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On “personal protective deities” (’go ba'i lha) and the Old Tibetan verb ’go

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2017

Brandon Dotson
Brandon Dotson*
Affiliation:
Georgetown University
*
brandon.dotson@georgetown.edu
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Abstract

The ’go ba'i lha – usually translated with “personal protective deities” – are often approached as an integral part of Tibetan popular or folk religion. Typically five in number, these gods are said to be born with an individual, to reside in his or her body, and to protect various facets of his or her existence. As for the etymology of ’go ba'i lha, while “protective deities” is the dominant translation, it remains a highly communicative and contextual gloss of ’go, whose attested meanings do not include “to protect”. The present contribution offers a new analysis of the verb ’go based on attestations in Old Tibetan texts from Dunhuang from the ninth and tenth centuries. In doing so, the article not only proposes a new etymology of ’go ba'i lha, but also touches on the changing relationship between Tibetans and their gods over time.

Keywords

Tibetan popular religionDivinationLexicographyVerb morphologyTibetan Buddhism
Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 80 , Issue 3 , October 2017 , pp. 525 - 545
Copyright
Copyright © SOAS, University of London 2017 

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