's* 



^wnian InsfJ^ 



MAY 7 1920 



Srid-pa-ho — a Tibeto- Chinese Tortoise Chart of Divination. 

 By Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Satis Chandra Vidyabhusana, M.A., Ph.D. 



A chart called in Tibetan Srid-pa-ho has recently been brought down to Calcutta 

 from Lhasa. . The central portion of the chart is most interesting. This portion 

 contains the picture of Rus-sbal signifying a tortoise on whose breast there are figures 

 from which omens were drawn by the Chinese. The principal figures are those of 

 Lo-skor representing the cycle of twelve years, of Spar-kha marking the eight most 

 important things of heaven and earth, and of Sme-wa consisting of nine spots of 

 different colours. The figures were used by the Chinese as diagrams of divination. 



The tortoise is unknown in Tibet, while there are many frogs there. The Tibetan 

 name for a tortoise is Rus-sbal (^I'fP) which signifies a frog of bones. The 

 Tibetans could not therefore have taken the initiative in drawing the picture of a tor- 

 toise. The picture evidently originated in China. It is reported that god Mahjusri, 

 knowing that the Chinese were not inclined to accept religious doctrines but were 

 eager to receive knowledge of divination, transformed himself into a tortoise to enable 

 them to draw omens from the different parts of its body. The diagram of tortoise 

 is said to have been imported into Tibet by Kofi-jo, the Chinese Princess, who was 

 married to Sroh-btsan-sgam-po, King of Tibet, in 639 a.d. There is no doubt that 

 the importation took place before 1026 a.d when the cycle of sixty years was substi- 

 tuted for that of twelve in Tibet. 



It was the Buddhist priests of Tibet who developed the diagram in its present 

 shape. They enlarged it hy the addition of the figures of Mahjusri, Avalokitesvara, 

 Vajrapani, the eight planets, and the various mystic monograms, magic-circles and 

 charms. Two of the charms are clearly stated to have been expounded at Spoh-thah 

 in Lhasa, while the device of "the all-conquering circle" is attributed to Guru 

 Padma-sambhava who preached in Tibet in 747 a.d. 



The charms are written in Tibetan with an admixture of corrupt Sanskrit which 

 is often mystic and unintelligible. 1 



The Chinese diagram of tortoise (Rus-sbal) as enlarged by the Tibetan priests is 

 called Srid-pa-ho, a tortoise chart of divination. This chart is supposed by the Tibet- 

 ans to possess the power of counteracting the evil influences of Lo-skor, Spar-kha 

 and Sme-wa. A copy of it hung by a householder on a wall is believed to guard him 

 against all mischiefs from fire, water, wind, spirit, thief , etc. 



A diagram of tortoise, bearing a mystic significance like that of China, was not 



1 The mystic Sanskrit sentences are believed by the Tibetans to be full of meanings which are known only to the 

 Nagas. A mortal can attempt to explain them only at the risk of losing his head and other limbs. 



