Luipada
Luipa | |
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Litterateur | |
Known for | Charyapada |
Luipa or Luipada (c. 10th century) was a
.Nomenclature and etymology
Although the Tibetan translation for Lui is "the fish-gut eater" (Wylie: nya lto zhabs), the root of the word is probably Sanskrit lohita which means "red" and the names like Luidhar, Luichandra and Luiya mentioned in the Dharmamangals of the late medieval period originated from the same root.[1]
Ayyappapanicker & Akademi (1997: p. 599) amplify the view of prior scholarship in that the nomenclature "Luipa" is related to the Brahmaputra River:
Several scholars, such as K. L. Barua and Dimbeswar Neog, hold the view that his poetic name is reminiscent of his earlier days spent on the bank of the Luit, i.e. the Brahmaputra. His vocabulary and diction are clearly old Assamese."[2]
Hagiographical accounts
Luipa appears in The Legends of Eighty-four Siddhas (
Luipa's father chose him as his successor, but he left his kingdom to achieve
Luipa also appears in the Chaturashiti-Siiddha-Pravritti, where he meets the king of Magadha, Indrapala and his Brahmin minister. These two became his disciples and were known as Darikapa and Dengipa. Luipa initiated them into the mandala of Cakrasaṃvara.
In
The
The account of Luipa found in the work of Taranatha, a scholar from the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism, differs significantly from that found in Buton's work. Here, Luipa was a scribe to the King of Oddiyana and was initiated into the Vajravārāhī mandala.[3]
Poetry of Luipa rendered into English
The following poetic extract of Luipa is from his work, Kāā Tarubara, the first pada of the Charyapada (c. 9-10th century) and rendered into English by Mahendra Bora and cited in Ayyappapanicker & Akademi (1997: p. 599):
- The body is a gentle tree with its branches five in number,
- Into the stuff of unsteady mind enters Time the wrecker.
- Get your mind steadied and enjoy the bliss never-waning,
- Lui counsels, know it from your teacher just by asking:
- Why all these modes of meditation one should toil and try,
- When going through joy and sorrow all must one day die?
- Ignoring this bond of deception, trust in sense-perception,
- Riding on the wings of pure void, make her your companion.
- Lui testifies, I have seen her clear in my meditation,
- Seated on twin mats doing inhalation and exhalation.[2]
It is also notable to refer here that Luipa has also contributed to the 29th song/Raga/Hymn[4] of the Charyapada, the first discovered manuscript of Bangla Literature. This song is reads:-
- Where is it and where is it not that entity;
- Who is here to be pleased with this duality?
- The truth is really far to find
- The feelings like senses can never bind.
- That is non-perceived by colored forms and signs
- The Vedas and Agamas trace only in blind.
- The moon reflected in the water
- Perceives as true even mirage for sure.
- What is for me to think as astray
- The life I lead in transcendental gay?
Date of Luipa
The most significant information available from the legends of the Sakya school is that Luipa worked at the court of the Maharaja of Varendra, Dharmapala. If this king is same as Pala Emperor Dharmapala, then this identification places Luipa as a younger contemporary of Dharmapala (770 – 810 CE). If Luipa was initiated in his youth, his date of initiation must be at the end of the eighth century or the beginning of the ninth century.[3]
In the Abhisamaya-Vibhanga of the Tengyur, Atiśa is mentioned as a co-author of the text along with him but it seems that actually Atisha had either completed his text or wrote a Vibhanga (commentary) on his Abhisamaya. So, it is more probable that he belonged to the 10th century.[1]
From Luipa's date, his guru Śabara's time can be fixed, along with the dates of his disciples Darikapa and Dengipa, and also Dombi Heruka, whom Luipa taught. Since Kilapa was probably one of his descendants, his date can also be fixed.
Identification with Minapa/Matsyendranath
Many modern scholars have identified Luipa with
Adi-Siddha
The Chaturashiti-Siddha-Pravritti begins with the legend of Luipa. This may be a reflection of the belief prevalent during the period of the narrator or the translator, that Luipa was the first siddha (adi-siddha) in terms of either time or status. The first Pada of the
Major literary works
In the
References
- ^ ISBN 81-7215-458-5, pp.20-1
- ^ ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5. Source: [1](accessed: Friday March 5, 2010)
- ^ a b c d e f "Luipa by Keith Dowmen". Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- OL 18843M.
- ^ ISBN 81-7102-020-8, p.384ff, 385
- ^ Shastri, H. (1916, reprint 2006). Hajar Bacharer Purano Bangala Bhashay Bauddhagan O Doha (in Bengali), Kolkata:Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, p.5
- ^ "পৌরাণিক ইতিহাস: আঘোরী/অঘোরী (পর্ব- ১)". 25 October 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ Shastri, H. (1916, reprint 2006). Hajar Bacharer Purano Bangala Bhashay Bauddhagan O Doha (in Bengali), Kolkata:Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, p.xxi
Further reading
- Chattopadhyaya, Alaka (1998). Churashi Siddhar Kahini (in Bengali), Kolkata: Anushtup, ISBN 81-85479-68-2.