The Hidden Flower of Lóulán

[alscon]

Perhaps the throne of Tibet is finally secure. Gunacaṃdre can at least watch his children grow up in a peaceful time, the threat from the west shouldn't be too much of a worry.

The narrator really hates Mutri .

 

[A Yorks]

The narrator really hates Mutri .

I was hoping somebody would mention this — I put a lot of effort into needlessly dragging this otherwise okay-ish fellow

 

[Nikolai]

Out of curiousity, are you using a mod where China is present, or is this vanilla? Haven't played CK2 in a while, so unsure how your expansion possibilites are out there.

 

[A Yorks]

Out of curiousity, are you using a mod where China is present, or is this vanilla? Haven't played CK2 in a while, so unsure how your expansion possibilites are out there.

For a change, I'm actually playing vanilla (v3.0)

 

[A Yorks]

Gunacäṃdrentsegāthā 6​

O Blessed One, Shakyamuni Buddha,
Precious treasury of compassion,
Bestower of supreme inner peace,

You who love all beings without exception,
Are the source of happiness and goodness,
And you guide us to the liberating path.

By now I have surely made it clear
That Gunacaṃdre, friend of Muné,
Was a fair and righteous ruler.

I will now venture to narrate his exploits
In the western part of the Tarim Basin
On behalf of his Liege, King Muné.

​

At thirteen-hundred-thirty-four years past
Since the Buddha attained his parinirvāṇa,
King Purgyal Muné invaded Sogdian lands.

The Muhammadans buckled under attack,
And were quickly beaten by his forces,
With his loyal vassals at his right hand.

The righteous King, sensing the order
That dictated the hierarchy of his lands,
Transferred the prize to Gunacaṃdre.

He said, using his auspicious words,
"I gift you this captured tract of land,
Which is owed to you, my loyal servant."

"The local lordship, which still persists,
Was not molested by the Muhammadans.
They will serve your enlightened house."

Gunacaṃdre, with his lofty head bowed,
Replied to his most generous liege's words:
"You honour me and my stem most highly."

"I will rule this province in your name
And defend its people against all threats.
As I served your father, I serve you thus."

​

"If it is pleasing to my worthy liege,
I will continue this war in your stead.
There are yet occupied lands to free."

Purgyal Muné, in commendable wisdom,
Allowed his loyal vassal this right.
Gunacaṃdre would bring him honour.

After allowing his soldiers needed rest,
He made his war once more in the west,
Driving hard into the Sogdian kingdom.

​

The Sogdians, themselves under accost
By the Kalmyks, who had been converted
And become witnesses to the Christ-God,

Put up little resistance before his host,
As Gunacaṃdre drove them onward,
Expelling them from the Tarim Basin.

The Saka, who inhabited that corner,
Welcomed the Kroräni hospitably,
For they had been most unjustly ruled.

While Gunacaṃdre was on campaign,
His favoured son did wed his bride,
The younger sister of King Muné.

​

A cunning and deeply pious woman,
With the blood of Songtsen Gampo,
She would be an asset to her husband.

Grown into his frame of manhood,
And pleasing to his father's house,
The favoured son was made his heir.

​

Far afield, in the land of Sogdiana,
Gunacaṃdre's commanders fought,
Bringing him honour in their victories.

​

Favoured again by the fortunes of war,
Gunacaṃdre's host expelled the fiends,
Driving the Sogdians from the Tarim Basin.

Gunacaṃdre smiled on the Saka people,
Reforging their fallen Kingdom's crown,
And granting it to one of their princes.

​

His benevolence would be tested
When his unwed child Arunavati
Came to give birth to her own child.

Fearing for herself and her child,
She pleaded with her father the King,
For she feared she had disgraced him.

Gunacaṃdre acted with utmost mercy,
Bringing the child into his household,
And granting him the name Lariska.

​

How righteous was that Gunacaṃdre!
How commendable the King's mercy!
How highly this one must praise him!

Surely his Karmas will reward him
If he is to be reborn once again.
Surely he merits the realm of deva.

But alas, this world drives ever on,
And mankind, in its imperfect way,
Continues to suffer in this life.

Thus, it should come as no shock
That the cold embrace of early death
Met the just Tibetan king, Purgyal Muné.

