Francke, August Hermann [Hrsg.]: A lower Ladakhi version of the Kesar-Saga: Tibetan text, abstract of contents, notes and vocabulary of the new words and phrases (Calcutta, 1909)

conquer him, He will sit in the hermitage for twenty-two more days.
Until then you must kill the bird So mig dinar; after him you will be
able to kill the bird Nyima khyung rung.'
After seven days’ walking Kesar arrived before So mig dmar's
cave. He heard the bird sing, that he had dreamed, how he died him-
self, and how the bird Nyima khyung rung was killed. Then, when lie
left his hole, Kesar killed him at once with an arrow.
Kesar saw something like a tent in the height of the sky. This
was Nyima khyung rung's dwelling-place. Because he did not know
how to get there, he went to sleep in sorrow. Ane bkur dmanmo said
with a voice without breath to Kesar’s arrows of -white, black and red
colour : ‘ Glo and kill the bird.’ Therefore the arrows flew off with a
great noise, killed the bird, and just when the street-child woke up,
the bird fell to the ground. Kesar was still a little drowsy, but opened
the bird’s stomach with his axe of white steel. All the treasures he
put into his egg-pocket, took one of the wings and started for the
gLing-land.*
No. 7.
When the agus and the men of gLing heard that Kesar was com-
ing, they held a council and sent Agu dPalle to meet him. Agu dPalle
said : ‘ From this time henceforth thou art the highest hill of gLing,
the godly King Kesar, and ’aBruguma is thy bride ! Please show thy
true self to that lady ! ’ Kesar said £ Alright! ’ and went. At a place
called ‘ top of the king-willow’ (the tree of the world) he met with
’aBruguma and many other people who came to greet him. ’aBruguma
sang: ‘ There was a noise like that of many feet, it was caused by
rKyang byung dbyerpa's feet. When thou [0 king], didst put on thy
helmet, it was as if the light of the sun was touching the high sky;
when thou didst put on thy garment, it was as if the land of men was
filled with light; ‘ when thou didst put on thy girdle, it was as if the
morning sun was touching the summits; when thou didst put on thy
shawl, it was as if the rain was wetting the rocks. First I went to
the copper-hill; now I am near the gold-hill. First I went to the lead-
hill ; now I am near the silver hill! ’ Kesar again took the shape of
the street-child and went to the hill Ti bangbang. Here he distributed
his treasures (which he had found in khyung rung's stomach). The
young men received the silver—-the young ladies the turquoises—the old
men the shells—the mothers the peai’ls—the lamas orange flowers—the
mons some reeds—-the gold-smiths some gold—the black-smiths some
iron.
* This tale of the conquest of the sun by Kesar is possibly to be understood
in this way : although the men of gLing could see the sun on the sky during winter,
they noticed that he did not do anything profitable to the earth. They did not
know that the power of the sun depends on the angle of his rays. But they saw
that several months later the earth was blessed by the sun. Therefore they con-
cluded that there must exist a power superior to that of the sun (Kesar in his
nature of a spring-god or god of the seasons), which compelled the sun to yield his
treasures. The killing of the sun-bird as well as that of the giants is not to be
taken seriously. They all come to life again, their death seems to express the idea
that the conquest is a complete one.