A bintīpatra sent by Devīnātha informing the prime minister about the death of Mahanta Chatranātha (VS 1964)
ID: K_0469_0015
Edited and
translated by Christof Zotter
Created: 2018-08-03;
Last modified: 2024-03-12
For the metadata of the document, click here
The accompanying edition, translation/synopsis and/or commentary are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
.
Abstract
In this bintīpatra Devīnātha informs the prime minister about the death of Mahanta Chatranātha and requests, if not in so many words, the favour of being installed as the new mahanta on the gaddī of Siddha Bhagavantanātha's maṭha in Rānāgāũ, Salyan.
Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1612ऊप्रांन्तकरुणनीधांदय़ासागरपुण्यात्माप्रभुहजुरकागाथमासदामंगलय़ोर्दय़रहीवक्स्या[...]
3भीछुककोप्रतीपालनऊधारनहोलावैसाषको२६गतेदेषिजोराकावेथालेरगत्स्मेत्दी[...]
4वाटपर्र्येरहीजोदेषिंहुच्कीकावेथालेआजजेष्टगते१७वार५का३घरिदींवाकीमाश्रीम
5हंतछत्रनाथजीसोर्गेहुनुभोञाहा मठ्कोकाम्कारोवारगुरुभाईलेगर्नुभंन्याअषतीय़ारी
6दीसोर्गेहुनुभय़ोहजुरकोजोनीगाहा¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
7ईतसदाभीछुकवालषदेवीनाथजीको¯ ¯ ¯ सहस्रम्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
8ईतीसम्वत्१९६४सालजेष्ठगते१७वार५सुभ्म्¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Translation
[1r]
161
Petition (bintīpatra)
O treasure store of compassion! O ocean of mercy! O charitable lord! As long as You (hajura) are well2 , the protection of the poor will be supported. Today, Thursday, the 17th solar day (gate) of Jeṣṭha, when three ghaḍīs of the day were left, the venerable (śrī) MahantaChatranātha-jī passed into heaven, having suffered from fever [and] bloody stool since the 26th solar day (gate) of Vaiśākha [and] from spasmodic breathing3 since yesterday. [He] said: "The work [and] business of the monastery (maṭha) here shall be done by the gurubhāī," gave [me]4 authority [over the maṭha, and] passed into heaven. Whatever You [do will be an act of] kindness.
From here a thousand [blessings?]5 from Devīnātha, [your] ever begging child.
Thursday, the 17th solar day (gate) of Jeṣṭha of the [Vikrama] era year 1964 (1907 CE).6 Auspiciousness.7
Commentary
This bintīpatra addressing (according to the panegyric at the beginning) the prime minister (by that time Candra Śamśera Jaṅga Bahādura Rāṇā) was probably sent via the local administration in Salyan,8 which instantly reacted and ordered the Dang tax office (māla) to investigate the monastery's property.9 Written on the very day of Chatranātha's death, it is the first document related to the quarrel over the succession of the late mahanta, which led to a court case a few months later, after Chatranātha's disciple Lokanātha sent another bintīpatra to the prime minister requesting his formal instalment as the successor of his guru. 10 While the present document only states that Chatranātha entrusted a "gurubhāī" (lit.: "preceptor brother", a codisciple of the same guru) with work on behalf of and authority over the monastery, Devīnātha declared elsewhere explicitly that he was selected by the late mahanta as successor.11 The mention of a gurubhāī here is puzzling for various reasons. It is evident from numerous documents regarding the succession of abbots in Rānāgāũ monastery that traditionally the mahanta handed over the office to his own disciple, not to another disciple of his own guru. Furthermore, Devīnātha, who implicitly requests the prime minister to confirm him as new mahanta, was the biological brother of Chatranātha12 but he was not his gurubhāī. Like his father, Mahanta Khīmānātha, Devīnātha was a disciple of Mahanta Jagadīśvaranātha13 and not of Mahanta Hīrānātha, the disciple of Khīmānātha and guru of his younger brother Chatranātha. For further details about the later course of the quarrel and the final decision of the prime minister, see the Commentary to K_0469_0033.