In fair health and good spirit always,
It was doubted his passing was natural,
But rather the work of intended malice.

​

Woe, oh dear King Purgyal Muné!
Your life, not one which I would envy,
But your righteousness I commend.

Upon the throne of Tibet thereafter sat
The grandson of both Trisong Detsen
And of King Gunacaṃdre Yarkaṃ.

Purgyal Muné II, still but a young boy,
Would now play the game of politick.
Thus it was so, and so it was.​

 

[stnylan]

The Kings of Tibet - is it just me or do they seem to have a rather high turnover?

Very understanding with his daughter.

 

[Nikolai]

A young boy, playing at politics. Can only go well, can't it.

 

[A Yorks]

Gunacäṃdrentsegāthā 7​

O Blessed One, Shakyamuni Buddha,
Precious treasury of compassion,
Bestower of supreme inner peace,

You who love all beings without exception,
Are the source of happiness and goodness,
And you guide us to the liberating path.

I will speak now briefly of a wanderer,
An scatterling in the Land of Krorän,
And a craftsman of some well-renown.

​

The man, whose name was Moksasene,
Came to be known in Gunacaṃdre's court
For his handiwork with precious metals.

With high honours earned for his name,
Gunacaṃdre ordered a commemoral set
Of crown jewels from this skilled man.

Truly a master upon his very forge,
Moksasene set about to his work,
Making deft use of those materials.

That masterful craftsman he was —
He requested to travel west to Kashgar
To obtain exquisite jade for his work.

​

This was pleasing to Gunacaṃdre,
Who disbursed him a purse of silvers
To fund his acquisition in Kashgar.

How skillfully he worked the jade,
Wringing it into such wondrous things,
And creating most auspicious works.

When came the time for presentation,
He humbled himself before the King,
And neither boasted nor bragged.

"King Gunacaṃdre, hear my words:
This work which I have laboured upon
I present to you with humble joy."

"It has been most honouring to me
To produce these fine works for you.
I hope you find them most pleasing."

Gunacaṃdre smiled upon the man,
And pronounced with regal words:
"You truly are a master craftsman."

"These works are surely exquisite,
Befitting a King much greater than I.
I am most deeply honoured by this."

"Permit me then to reward you thus:
You have earned your keep of silvers,
Which I shall dispense to you hence."

"This bejeweled necklace, therefore —
I shall give it the name Wreath of Lóulán.
This jade-inlaid dagger, Yarkaṃ's Blade."

​

Thereafter, there was peace in Tibet,
And prosperity was enjoyed in Krorän.
The Uyghur Wife of Kentarske gave birth.

A son was given to her by good fortune.
Kentarske named the boy for his father,
The 'virtuous moon' in Sanskrit: Guṇa-Candra.

​

Following the pious path once more,
Gunacaṃdre began a monastic life
Among the order of the Śrāvakasaṃgha.

​

This seventh gāthā I shall end thus,
For that decade was one of great peace.
Thus it was so, and so it was.​

 

[alscon]

A time for introspection. And for once no mention of any problems at the Imperial court .

 

[stnylan]

A very restful update.

 

[A Yorks]

A time for introspection. And for once no mention of any problems at the Imperial court .

A very restful update.

A little much-needed downtime for our intrepid protagonist and his court while I play through the next few chapters

 

[A Yorks]

Gunacäṃdrentsegāthā 8​

O Blessed One, Shakyamuni Buddha,
Precious treasury of compassion,
Bestower of supreme inner peace,

You who love all beings without exception,
Are the source of happiness and goodness,
And you guide us to the liberating path.

Once again I will speak of other men
Who influenced our fair King's life.
Many served him with high honours.

Among them was Kalodaye of Khotan,
Who forged his own crown from victory
Over the last of the Saka kingdoms.

Long an esteemed man of martial talent
And loyal servant of Gunacaṃdre's host,
He declared himself the Prince of Khotan.

These lands, which he had conquered,
He pledged to his liege and his master,
To whom he owed a debt of loyalty.

​

With the defeat of the Saka kingdoms,
Brought by the sword of Kalodaye,
Tibet was now in control of the Basin.

This glorious benefit was most welcome,
And would bring great wealth and might
To the Land of the Dharma Kings of Bod.

Gunacaṃdre, long blessed with gains,
Both of worldly boons and spiritual wealth,
Decided to turn his mind to introspection.

