Version with DOI and citation guidelines Editorial Principles

A bintīpatra sent by Lokanātha to the premier requesting formal instalment as the successor of Mahanta Chatranātha in Rānagāũ (VS 1964)

ID: K_0469_0033


Edited and translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2018-04-16; Last modified: 2020-11-17
For the metadata of the document, click here

Published by Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal, Heidelberg, Germany, 2018. Published by the courtesy of the National Archives, Kathmandu. The copyright of the facsimile remains with the Nepal Rashtriya Abhilekhalaya (National Archives, Government of Nepal). All use of the digital facsimiles requires prior written permission by the copyright holder. See Terms of Use.
The accompanying edition, translation/synopsis and/or commentary are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License CCby-SA.

Abstract

In this bintipatra Lokanātha petitions to be installed to succeed his late guru Chatranātha as mahanta of Siddha Bhagavantanātha's monastery in Rānāgāũ, Salyan.



Diplomatic edition

[1r]

134­⟫

[seal of Tīlavīra Caṃ]

1नीज­लोकनाथ­सल्ल्याना­डाग्री­वस्न्या­डीठा­तीलवीर­चं­      ¯¯¯¯\¯

1वीन्तीपत्रम्‌­
2उप्रांत­गरीप्रव़र­करुणनीधान­प्रभु­अघी­¯ ¯ १ ¯ ¯वाट­गुरुधारण­गरी­¯ ¯२ ¯ ¯ला
3ई­गद्दी­वक्स्याको­हो­तांहाँ­पछी­आफ्नु­चोला­फेर्न्या­वषतमा­आफ्ना­चेला­भुवेनेस्व
4रनाथजीलाइ­
अफ्नै­हातले­गद्दी­सौपी­वसालि­चोला­फेर्न्या­भय़ाको­हो­सोही­
5ऐन­वमोजीम्‌­नीज­महंत­भुवनेस्वरनाथजी­कासी­वस्न­जान्या­वषत्‌मा­आ
6फ्ना­चेला­रुपनाथजीलाई­आफ्नै­हातले­गद्दी­सौपी­राषी­कासी­जानु­भय़ाको­हो­
7पछी­चेला­धेरै­हुनाले­र­चेलाहरुले­ षीचोला­गर्दामा­अव­सर्कारमा­वीन्ती­पा
8रौ­र­गुरुले­गरी­दीय़ा­वमोजीम­था[...]­रहला­भनी­महंत­रुपनाथजीले­स
9र्कारमा­वीन्ती­पार्दा­¯ ¯ १ ¯ ¯वाट­ पनि­गुरुले­गरी­दीय़ा­वमोजीम्‌­थामी­व
10क्सी­लालमोहर­भय़ाको­हो­तंहाँ­पछी­महंत­रुपनाथजीले­चोला­फेर्न्या­व
11षतमा­आफ्ना­चेला­महंत­लोकनाथजीलाइ­गद्दी­सौपीदीदा­सल्याना­
12डामा­वस्न्या­भारादार­कुमेदान­अट्ठवर्ण­वस्न्यात्­छेत्रीले­गद्दी­षालि­हुदा­
13१­पट्टी­सीपाही­र­वाजागाजा­समेत्‌­वजाइ­गद्दीमा­वसालि­¯ ¯ १ ¯ मा­रपोट्‌­जा
14हेर­गर्दा­लालमोहर­भै­आय़ाको­हो­ताहा­पछी­नीज­महंत­लोकनाथजीले­चो
15ला­फेर्न्या­वषत्‌मा­आफ्ना­चेला­महंत­जगद्दीस्वरनाथजीलाइ­गद्दी­सौपीदी
