The Tibetan "Treatise on Music" (c.1200 CE) by Sa skya paṇḍita Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan: A Critical Edition and Translation of Chapter One and the Tibetan Commentary

This translation presents the first chapter of the Treatise on Music (Rol mo’i bstan bcos) by the Tibetan scholar Sa skya Paṇḍita Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan (1182–1251), alongside the corresponding Tibetan commentary by A mes zhabs Ngag dbang kun dga’ bsod nams (1597–1659/1660). Widely regarded as one of the most important Tibetan works on music, the treatise—particularly its first chapter on the theory of melodies—has attracted considerable scholarly interest. However, the chapter’s dense and elusive style has posed significant challenges for interpretation. This translation, accompanied by an introductory study, represents a renewed effort to elucidate the chapter by drawing on Sa skya Paṇḍita’s broader oeuvre, especially his linguistic writings. It argues that the treatise’s central concept of the four nga ro reflects an adaptation of the four varṇa in the Indian Nāṭyaśāstra. The translation also seeks to clarify other complex terms, such as rkyen, rendered here as “notational sign.” This is also the first English translation to include A mes zhabs’ commentary on the chapter, offering readers a fuller understanding of this foundational work on Tibetan musical theory. Citation: Ma, Zhouyang. The Tibetan “Treatise on Music” (c.1200 CE) by Sa skya paṇḍita Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan: A Critical Edition and Translation of Chapter One and the Tibetan Commentary. Ethnomusicology Translations, No. 18. Bloomington, IN: Society for Ethnomusicology, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14434/emt.No.18.41716