Focusing on matters of theologic nature,
He immersed himself in the esoteric,
And studied the Noble Eightfold Path.

​

It was in the Noble Path's guiding light
That Gunacaṃdre found spiritual comfort
When death came to collect in Krorän.

First his daughter, then his beloved wife
Would take their exit from this mortal life,
To return to the stream of the Saṃsāra.

​

O, how the death of his beloved wife
Did torture Gunacaṃdre in his soul!
Her guiding light, absent from his life.

He pronounced upon her deathbed
That he would not remarry after her.
This promise he would keep hence.

In his time of grieving, Gunacaṃdre,
Not wishing to fall into Idleness's trap,
Began to cultivate a wonderous garden.

This garden he would therefore dedicate
To the memory of his well-beloved wife,
Who he dearly missed on every day.

There came a merchant to Krorän,
Selling his wares in the form of corms
Of roses of an ornamental character.

"How lovely these roses should be,"
Gunacaṃdre reasoned to the merchant,
"To have them in the garden of my wife."

"I shall sell them to you most willingly,"
Replied the merchant, a snake of a man,
"For an ample purse of silver coins."

"Silver for corms — how outrageous!
These corms are worth copper pennies."
Gunacaṃdre was correct in his thoughts.

"Alas, I cannot sell these corms so cheap —
This cultivar is something of a rarity!"
The merchant slyly bent his words.

Gunacaṃdre, overcome with emotions,
Allowed his judgement to lapse then,
Purchasing the corms from the man.

​

Gunacaṃdre's favoured son heard,
And made his point to protest this,
Knowing of the outlandish price paid.

"My father," said the beloved son,
"This expenditure is not justified!
Such corms merit mere coppers."

"You are right, my most worthy son,"
Gunacaṃdre replied using his reason.
"I must take better care of my expenses."

​

It was very soon after this occurred
That the sting of this oversight burned.
The tradesmen in the North required help.

New pack animals became a necessity
In order to keep the flow of goods moving
From the land of the Uyghurs to the north.

"I will dispense you this sum of silver,
Though it will cost my treasury dearly,
And I shall have to repay some to lenders."

The traders received their new beasts,
And the King's purse was emptied out,
Leaving moneys owed to be repaid.

​

There came a controversy in Tibet
Regarding the conduct of the merchants
Who called the land of Krorän their home.

The practices of the merchants there
Were of some offense to the King of Bod.
He issued a proclamation against them.

​

Gunacaṃdre, exercising his right justice,
Proclaimed a counter to the King's decree.
This show of power would not be forgotten.

Gunacaṃdre would thereafter make certain
That his line would be held in high esteem.
Thus it was so, and so it was.

​

 

[stnylan]

So much chaos, or so it almost sounds, over a dearly bought flower.

 

[A Yorks]

Gunacäṃdrentsegāthā 9​

O Blessed One, Shakyamuni Buddha,
Precious treasury of compassion,
Bestower of supreme inner peace,

You who love all beings without exception,
Are the source of happiness and goodness,
And you guide us to the liberating path.

With this, my final chapter to dictate
On the life of the righteous Gunacaṃdre,
Bless me with wisdom to do so gracefully.

Forty-eight years after taking the crown,
The mighty Gunacaṃdre's heart stopped.
The end of this mortal life had come.

Seventy-three years of age was he,
That auspicious King of Krorän,
And widely known for his exploits.

​

He would leave his lofty crown
In the hands of his favoured son,
Gunacaṃdresoyä Ksmawarme.

​

Thus, like his namesake the moon,
Gunacaṃdre passed over the horizon.
Thus it was so, and so it was.​

 

[stnylan]

I especially like the final stanza

 

[alscon]

A wise and beloved ruler. His bloodline definitely reflects what the narrator told us - and one can very much guess that he is one of those people he patronized .

 

[Arnulf Floyd]

Another good chapter

 

[Nikolai]

Quite poetic.

 

[A Yorks]

Thanks everyone for joining me on this journey through the reign of Gunacamdre the Theologian — I'm going to move on from this piece and start arranging a new one. Until next time, I hope it isn't too much of a disappointment that we end it on this note.

 

[stnylan]

No that's all fine. It is a natural ending point and the style was different and fun.