A 273
| Known as: | A 273; THT 906 |
|---|---|
| Cite this page as: | Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Hannes A. Fellner; Bernhard Koller. "A 273". 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-a273 (accessed 16 Jun. 2026). |
Edition | |
| Editor: | Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Hannes A. Fellner; Bernhard Koller |
| Date of online publication: | 2016-09-22 |
Provenience | |
| Main find spot: | Shorchuk |
| Specific find spot: | Stadthöhle |
| Expedition code: | T III Š 101.05 |
| Collection: | Berlin Turfan Collection |
Language and Script | |
| Language: | TA |
| Script: | classical |
Text contents | |
| Title of the work: | Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka |
| Passage: | Act 11 |
| Text genre: | Literary |
| Text subgenre: | Drama |
| Verse/Prose: | prose; verse |
| Meter: | 665 (4x) |
Object | |
| Manuscript: | M-β |
| Material: | ink on paper |
| Form: | Poṭhī |
| Number of lines: | 8 |
Transliteration
| a1 | /// ·[tu] w· mka lto pu klā kaṃ tma kte ṣso pi syo ye tu ñcä spa rno ñcä |
|---|---|
| a2 | /// ā ñctā l[u] [ne] yo wä¯ ¯lts a kṣa ra spi ka¯ ¯s̝ tma¯ ¯s̝ ca mpa tra¯ ¯k pā |
| a3 | /// ṣa ka śśi ra ri twu¯ ¯s̝ : mā nu ne rvā na¯ ¯cä ri two¯ ¯nt ra ke tka l·· [nt]ā¯ |
| a4 | /// ṅka¯ ¯s̝ ä saṃ nu a kṣa¯ ¯r a kṣri ska śaṃ yä¯ ¯s̝ || tma¯ ¯s̝ bo dhi sa [ttu] |
| a5 | /// ¯s a kṣa rpu kma rka mpa lntu śä rsa ssi ā yā to nāṃ tsu ta myo |
| a6 | /// re t[w]e yo mā nu ta¯ ¯s̝ ā rki śo ṣṣaṃ na[¯] [¯s̝] – – – – [p]r[e] raṃ [ka] |
| a7 | /// r[n]o ṣ[na]ṃ ga ṅga vā l· /// |
| a8 | /// |
| b1 | /// |
| b2 | /// [ta] [mka] ·[l]·[u] /// |
| b3 | /// [a] kṣa rka lyta¯ ¯r || tma ṣpu ro hi /// /// ṣk· /// |
| b4 | /// s̝pa klyo ṣpā ca¯ ¯r || ni ṣkra mā ntaṃ || ra tna – kh· na [ṣ]ṣu [śā] [kya] |
| b5 | /// [nta] ntu yo mā¯ ¯k : a kṣa rla me yo mu¯ ¯s̝ a kṣa¯ ¯r ā ksi ṣa |
| b6 | /// || ta mka klyu ṣu ra¯ ¯s̝ bra hmā yu pu ro hi¯ ¯t tso pa tsaṃ ynā [ñm]u |
| b7 | /// ra¯ ¯s̝ ā ñcā lyī tsa ra nyo ā ṣā ni kāṃ me tra kna ctra ṅka¯ ¯s̝ || |
| b8 | /// k·· rpe ke yaṃ mā na¯ ¯s̝ cwa śśä lsa mmā la¯ ¯k : o ka ttmāṃ śtwa rwä¯ |
Transcription
| a1 | /// (tmäṣ) (metrak) (bodhisat)tu w(ir) mkälto puklākaṃ tm-äk teṣ sopisyo yetuñcäs parnoñcä¬ |
|---|---|
| a2 | ¬(s) (tsarnā) (wsā-yokāṃ) (patrak) (eṃtsāt) /// āñc tāluneyo wälts akṣaräs pikäṣ tmäṣ cam patrak pā¬ |
| a3 | ¬(cri)n1 (wawuräṣ) (träṅkäṣ) /// (akṣar-pekeyntu) (tämne-wäknā) (retweyo) (:) (cem-äk) (akṣari) (ri)ṣakäśśi raritwuṣ : mā nu nervānac ritwont rake tkäl(ṣa)ntā¬ |
| a4 | ¬(s) (:) (wasäṃ) (mosann) (ats) (akṣris) (kaśaṃ) (yäñc) (॥) (añumāski) (weyeṃ) (nāṃtsu) (brahmāyu) (trä)ṅkäṣ äsaṃ nu akṣar akṣris kaśaṃ yäṣ ॥ tmäṣ bodhisattu |
| a5 | /// (sä)s akṣar puk märkampalntu śärsässi āyāto nāṃtsu tämyo |
| a6 | (säs) (akṣar) (akṣris) (kaśaṃ) (yäṣ) /// (akṣari) (menāk) retweyo mā nu täṣ ārkiśoṣṣaṃ naṣ (tmäṣ) (bramñkät) (e)preraṃ kä¬ |
| a7 | ¬(lytär) /// (puk) (akṣarsaṃ) (ceṣ) (akṣari) (pa)rnoṣ n-äṃ gaṅgavāl(uk) /// |
| a8 | /// |
| b1 | /// |
| b2 | /// täm ka(k)l(y)u(ṣuräṣ) /// |
| b3 | /// akṣar kälytär ॥ tmäṣ purohi(t) (bodhisatvānac) (träṅkä)ṣ k(ātäk) /// |
