‘The Story of Usun Debiskertu Khan’: Manuscript Copies and History of Publication

Abstract

Introduction. In old Mongolian literature, texts of didactic texts enjoyed special popularity. Those were created by Mongolian authors following the examples borrowed from ancient Indian didactic literature. In such tutorials the three basic values — Dharma, artha and kama – are to be in constant balance. However, one of these factors should always be leading. The nitisastra was an integral part of the arthasastra as an independent science about politics and governance. Still, in Mongolian literature, it is the combination of two instructions — secular and religious ones — that became characteristic to the didactic genre. The rich and diverse heritage of Mongolian didactic literature, according to the established tradition, became known as ‘teachings of the two rules’. Even if in such works religious instructions did not occupy any prominent place, the ultimate goals of such texts could well be interpreted in the spirit of the Buddhist Dharma. So, ‘The Story of Usun Debiskertu Khan’ is a most famous work of didactic literature. According to the contents of the monument, the legendary Khan of Tibet had delivered the teachings during a conversation with sixteen dignitaries of his. The text of the monument was translated into Oirat after the creation of the Clear Script (1648) but it could have also been translated into Classical Mongolian in the early-to-mid 17th century. The thirteen manuscript copies of the text discovered in collections of Oirat manuscripts throughout Russia, Mongolia and China attest to the popularity and wide distribution of this work. At the same time, the work can be found both in the form of separate manuscripts and within literary collections which, as a rule, had comprised most famous and beloved texts. The Story was first published by representatives of the Kalmyk expatriate community in the early 20th century.