King Gesar ruled the kingdom of Ling in eastern Tibet around eight centuries ago. He was believed to be one of the manifestations of Guru Rinpoche. Like many folklore heroes, his legend was passed on through the generations in the form of beautiful songs. Many of the literary works on the stories of Gesar are known in Tibetan as Drung. Curiously, some of the Drung were passed on by singers who recalled those events vividly from their past lives as subjects of the kingdom of Ling.

One of King Gesar's mission on earth was to defeat the demonic kingdoms that surrounded Ling. The lord of the kingdom to the north was Lutzen, a twelve-headed demon who ruled by terror. Gesar defeated him by cleverly soliciting the help of the demon's beautiful wife. Upon the demon's death, Gesar sang the following song as instructions in liberating him in death. Guidance for one in the dying process is quite important in the Tibetan belief.