16दा­सोही­रीतसँग­अडैवाट­वसाई­लालमोहर­भै­आयाको­हो­तांहाँ­पछी­नीज­
17महंत­जगदीस्वरनाथजीले­चोला­फेर्न्या­बषत्‌मा­आफ्ना­चेला­महंत­षीमा
18नाथजीलाइ­
गद्दी­सौपी­दीदा­सोही­रीत­वमोजीम्‌­गरी­सल्ल्याना­अडाका­
19चीफ्‌­कर्णेल­लोक­वहादुर­थापा­छेत्रीले­सो­गद्दिमा­वसाई­लालमोहर­भय़ा
20को­हो­ताहा­पछी­महंत­षीमानाथजीले­चोला­फेर्न्या­वषत्‌मा­आफ्ना­चेला­
21महंत­हीरानाथजीलाइ­सौपी­सोही­रीत­वमोजीम्‌­गरी­सोही­सल्ल्या
22ना­अडाका­चीफ्‌­कर्णेल­लोक­वहादुर­थापा­छेत्रीले­सोही­गद्दीमा­वसाई­ला
23लहमोहर­भय़ाको­हो­तांहाँ­पछी­महंत­हीरानाथजीले­चोला­फेर्न्या­वषत्‌
24मा­आफ्ना­चेला­छेत्रनाथजीलाइ­गद्दी­सौपी­सोही­वमोजीम्‌­गरी­सो­सल्ल्या
25ना­गौडाका­लेफटेन‌ट­कर्णेल­रणावीक्रम­वहादुर­राणाजीवाट­सोही­ग
26द्दीमा­वसाइ­वक्स्याको­हो­हाल­नीज­मेरा­गुरु­महंत­छत्रनाथजीले­सावीक­
27वमोजीम्‌­मलाइ­चेलो­गराइ­गद्दी­सोपी­अषत्यार­दी­धाप­लगाई­परलोक­
28हुनु­भय़ाको­हुनाले­मठ्‌को­कामकाज­चलाइ­आय़ाको­छु­नीज­गुरु­महंत­छ
29त्रनाथजीको­म­चेलो­भय़ाको­हुनाले­आफु‌­स्वर्गे­हुने­वषत्‌मा­मलाइ­मठ्‌
30को­अषतीय़ार­दी­धाप­समेत्‌­लगाय़ाको­जांन्या­र­सावीक­दरसावीक­चली
31आय़ाको­रीत­जांन्या­समेत्‌­तप्सीलका­मानीस­षडा­छं­सो­मठ्‌गद्दी­षाली­
32भय़ाका­हुनाले­सावीक­वमोजीम्‌­ये़स­गौडाका­भारादारवाट­चाडै­गद्दी­
33वसाईपाउने­हुं­जो­मर्जि­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
34तप्सील­
35रानागाऊ­बस्न्या­घाटु­वुढा­उदै­राम­कव़र­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
36ऐ­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ वस्न्या­कालु­कव़र­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
37ऐ­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ वस्न्या­•पोषर्‍या­केटो­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
38डाग्री­वस्न्या­•डीठा­तीलवीर­चन­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
39रुहानीकोट्‌­वस्न्या­•मु•­भक्त­वहादुर­साही­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
40वडाषोला­वस्न्या­•मु•­झुमार­जुं­उपाध्या­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
41सेजव़ाल­टाकुरा­वस्न्या­•ष•­टीकाराम­जोतीसी­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ १­
42सल्ल्याना­रानागाऊ­मठ्‌का­श्री­महंत­छत्रनाथ
43जीका­चेला­लोकनाथजीको­रोज­रोजको­
44आसीरवादसश्रम्‌­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ३­
45इती­सम्वत­१९६४­साल­श्राव़ण­गते­७­रोज­शुभम्­¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

