung rgyal gyi lha sras mched dgu gshegs te 'gro don mdzad pa las yul so so'i lha 'dre mi gsum gyi mos ngo dang bstun pa'i yab yum / rigs rgyud / cho brang / rnam 'gyur sogs mi 'dra ba du mar bstan pa las mtshan gyi rnam grangs ji snyed par grags /... " (p. 276-277)