A 249

Known as:	A 249; THT 882
Cite this page as:	Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Melanie Malzahn; Hannes A. Fellner; Adrian Musitz (translation). "A 249". In A Comprehensive Edition of Tocharian Manuscripts (CEToM). Created and maintained by Melanie Malzahn, Martin Braun, Hannes A. Fellner, and Bernhard Koller. https://cetom.univie.ac.at/?m-a249 (accessed 12 Jun. 2026).
Edition
Editor:	Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Melanie Malzahn; Hannes A. Fellner; Adrian Musitz (translation)
Provenience
Main find spot:	Shorchuk
Specific find spot:	Stadthöhle
Expedition code:	T III Š 66.2
Collection:	Berlin Turfan Collection
Language and Script
Language:	TA
Script:	late
Text contents
Title of the work:	Buddhastotras: Mātṛceṭa's Varṇāhavarṇa
Text genre:	Literary
Meter:	554443 (4x)
Object
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	4

Transliteration

a1	[n]ā sa¯ ¯m : ne ñcpe nu koṃ ma¯ ¯ñä ñä kcyā¯ ¯ñä swā ñce nā¯ ¯ñä wā wlu nu sa¯ ¯s ā rki śo ṣi ā kntsu ne yo ptu kko rka¯ ¯m : tñi
a2	– pśi ñño nu tri wä ltseṃ lya lyku knā nmu ne yo pu¯ ¯k trai dhā tu¯ ¯k wi nā sa mcu lka śnāṃ tsu¯ ¯nt 20
a3	– – – – – ne knā nmu ne mā na ṣmā sa mka rsnā¯ ¯s̝ kā rya ppa rko ṣu¯ ¯rm o ka yaṃ
a4	– – – – – – – – – ñä kta¯ ¯s na peṃ śśi pā ka rypa¯ ¯nt na¯ ¯s̝t wi nā sa mci pa rko nāṃ tsu¯ ¯nt wra sa
b1	– – – – – – – – [k]·[o] tka syo tñi ka so¯ ¯nt ta myo pū¯ ¯k ka rsnā lwra¯ ¯m knā nmu ne yo lya lyku [c]i :
b2	– – – – – lu kśo ne ypa¯ ¯nt na¯ ¯s̝t wi nā sa mci ā rki śo ṣṣa¯ ¯s kra¯ ¯nt knāṃ mu ne
b3	– su¯ ¯nt cū 20 9 bra mñä ktä ṣṣa ci ñä kta ñwra si śśi ka ṣṣi ñpu kśkaṃ śai kṣya śai kṣi pa ñcā bhi
b4	jñ· ñri ṣa ki : ce smi śkaṃ puki stu ka ṣṣi na¯ ¯s̝t nā ta¯ ¯k wi nā sa mci pu kka ṣṣi śśi ka ṣṣi wä [ṣp]ā ka ṣṣi[ṃ]

28b	a1nāsam :
28c	neñc penu koṃ mañ ; ñäkcyāñ swāñcenāñ ; wāwlu nu säs ; ārkiśoṣi ; ākntsuneyo ; ptukk orkäm :
28d	tñi a2 (ka)pśiñño nu ; tri wältseṃ lyalyku ; knānmuneyo ; puk traidhātuk ; wināsam cu ; lkäś nāṃtsunt 20 a3 (8)
29a	(wrasom) (nu) (ke)ne ; knānmune mā naṣ ; mā säm kärsnāṣ ; kāryap pärko ; ṣurm okayaṃ ; a4 – – – (:)
29b	– – – – – ; ñäktas napeṃśśi ; pākär ypant naṣt ; wināsam-ci ; pärko nāṃtsunt ; wrasab1(śśi) (:)
29c	– – – – – ; – k·otkasyo tñi ; käsont tämyo ; pūk kärsnāl wram ; knānmuneyo ; lyalyku ci :
29d	b2 – – – – – ; lukśone ypant naṣt ; wināsam-ci ; ārkiśoṣṣ{a→i}s ; krant knāṃmune ; b3 (nāṃ)sunt cū 20-9
30a	bram ñäktäṣṣ aci ; ñäktañ wras{i→a}śśi ; käṣṣiñ puk śkaṃ ; śaikṣyaśaikṣi ; pañcābhib4jñ· ñ ; riṣaki :
30b	cesmi śkaṃ p_ukis tu ; käṣṣi naṣt nātäk ; wināsam-ci ; puk käṣṣiśśi ; käṣṣi wäṣpā ; käṣṣiṃ

a1	... although there are sun, moon [and] divine rays, now this world, covered in ignorance, is only darkness.
a1+	And with your body and your wisdom you have illuminated the three thousand-fold traidhātuka completely, I venerate you being the light.
a3+	A being who has no knowledge ... damage [and] advantage ... in cause and effect...
a4	You make apparent... to gods and men...
a4+	I honor you, who are the benefit of the beings.
b1	... known by you...
b1	... therefore [is] every knowable thing illuminated by thee with knowledge ...
b1+	You make light...
b2+	I honor you, you who is the good knowledge of the world.
b3+	The gods starting from Brahman are the teachers of the beings, also the Riṣis... Śaikṣya and Aśaikṣya (?)...
b4	And you are the teacher of all of them, lord.
b4	I honor you certainly as the teacher, oh teacher of all teachers.

*	Transcription and references have been transferred from the "Text and Reference Database of the Tocharian A Language" (Gerd Carling Lund University) (funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation and SCAS).
*	Transcription and translation are based on Carling et al. 2009.

*	Mātṛceṭa's Varṇāhavarṇa II

*	For the correspondence with Skt. see Schmidt 1987

Adams 2012a: a1 a2 (28), b1 (28); Hackstein 1995: a1 a2 (125), b1 (125); TEB II: a1 (40); Meunier 2013: a4 (125, 131); Thomas 1952: b1 (27); Thomas 1957: a1 a2 (283), b1 (283); Thomas 1967c: b3 (178); Thomas 1969: a1 (245), b3 (237); Thomas 1969c: a1 (203)