A 251

Known as:	A 251; THT 884
Cite this page as:	Gerd Carling; Adrian Musitz (translation). "A 251". 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-a251 (accessed 11 May 2026).
Edition
Editor:	Gerd Carling; Adrian Musitz (translation)
Provenience
Main find spot:	Shorchuk
Specific find spot:	Stadthöhle
Expedition code:	T III Š 68.22
Collection:	Berlin Turfan Collection
Language and Script
Language:	TA; TB
Script:	late
Text contents
Title of the work:	Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Drama
Verse/Prose:	prose; verse
Meter:	43434 (4x)
Object
Manuscript:	M-β
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	8

Transliteration

a1	[p]ra tha ma pa rwe ṣṣe kā su tā ki¯ ¯s̝ sa [n]·· ///
b1	[si] ddha¯ ¯m ra ti su paṃ \|\| mai tra – nāṃ swā ñc[e] nyo k· – ṣ· [na] – – – śk· [ta] mpe [yu]¯ ¯m : spa ///
b2	naṃ tsa rślu ne wi kṣa¯ ¯nt kaṃ ṣa¯ ¯nt suka ṣi nā[¯] [¯s] ā kā la ntu : vai ne [ṣ]i nä swra sa śśi ca mwi nā [s]· ///
b3	bhi dha rmaṃ ptā [ñ]kte we wñu¯ ¯nt : yo mnā lu n[e] – – ma¯ ¯nt o kta tsāṃ ytā rwi nā sa [mkra] nta ma [r]ka ///
b4	syo : yma tu¯ ¯nt mi ṣi sne lyu t· – nā sa mnä¯ ¯s̝ ślā ñcā lyi pi ssa ṅkṣiṃ kro ///
b5	: se lā ntu ne a bhi ṣe kka lpā¯ ¯t ptā ñkt[ä]¯ ¯s̝ lmo tu ṣī¯ ¯t ā rki śo ṣṣaṃ : o ktmāṃ pu kl· ///
b6	śpā lyo ā ṣā ni kāṃ me tra kaṃ ptā ñka – – – ku l·· – r·e – ·o ·ā kā¯ ¯l ta ne mā ñcāṃ [ṣ]·i ///
b7	pṣlya śśä¯ ¯l – kku mnä ssi : ṣo kyā kā – – – rśi śśi kā s[u] tā ki – – – cka śa¯ ¯l ·i ///
b8	kā – śrā – śś· mā ti ri na s̝·· [nt]ā – – – – – – – myo w· ///

a1	prathama pärweṣṣe kāsu tākiṣ san·· ///
b1	siddham ratisupaṃ ॥

1a	maiträ(ṣi)nāṃ ; swāñcenyo ; k(āruṃ)ṣ(i)nä(ṃ) ; (e) – – ; śk(a) tampeyum :
1b	spä /// 17σ
1c	3σ b2n1 näṃ ; tsärślune ; wikṣant käṃṣant ; s_ukaṣinās ; ākāläntu :
1d	vaineṣinäs ; wrasaśśi ; cam winās(am) ; /// 7σ
2a	11σ ; (a)b3bhidharmaṃ ; ptāñkte wewñunt :
2b	yomnālune ; (ṣäññu)mänt ; oktatsāṃ ytār ; wināsam ; krant{†ä} märka /// 1σ
2c	17σ b4syo :
2d	ymatunt miṣi ; sne lyut(ār) ; (wi)nāsam näṣ ; śl= āñcālyi ; pissaṅkṣiṃ kro(p) (:)
3a	/// 18σ b5:
3b	se lāntune ; abhiṣek ; kälpāt ptāñktäṣ ; lmo tuṣīt ; ārkiśoṣṣaṃ :
3c	oktmāṃ pukl(ā) ; /// 14σ
3d	5σ b6 śpālyo ; āṣānikāṃ ; metrakäṃ ; ptāñkä(t) (nasläṃ) (:)
4a	kul(mäss) (o)r(ś)e(s) 0σ ; (ṣ)o(ky=) ākāl ; tane māñcāṃ ; ṣ·i /// 6σ
4b	11σ ; (o)b7pṣlyaśśäl ; (ṣya)k kumnässi :
4c	ṣoky= ākā(l) (n-äm) ; (ā)rśiśśi ; kāsu tāki ; – – – c ; kaśal ·i /// 1σ
4d	18σ
5a	3σ b8 kā(l) ; śrā(ddhe)śś(i) ; mā tiri naṣ ; (mä)ntā(tsi) ; (kärsāmäntāp) (:)
5b	(tä)myo w(e) ///

a1	May the first be good...
a1+	... in the Ratiśubha-tune:
b1	With a ray of friendship... of compassion and powerful...
b1+	(You)... making disappear the torture (of the Kleśas?), fulfilling the blissful wishes of the beings worth being converted, I honor the...
b2+	... said by the Buddha in the Abhidharma...
b3	I honor the one having attainment as nature, the eightfold way (and) the good law.
b4	I honor with hands put together the saṅgha-flock, unsurpassable, the living field (of merits).
b5	Sitting in the Tuṣita-world, he (Maitreya) received the anointment as a royal successor by the Buddha.
b5	80 000 years...
b5+	... with the head... the venerable Maitreya who is to be a Buddha.
b6	Kulmäs, Orśes... very much the wish... Nanemāñc...
b6+	The wish of them, Agneans, to meet the parousia (of the Buddha Maitreya) is very (sincere)... ...
b7	... may good... together...
b7+	There is no way for the knowing one (= Maitreya) to offend the wish of the believers... (?)
b8	Thus...

*	Transcription and translation are based on Carling et al. 2009.
*	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).
*	Fragment of a manuscript which includes A 251 - A 294 (cf. Geng et al. 2004a: 64-5).

n1	Restoration winās(am) suggested by Timothée Chamot-Rooke (January 8, 2022).

*	A 252, A 306

Carling 2000: b5 (404); Knoll 1996: b3 (128); Kölver 1965: b5 (135); Thomas 1954: b8 (733); Thomas 1970: b2 (264)