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
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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 ¯¯¯¯\¯1वीन्तीपत्रम्2उप्रांतगरीप्रव़रकरुणनीधानप्रभुअघी¯ ¯ १ ¯ ¯वाटगुरुधारणगरी¯ ¯२ ¯ ¯ला
3ईगद्दीवक्स्याकोहोतांहाँपछीआफ्नुचोलाफेर्न्यावषतमाआफ्नाचेलाभुवेनेस्व
4रनाथजीलाइअफ्नैहातलेगद्दीसौपीवसालिचोलाफेर्न्याभय़ाकोहोसोही
5ऐनवमोजीम्नीजमहंतभुवनेस्वरनाथजीकासीवस्नजान्यावषत्माआ
6फ्नाचेलारुपनाथजीलाईआफ्नैहातलेगद्दीसौपीराषीकासीजानुभय़ाकोहो
7पछीचेलाधेरैहुनालेरचेलाहरुले षीचोलागर्दामाअवसर्कारमावीन्तीपा
8रौरगुरुलेगरीदीय़ावमोजीमथा[...]रहलाभनीमहंतरुपनाथजीलेस
9र्कारमावीन्तीपार्दा¯ ¯ १ ¯ ¯वाट पगुरुलेगरीदीय़ावमोजीम्थामीव
10क्सीलालमोहरभय़ाकोहोतंहाँपछीमहंतरुपनाथजीलेचोलाफेर्न्याव
11षतमाआफ्नाचेलामहंतलोकनाथजीलाइगद्दीसौपीदीदासल्यानाअ
12डामावस्न्याभारादारकुमेदानअट्ठवर्णवस्न्यात्छेत्रीलेगद्दीषालिहुदा
13१पट्टीसीपाहीरवाजागाजासमेत्वजाइगद्दीमावसालि¯ ¯ १ ¯ मारपोट्जा
14हेरगर्दालालमोहरभैआय़ाकोहोताहापछीनीजमहंतलोकनाथजीलेचो
15लाफेर्न्यावषत्माआफ्नाचेलामहंतजगद्दीस्वरनाथजीलाइगद्दीसौपीदी
16दासोहीरीतसँगअडैवाटवसाईलालमोहरभैआयाकोहोतांहाँपछीनीज
17महंतजगदीस्वरनाथजीलेचोलाफेर्न्याबषत्माआफ्नाचेलामहंतषीमा
18नाथजीलाइगद्दीसौपीदीदासोहीरीतवमोजीम्गरीसल्ल्यानाअडाका
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
42सल्ल्यानारागाऊमठ्काश्रीमहंतछत्रनाथ
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