The Indian Nitisastras in Tibet

After the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet a large number of Indian texts-chiefly Buddhistic had been studied by the Tibetans and were translated into Tibetan. These texts in translation have been looked upon by the Tibetans as their sacred heirloom and kept in the monasteries all over their country as holy articles of daily worship. The Tibetan versions of lndian literature, chiefly Buddhist, have been preserved in two great collections known as the Kanjur ( bka' 'gyur-the commandments of Buddha) and the Tanjur (bstan 'gyur-doctrinal teachings given by the subsequent teachers), somewhat similar to the Sruti and the Smrti of the ancient Indian literature.

The Indian Nitisastras in the Tibetan versions have been preserved in the Tanjur collection. In the Kar-cha ( dkar chag) index volume of the Narthan ( snar than) edition of the Tanjur, these Tibetan texts are enlisted under the head of thun mori ba lugs kyi bstan chos ( samanya-nitisastra). Besides these texts there are a few texts on the rules of monastic discipline for the Buddhists, which are also preserved in these collections.