In the epic, the celestial being Thötpa Gawa is persuaded by the gods and Padmasambhava to be reborn as a human, Gesar, specifically because the world has fallen into demonic corruption and war that only a divinely-sourced hero can purge. He is born into poverty and mockery before his royal destiny is revealed, winning the kingdom of Ling through a rigged horse race he was fated to win.
Gesar spends his youth as Joru, an ugly, ragged, apparently malicious boy whom the community scorns, while his supernatural power operates unseen beneath the contempt. The disguise is not accidental but protective and strategic: underestimation shields the hero and lets him act against enemies who never see him coming.
Gesar wins through shape-shifting, illusion, trickery, and the manipulation of enemies' own desires far more than through direct force, repeatedly defeating stronger foes by deception. Reading the epic this way reveals heroism defined as resourceful intelligence allied with supernatural aid, reframing the warrior-king as a master strategist rather than a strongman.