Question on Chinese folk novels

Wed Sep 30 02:44:20 UTC 1998

<<<
Nowadays in China, "Potalaka" is firmly identified with
Putuo Shan, a mountain and small island off the coast
near Shanghai and Taiwan in the East China Sea.  It
is considered one of the "four sacred mountains" of
Chinese Buddhism.  Pilgrims and tourists go there.
>>>

Pl. see Yu Chun-fang's article, "P'u-t'o Shan: Pilgrimage and the
Creation of the Chinese Potalaka," in Susan Naquin and Chun-fang Yu,
editors, "Pilgrims and Sacred Sites in China" (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1992).

Chinese Pu-to and Tibetan Potala palace are secondary derivations
after South Indian Potalaka.

The following is what I read on location of Potalaka.
In addition we have GaNDavyUha sUtram where Potalaka comes after
describing a string of Tamilnadu places. In any reference, there is
NO mention of Potalaka in the Northwest.

T. Watters, On Yuan Chwang's travels in India, 1905
2.229 says:
"From Kanchi city he went south above 3000 li to the Mo-la-ku-ta
country"
(K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, Foreign notices of South India, 1939
says "This is the contemporary Pandyan kingdom. See Proc. of the
Transactions of the sixth All India Oriental conference, p. 173-179")

T. Watters continues:
"In the south of the mo-lo-kuta (malakUTa)
country near the sea  was mo-lo-ya (malaya) mountain, lofty cliffs and
ridges
and deep valleys and gullies, on which were sandal, camphor and other
trees.
To the east of this was the pu-ta-lo-ka (potalaka) mountain with steep
narrow
paths over its cliffs and gorges in irregular confusion; on the top was
a
lake of clear water, whence issues a river which on its wayto the sea,
flowed
twenty times round the mountain. By the side of the lake was a deva
place
frequented by kuan-tzu-tsai-p’usa (avalokitezvara). Devotees, risking
life,
brave water and mountain to see the p’usa, but only a few succeed in
reaching
the shrine. To the people at the foot of the mountain who pray for a
sight
of
the P’usa, he appears sometimes as a pazupata tIrthika, or mahezvara,
and
consoles the suppliant with his answer."

S. Beal, Si-yu-ki, Buddhist records of the Western world, 1884
2.233  says:
"To the east of the Malaya mountains is Mount Po-ta-la-ka (Potalaka)."

L. M. Joshi, Studies in the Buddhist culture of India, 1967
 "This Potalaka is located by Hsuan Tsang in MalakuuTa, identified by
 Cunningham with a tract between Madura, Tanjore and Travancore.
Nandolal De suggested that Potalaka lay in Western Ghats.
Nalinaksha Dutt  suggets that modern Potiyam may represent Potalaka
[203]"

Have few papers including those of  Lokesh Chandra (Kailash jl) and S.
Hikosaka (JIAS)
placing Potalaka as Potiyil mountain in Malaya mountain range.

In Tamil literature, it is interesting to see that Malaya mountain is
considered
a cultural symbol of the South while Himalayas symbolozes the North.
"poRkOTTu imayamum potiyamum pOn2RE" - puRanAn2URu
"imayam Ayin2um potiyam Ayin2um ... pukArE tamatUr" - cilappatikAram
In Manimekalai, instead of going to Himalayas, a couple decide as a
substitute
to go to Potiyil (can give exact lines).
Eighth century Pandya copper plates refer to Agastya as their
Kulaguru...

Agastya resides in Potiyil in ParipaaTal. For Kamban, Agastya teaches
tamil
in Potiyil/Malaya mountain which he learnt from Siva. For the buddhist
author of ViiracOziyam grammar, Agastya learns Tamil from
Avalalokitezvara.

This theme is used in Sanskrit too. In Lalitaa sahasranAmam, bhagavatii
(acc. to Bhaskararaya) is) malayAcala vAsini, In Buddhist Taaraa
suuktam,
she is potalakagirinivAsini.
Tara is the spouse of Avalokitesvara.

In DaNDin, an anonymous quote in DhvanyAlokam and Jayadeva, we find the
malaya breeze
hurts lovers in separation. (This theme comes in tamil early on:
ainguRunURu, akanaan2URu, Cilampu, nammAzvAr, tirumangai AzvAr, Kamban,
Villi, ..
will provide the passages later). Is the Sanskrit usage arising because
Tamil is well-known for
akam"interior,love"/puram"exterior,societal" division of life
and majority of sangam poems are love poems?

Agastya represents the Aryanization of the South in Tamil literature
from
4th century AD onwards. That is from the time Agastya appears in the
literature
of the South. It is only natural that his abode, malaya figures
in Hindu Sanskrit texts while potalaka figures in Buddhist Sanskrit
texts in special ways.

More later,
N. Ganesan

Prof. Meir Shahar gave some references to read when asked about
Xuanzang carrying
Potalaka from the South and deposting in West China.

<<<<<
I will not try to address your Potalaka question directly, since I am
really not an expert on the subject.  However, I am enclosing the titles
of several publications where you may be able to find answers to this
fascinating question:

        1) Yu Chun-fang's article, "P'u-t'o Shan: Pilgrimage and the
Creation of the Chinese Potalaka," in Susan Naquin and Chun-fang Yu,
editors, "Pilgrims and Sacred Sites in China" (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1992).

        2) Anthony Yu, translator, "The Journey to the West" (Chicago:
The
University of Chicago Press, 1977), 4 volumes. (especially the
translator's introduction in volume 1).

        3) Arthur Waley.  "The Real Tripitaka and Other Pieces" (London
1952).

        4) Glen Dudbridge, "The Hsi-yu chi: A Study of Antecedents to
the
Sixteenth-Century Chinese Novel" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1970).
>>>>>

When I read Qobad Afshar's work on Geographical appellatives in
gaNdavyUham,
I find many parrallels in tamil literature. For example, the vasumitra
story has some
thing to do with kollippAvai of sangam texts. Vasumitra's place is full
of
gemstones
vaiDuurya (cat's eye), beryls, etc., Near Kolli hills these are found.
May
be 60-70%
Roman coins ever found in India come from that region traded for these
gemstones.

ng

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