Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished dataDuka, Tivadar
History
Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished data
Duka, Tivadar
Kőrösi Csoma, Sándor, 1784-1842
12. “During the winter in Kashmir, after my return with Mr.
Trebeck, considering what I had read and learned on the Tibetan
language, I became desirous to apply myself, if assisted to it, to
learn it grammatically, so as to penetrate into the contents of
those numerous and highly interesting volumes which are to be found
in every large monastery. I communicated my ideas respecting this
matter to Mr. Moorcroft, who, after a mature consideration, gave me
his approbation, favoured me with money for my necessary
subsistence, and permitted me to return to Ladak; nay, he
recommended me to the chief officer at Leh, and to the Lama of
Yangla, in Zanskar. Being prepared for the journey, I left Kashmir
on the 2d May 1823, after I had passed five months and six days
with Mr. Moorcroft.
13. “After my return to Ladak I arrived at Leh on the 1st of June
1823, delivered Mr. Moorcroft’s and Meer Izzut Oollah’s letters and
presents to the Khalon. This Prime Minister recommended me in a
letter to the Lama of Yangla; gave me a passport, and favoured me
with about eight pounds of tea. From Leh, travelling in a
south-westerly direction, on the ninth day I arrived at Yangla, and
from 20th June 1823 to 22d October 1824 I sojourned in Zanskar (the
most south-western province of Ladak), where I applied myself to
the Tibetan literature, assisted by the Lama.
14. “During my residence in Zanskar, by the able assistance of that
intelligent man, I learned grammatically the language, and became
acquainted with many literary treasures shut up in 320 large
printed volumes, which are the basis of all Tibetan learning and
religion. These volumes, divided in two classes, and each class
containing other subdivisions, are all taken from Indian Sanskrit,
and were translated into Tibetan. I caused to be copied the
contents of these immense works and treatises in the same order as
they stand in the printed indexes. Each work or treatise begins
with the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan, and ends with the names of
the author, translators, and place wherein the author has written
or the translation was performed. As there are several collections
of Sanskrit and Tibetan words among my other Tibetan writings, I
brought with me a copy of the largest, taken out of one of the
above-mentioned volumes, consisting of 154 leaves, every page of
six lines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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