1सही­लोकना
2थ­रानागाउं­

Translation

[1r]

341

[in the left margin:]

[seal of Tīlavīra Caṃ] The said Lokanātha ..... ḌīṭṭhāTīlavīra Caṃ, living in Ḍāgrī, Salyan (?) ---2

[main text:]

Petition (bintīpatra)

uprānta. O caretaker of the poor!3 O treasure store of compassion! O Lord! In the beginning, the [monastery] throne (gaddī) was granted as the support of its guru by [Śrī 5 Sarkāra]4 to [Śrī Bhagavantanātha].5 After that, when he was [about to] exchange his body (colā phernyā, i.e. pass away) [Bhagavantanātha] with his own hand turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Bhuvaneśvaranātha-jī,6 set [him] on it, and [only then] exchanged his body.7 In accordance with the same rule (aina), the said Mahanta Bhuvaneśvaranātha-jī, when he was [about to] leave to dwell in Kāśī (kaśī basna jānyā),8 with his own hand turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Rūpanātha-jī,9 set [him] on it and [only then] left for Kāśī. Afterwards, there being many disciples and the disciples having quarrelled, they said, “Let us make petition to the government, and [the issue] shall be settled in accordance with how the guru acts [on it],” and when Mahanta Rūpanātha-jī made petition to the government, a lālamohara was issued by [Śrī 5 Sarkāra]10 [stating that the issue] should be settled in accordance with how the guru acts [on it] .11 After that, when Mahanta Rūpanātha-jī, [about to] exchange his body, had turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Mahanta Lokanātha-jī—[and] once the gaddī was empty—BhārādāraKumedānaAṭṭhavarṇa Basnyāt Chetrī, who was stationed at the Salyan office (aḍḍā), together with a squad (paṭṭī) of soldiers [participated in] setting [Lokanātha] on the gaddī with singing and playing of instruments (bājāgājā), [and] when the report [of this] was brought to the notice of [Śrī 5 Sarkāra]12 a lālamohara came after being issued.13 After that, when the said Mahanta Lokanātha-jī, [about to] exchange his body, turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Mahanta Jagaddīsvaranātha-jī, [the latter] was installed under the same ceremony by the office, [and] a lālamohara came after being issued.14 After that, when the said Mahanta Jagaddīsvaranātha-jī, [about to] exchange his body, turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Mahanta Khīmānātha-jī, [the latter] was installed on that gaddī according to the same ceremony by the chief of the Salyan office Colonel Loka Bahādura Thāpā Chetrī, [and] a lālamohara was issued.15 After that, when the said Mahanta Khīmānātha-jī, [about to] exchange his body, turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Mahanta Hīrānātha-jī, [the latter] was installed on that gaddī according to the same ceremony by the same chief of the Salyan office Colonel Loka Bahādura Thāpā Chetrī, [and] a lālamohara was issued.16 After that, Mahanta Hīrānātha-jī, [about to] exchange his body, turned the gaddī over to his own disciple Mahanta Chetranātha-jī, [the latter] was graciously installed on that gaddī according to the same [ceremony] by Lieutenant Colonel Raṇavīkrama Bahādura Rāṇā-jī of the Salyan district office (gauḍā). These days, since my guru, the said Mahanta Chatranātha-jī, has passed away (paraloka hunu bhayāko hunāle), having [first], in accordance with custom, made me [his] disciple, turned the gaddī over [to me], assigned me the [necessary] authority [and] given [me] a slap [on the back],17 I have been overseeing affairs at the maṭha. The persons in the [following] list (tapasila), who know that, since I am a disciple of the said guru Mahanta Chatranātha-jī, [the latter, about to] pass into heaven (āphu svarge hune), assigned me authority over the maṭha and slapped [my back], [and] who know the traditionally practised customs, stand [ready to confirm what I have said]. Since the gaddī of the said maṭha is empty, may I quickly be allowed to be installed on its gaddī by the bhāradāra of this district office (gauḍā). Whatever [is your] wish [I shall obey].

Particulars (tapasila)

Ghāṭu Buḍhā Udairāma Kavara, living in Rānāgāū - - - 118

Kālu Kavara, living in ditto - - - 119

The boy [named] Pokharyā, living in ditto - - - 120

ḌīṭṭhāTīlavīra Cana, living in Ḍāgrī - - - 121

Mu[khiyā]Bhakta Bahādura Sāhī, living in Rūhānīkoṭ - - - 122

Mu[khiyā] Jhumāra Juṃ Upādhyā, living in Baḍākholā - - - 123

Kha[ridāra]Ṭīkārāma Jotīsī, living in Sejavāla Ṭākurā - - - 124

A thousand25 daily blessings from Lokanātha-jī, a disciple of Salyan Rānāgāũ maṭha's venerable Mahanta Chatranātha-jī - - - 326

Signature Lokanātha, Rānāgāũ

[Mon]day, the 7th solar day (gate) of Śrāvaṇa of the [Vikrama] era year 1964 (1907 CE).27 Auspiciousness.


Commentary

One of the obstacles to Lokanātha's securing the abbotship which, according to the yogīs' tradition, was due to him,28 is indicated in the petition. His guru, Mahanta Chatranātha (or Chetranātha) died before he received his mahantyāīko lālamohara, the offical confirmation of his office from the royal court in Kathmandu. Another problem is not mentioned. Two months before his own petition—on the very day of Chatranātha's demise—another bintīpatra was sent to Kathmandu. One Devīnātha, son of Mahanta Khīmānātha, and elder brother of Chatranātha, reported the death of the mahanta and claimed that he had been given authority over the maṭha by the deceased before his death.29 As is known from yet another bintīpatra by Lieutenant Colonel Vīra Bahādura Basnyāt Kṣatṛ (elsewhere spelled Kṣetrī or Kṣatrī), the officer from the Salyan district office who recorded the statements of the witnesses mentioned in Lokanātha's petition as well as Devīnātha's statement, one Jaimannātha Jogī from Mṛgasthalī, also spoke up in the affair, complaining that Lokanātha was only eleven years old, i.e. had not yet reached adulthood.30

To resolve the issue, not only were witness statements collected; a detailed list of the assets of the maṭha was also prepared, signed by more than a dozen witnesses, and sent to the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā. 31 Furthermore, the king of Salyan (Śamśera Bahādura Śāha) and the aforementioned Vīra Bahādura Basnyāt Kṣetrī submitted a long report to the prime minister.32

