On the problem of studying the texts of Kalmyk songs-shastras (based on archival materials of the Russian Geographical Society)

Abstract

This article continues the study and introduction into scientific circulation of Kalmyk songs-shastras praising Buddhism. The purpose of the article: to study the early recordings of songs-shastras recorded in the Oirat script “todo-bichig”. The novelty of the work lies in the introduction into scientific discourse of unknown and little-known texts of Kalmyk songs-shastras. The material for the study includes the texts of songs-shastras stored in manuscripts for more than one hundred and fifty years in the Scientific Archives of the Russian Geographical Society. The songs were recorded by graduates of the Astrakhan School for Children of Kalmyks Elistad Dzhabdykov and Shamba Sadzhirkhaev and handed over in 1854 to I. P. Kornilov, one of the leaders of the expedition of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society to the Astrakhan province (“Expedition of the IRGS for the study of the area of the Chernoyarsk district occupied by the Bogdo Mountains”). As additional sources for studying early Kalmyk shastra songs, a manuscript collection of Kalmyk songs of the 19th century, stored in the Eastern Department of the M. Gorky Scientific Library of St. Petersburg State University, was used. The article uses descriptive, comparative-typological and comparative-contrastive methods, which allow us to identify general and specific features of the content of the songs. Having analyzed the song texts from the RGS manuscripts, the authors come to the conclusion that they are valuable sources in the study of the folk song art of the Kalmyks. The information gleaned from the texts of the shastra songs testifies, supplements and expands the knowledge of the “folk Buddhism” of the Kalmyks. The lyrics of the songs contain praise of the deities, listing their exploits; taking refuge; prayer addressed to the Buddhas; wish to achieve the state of Buddha for the benefit of living beings. Performance of shastra songs by the people helped the Buddhist clergy to educate society in the mainstream of the Buddha's doctrine. Research prospects are the results of this article will be further used by the authors in the study of Kalmyk songs in their diachronic juncture.

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