1882.] 
Sarat Chandra Das —Contributions on Tibet. 
17 
youth, he went to the central country of Magadha, where he learned the 
live sciences and became well known as a pandit. It was here that he 
entered the priesthood. During his time there reigned in Magadha king 
llama Pala, in whose palace he was appointed to conduct the religious 
ceremonies. By his modesty and liberal accomplishments he greatly- 
pleased the monarch. During the first two watches of the day he used 
to write S astras. In the third watch he used to explain Dharma. Up to 
midnight, sitting in the Himavana cemetery, he used to propitiate his 
gods, and, during the latter part of the night, to take rest and sleep. 
One morning a Dakini disguised in a girl’s habit, approached him with 
presents of meat and wine. Abhayakara, a man of stern morality, did 
not pay any attention to her, and the woman soon disappeared, and no one 
knew where she had gone. Afterwards he became anxious in his mind as 
to who and what she might have been, and searched for her in every direction, 
but without success. Penitent, he now confessed his mistake, when the 
selfsame girl once more made her appearance. He asked forgiveness and 
prayed to be endowed with foreknowledge, whereupon the divine girl, now 
resplendent in angelic beauty, thus addressed him: “ Abhayakara ! as in 
your former birth you were wanting in the faculty of discrimination, so 
will you continue to be during this life also ; but as you have confessed 
your error, you will obtain foreknowledge during the interval between your 
death and re-birth. As a step towards its acquirement you must write 
many works on the Dharma S'astras.” After drawing his attention to the 
practice of constructing Mandalas (in Tibet Kyilkhor) or the ritualistic 
circular figures of the Tantriks, she disappeared. Following the advice of 
this Khahdoma , 9 he composed several commentaries , 10 besides criticisms on 
other commentators. Once he visited the city of Chara Simha, ruled by a 
Chan dal a king, who, a believer m the foulest sort of heresy, was preparing 
to make one hundred human sacrifices to his horrid god. Moved with 
compassion for the sufferings of these unfortunate men who were bound 
to the sacrificial pole, he prayed to god for 11 their deliverance. All on a 
sudden a hideous Koluber Naga coiling round his body, extended its hood 
over his head. This dreadful sight so terrified the Chandala king that, 
9 Fairy or in Sanskrit Dakini. 
10 (1) Then-wa-korsum. 
(2) Commentary on Khajor. 
(3) „ Man-Nag. 
(4) ,, Nema. 
(5) Sanye-thod-pai-nam-she-mi-jigpa. 
11 The Buddhist triad or Katna Traya. Before the Tibetans accepted Buddhism, 
they seem to have believed in the existence of G-od whom they called Kon-Chhog or 
the chief of the rarities or rare Being. 
• C 
St 
