104 
Sarat Chandra Das —Sacred Literature , ete. 
[No. 2, 
The principal root of astrology. 
Is the great-golden tortoise. 
The tail to the north and the head above. 
The right and left sides lie east and 
west. 
The limbs extend to the four quarters 
On which lies supreme 
The world Jambudvipa and rests. 
Tsug-lag-tse-kyi-tsa-va-ni 
Ma-ha>ser-gyi-rus-bal-de. 
Go-vo Lhor-dan Jud-ma 
Chyan. 
Shog-yeshar-la-shog-yen- 
nub. 
Yau-lag-shes-po-tsham-zi- 
knan. 
Gan-kyalne-pade-ye teng. 
Dsam-lin Jig-ten Chhag- 
par-dod. 
Wen-wan father of the first king of the Chigur dynasty who was a 
saintly personage revived the first work on astrology written by Fohi. The 
later heavenly system of astrology, based on the symbols and marks on 
the tortoise’s shell, was revised and improved by Che-hu-ween. Altogether 
there were three great works on astrology written at three different 
times, the first being Le-an-shan’s, the second Ku-hi-tsan’s and the third 
Wen-wan’s—all well known in China. During the latter period of the 
Te-hu dynasty, the wicked and stupid king of Chhen-gur in utter ignorance 
of the worth of astrology, and apprehending danger from the existence of 
astrological works which in his eyes appeared ominous and fraught with 
evil, ordered them to be burnt. The first two works were destroyed, 
but fortunately Wen-wan’s work survived, and it is *on this that the 
modern astrological works of China are chiefly based. Wen-wan’s son, 
Chi-hu-kyun, revised and illustrated his father’s work. Khun-fu-tse 
is said to have improved upon the writings of his predecessors, but this is 
questioned by some writers who doubt if he ever wrote on the subject of 
astrology and divination. Another painstaking author wrote a small treatise 
on astrology, based on Che-hu-kyun’s work. One of Khuii-fu-tse’s 
pupils is said to have drawn up some astrological formulae under the name of 
Ski-chin, which were ascribed by some to Khun-fu-tse himself. Probably 
people mistake this book for Khun-fu-tse’s. Among the ancient writers 
of China, Fohi Wen-wan, Chi-hu-kyun and Khun-fu-tse are famed as 
four saintly authors. Old men of Tibet believe that the art of divination 
was first discovered by Manju-sri, the god of wisdom, on the summit of 
Revo-tse-na. Other accounts, stating that it was given to the world by the 
goddess Namgyalmo (S. Vidya) and by Padma Sambhava, also obtain credit 
in Tibet, but are mere fabrications, having no more truth in them than those 
ascribing the origin of astrology to Buddha. 
