The narratives about Sayin Magada: to a comparative analysis of the Oirat story and Mongolian legend

The article describes two works (tale and legend) in which the main character is Sayin Magada, the daughter of a famous benefactor who lived at the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. The text of the “Legend of Sayin Magada” is included into the canonical collection “Ganjur” in Mongolian language (section “Eldeb”, vol. 91). The second work in the Oirat “Clear Script” called “The Tale of Sayin Magada” is kept at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the RAS. These works are characterized by a double nomination of the genre (“story and sutra”, “legend and sutra”), in which the term “sutra” is used in the meaning of “book, composition”. Purpose is to conduct a meaningful analysis of the Oirat “The Tale of Sayin Magada”, compare it with the text of the “Legend of Sayin Magada” in Mongolian, and also provide information from the colophon about the Kalmyk Khan Ayuka (1672-1724), indicating the importance that he attached to the spread of Buddhism. Comparative analysis of the content of the Mongolian and Oirat texts about Sayin Magada allows us to conclude that the latter is not a short transcription or a brief retelling of a more complete Mongolian one. This is especially noticeable in the transmission of proper names: in Mongolian, the Sanskrit names of Buddhist ascetics are left, in Oirat text their Tibetan names are most often given. The latter indicates that the author-compiler was referring to the Tibetan version, but it is possible that he was also referring to the texts in other languages. In addition, the Oirat text contains verse fragments that are absent in the Mongolian text.