In the end, neither Lokanātha nor Devīnātha was installed as mahanta and the formerly very influential maṭha in Rānāgāũ lost its standing.33 According to the account of MahantaPuṣkaranātha Jogī34 in the Yogivaṃśāvalī (written in VS 2012 in Śrīgāũ) the prime minister, Candra Śamśera Rāṇā, "plundered" (sarvasva haraṇa garī) the maṭha by giving 1,200 big[h]ās of land to relatives and depositing diamonds, jewellery and gold from it in the [national?] treasury (ḍhukuṭī dākhela bhayo, Naraharinātha n.d.: 89). Puṣkaranātha further reports that Lokanātha complained about this injustice, but "the twelve-year-old child yogī"35 was not heeded (ibid.). When Lokanātha was not even left a kaurī or a dhura of land to assure his livelihood, he proclaimed, "I will not drink water anymore under your rule of such cruel darkness" (tīmro yasto kaṭhora aṃdhakāra ko sāsanamā pānī pīudīna), left Kathmandu on foot, and only after reaching the Indian border at Raxaul did he drink water again (ibid.; see also Bouillier 1991: 167 and the Commentary in K_0469_0024).36


Notes

1. This archival notation indicates the card number (of bundle 15 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta Aḍḍā records). []

2. Due to a fold in the paper the text in the left margin is only partially legible. The marginal note probably says that Tīlavīra Caṃ (for further details on this person, see note 21) wrote the bintīpatra for Lokanātha or that he was a witness for Lokanātha. []

3. The form garīpravara (found elsewhere also as garīparvara or the like) is to be understood as garibaparavara. []

4. The form to be added here is not extant, as the part above the main text has seemingly broken off. Several rulers rulers supported Bhagavantanātha and thereby enabled him to found a monastery, but the person meant here must have been King Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa. Since the same insertion is made in the text again (see below, note 10 and 12), where the reference is to King Rājendra, one of Pṛthvīnārāyaṇa’s successors, a general noun phrase rather than an individual name must have been used. []

5. Again, the name is not recorded but it is clear from the context that the name of the founder of the lineage, Bhagavantanātha, is to be added here. []

7. According to the Yogivaṃśāvalī (Naraharinātha n.d.: 88) Bhagavantanātha underwent "living samādhi" (jīvīta samādhi bhayo), i.e. was buried alive while in deep meditation (cf. Bouillier 2017: 121 and passim), in Śrīgāũ (sīragāumā) in VS 1843. His successor, Bhuvaneśvaranātha, built a samādhi temple there in VS 1847—according to Véronique Bouillier an impressive building whose "style is strongly influenced by the north Indian Moghul style" (Bouillier 1991[a]: 15)—and set in motion the tradition in Śrīgāũ and Rānāgāũ of worshipping an eternal fire (akhaṇḍa dhunā), Gorakṣanātha, Bāg[h]abhairava and Pātāleśvar[ī] Bhagavatī (Naraharinātha n.d.: 88). []

8. That Bhuvaneśvaranātha left the monastery to spend his last days and die in Kāśī is also mentioned in a copperplate inscription, dated Śāke 1764 / [V]S 1899 (1842 CE), in Śrīgāũ (kāsi gaī svargiyā, Naraharinātha VS 2022: 414) and in the Yogivaṃśāvalī (...kāsi bāsagarna jānu bho, Naraharinātha n.d.: 88; cf. Bouillier 1991[b]: 160). The deviation from the standard metaphor (colā phernyā) in the present document and its recurring mention elsewhere suggest that Bhuvaneśvaranātha indeed abdicated the monastery's throne to travel to Kāśī and await his death in Śiva's holy city, a popular custom known as kṣetrasaṃnyāsa (see Eck 1984: 24, 28 and passim). []

9. The scribe does not distinguish between ru and . Thus the name could be also read as "Rupanātha". The standard spelling is used in the translation. []

10. The title is added from the no longer extant upper part of the document (cf. note 4). []

11. For a copy of this document, issued by King Rājendra in VS 1879, Āśvina vadi 6, see K_0469_0035. []

12. The title is added from the no longer extant upper part of the document (cf. note 4). []

13. For a copy of the lālamohara relating to Lokanātha, issued by King Rājendra in VS 1889, Āṣāḍha vadi 4, see K_0469_0003. []

14. This document was issued by King Surendra in VS 1904, Caitra vadi 11. For a copy, see K_0468_0062. []

15. This document was issued by King Pṛthvī Vīra Vikrama in VS 1938, Phālguna vadi 2. For a copy, see K_0469_0001. []

16. This document was issued by King Pṛthvī Vīra Vikrama in VS 1944, Māgha vadi 8. For a copy, see K_0469_0024. []

17. That the disciple who is selected to succeed the previous occupant (mālik) of the gaddī is slapped on the back is repeatedly mentioned in documents; see e.g. K_0469_0001. []

18. For his witness statement (bakapatra), dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 10, see K_0469_0039. []

19. For the bakapatra of Kālu Jogī Kavara, dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 10, Thursday, see K_0469_0038. []

20. For a bakapatra submitted by Pokharyā [Gharti], an eighteen-year-old slave (kamāro) of the maṭha, dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 10, Thursday, see K_0469_0040. []

21. This person, whose name also occurs as Tīlavīra Caṃ (see text in the left margin), is probably identical with Tīlaka Bāhādura Cã, the ḍiṭṭhā of Rānāgāũ maṭha who attested numerous copies for Lokanātha, and whose seal (like the seal in the left margin of the present document) has the legend “śrī tīlavīra 63" (see e.g. K_468_0062 note 2). Unfortunately, there is some disorder in the NGMPP material here. According to the catalogue card, K 469/44 contains as document no. 45 of bundle (pokā) 15 of the Guṭhī Bandobasta records the "vakapatra" of "Tīlavīra Canda" (or "Jila°"), dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 11, Friday, but the document (marked with number "45" in the upper left margin) that was photographed as NGMPP K 469/44 is a bakapatra of "Bhakta Bahādura Sāhī", dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 10, Thursday. []

22. For a bakapatra submitted by him, see K_0469_0044 (cf. previous note). []

23. For a bakapatra submitted by him, dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 11, Thursday (?), see K_0469_0041. []

24. For a bakapatra submitted by Ṭīkārāma Nyaupānyā, dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 10, Thursday, see K_0469_0042. For an additional explanatory statement (kholuvā bayān) of the same person, dated VS 1964, Bhādra gate 19, see K_0469_0043. []

25. The word saśram[a] means "rigorous," but in the present context it is more plausible to take it as a (misspelled) variant of the numeral sahasram. []

26. The meaning of this number is not clear. []

27. The date corresponds to 22 July 1907. []

28. In the Dāṅgaśalyānasiddhabhagavantanāthayogivaṃśāvalī composed in Sanskrit by Yogī Naraharinātha (Naraharinātha n.d.: 77), in a Sanskrit poem provided by Yogī Niyamanātha from Phalābāṅga (ibid.: 79), and in the Siddhabhagavantanātharājaguruvaṃśāvalī in Nepali (ibid.: 90), Lokānātha is listed as the ninth mahanta of Bhagavantanātha's monastery, followed by Puṣkaranātha (but see below, note 34). []

29. For Devīnātha's bintīpatra, dated VS 1964, Jyeṣṭha gate 17, Thursday, see K_0469_0015; for a witness statement (bayān) of his dated VS 1964, Śrāvaṇa gate 29, Tuesday, see K_0469_0045. []

30. Supporting Lokanātha, Vīra Bahādura Basnyāt suggested appointing a representative to take care of the maṭha until the boy turned sixteen years old. For this document, sent in VS 1964, Pauṣa gate 22, Monday, see K_0469_0046. []

31. For this document, issued in VS 1964, Bhādra gate 8, Saturday, see K_0469_0045. []

32. For this document, issued in VS 1965, Śrāvaṇa gate 22, Thursday, see K_0468_0061. []

33. Bouillier (1991: 158) reports that after the final elimination of the already quasi-defunct Salyan kingdom in 1961 and the eradication of malaria, the maṭha in Rānāgāũ itself finally closed. Today not even at dasaĩ is pūjā conducted, because the people in Śrīgāũ—Bhagavantanātha's second (and now his only active) maṭha—have no means of financing it. []

34. Bouillier (1991: 168) assumes that he is the person who was installed under the prime minister as Chatranātha's successor (cf. note 28). []

35. As indicated above, the actual age of Lokanātha was an important issue, and a question in that regard was regularly asked to witnesses (for the bakapatras, see footnotes above). All his supporters insisted that he was already twelve or older, i.e. had already reached adulthood. []

36. Puṣkaranātha further reports that Lokanātha never returned to Nepal, that he stayed in Hīlorīmaṭha in South India and practised yoga, and that the news of his death (kailāsavāsa) came in VS 1999 (Naraharinātha n.d.: 89). []