| b4 | /// (träṅkä)ṣ päklyoṣ pācar ॥ niṣkramāntaṃ ॥ |
| 1a | ratna(śi)kh(i)näṣ ṣu ; śākyab5(muni) (ṣolar) (māk) (ptāñktañ) (käṣṣiñ) |
|---|---|
| 1b | (ñäktas) (napenäśśi) ; (tmānäntu) (wältsantu) ; (kä)ntantuyo māk : |
| 1c | akṣar lame yomuṣ ; akṣar āksiṣab6(ntāñ) ; (cem-äk) (nāṃtsuṣ) (ṣeñc) |
| 1d | (cesmäṣ) (cam) (brāhmī) (ñom) ; (akṣar) (peke) (piktsi) ; (āklye) (yāmwe) (näṣ) |
| * | ॥ täm kaklyuṣuräṣ brahmāyu purohit tsopatsäṃ ynāñmu¬ |
|---|---|
| b7 | ¬(neyo) /// (kākropu)räṣ āñcālyī tsaränyo āṣānikāṃ metraknac träṅkäṣ ॥ |
| b8 | n2 /// |
| 1c | (a)k(ṣa)r pekeyaṃ ; mā naṣ cwaśśäl ; samm ālak : |
|---|
| * | okät tmāṃ śtwar wä¬ |
|---|---|
| * | ¬(lts) (tñy) (ākläṣlyes) (senik) (kälpsaṃ) |
Translation
| a1+ | Thereupon, the bodhisattva Maitreya, although still young and small in years (with his hands) adorned with webbings, glorious, (he took a gold-colored leaf) ... |
|---|---|
| a2 | ... by the putting down (a line) he writes thousand akṣaras. |
| a2+ | Thereupon, having given this leaf to his father, he says: ... |
| a3 | These akṣara writings in this kind of configuration, these are the characters fashioned by the sages. |
| a3+ | But for our sake, who are illuminating the speech appropriate for the nirvāṇa, these characters do not count as the (proper) script. |
| a4 | Being astonished and amazed, Brahmāyu says: |
| a4 | "Which script then counts as the [proper] script?" || |
| a4+ | Thereupon, the bodhisattva ... |
| a5 | This script is definitely appropriate to make known all the Laws. |
| a5+ | Therefore this script counts as the proper script. |
| a6 | These characters are comparable by the configuration |
| a6 | but it does not exist here in the world. |
| a6+ | Then the god Brahmā stands in the sky ... |
| a7 | Among all characters, these characters are the glorious ones, (which were written by the Buddhas) as numerous as the grains of sand of the Gaṅgā-river. |
| b2 | ... Having heard that(, the purohita Brahmāyu says:) ... |
| b2+ | ... (this) script stands. || |
| b3 | Then the purohita says to the bodhisattva: |
| b3 | "O lord, ..." |
| b3+ | ... (the bodhisattva say)s: |
| b4 | Hear, o father! |
| b4 | || In the tune Niṣkramānta: || |
| b4+ | From Ratnaśikhin onwards until Śākyamuni many Buddha-gods, teachers, (to many gods and mortals by the ten thousands, by the thousands,) by the hundreds, the ones who have attained the realm of script, these ones were the teachers of the (proper) script, |
| b6 | from them I have learned to write this script and writing named Brāhmī. |
| b6+ | Having heard that the purohita Brahmāyu with great respect ... having gathered (his disciples) with both hands in añjali, he says to the venerable Maitreya: || |
| b8 | ... in the script and writing there is no other one equal to you. |
| b8 | (I entrust you with) [my] 84,000 (disciples.) |
Commentary
Remarks
| 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: 64-65). Lines a7-8 and b1-2 are lost. | |
| For a full translation and commentary cf. Pinault 2013: 210-227. |
Parallel texts
| MaitrHami 11, 14b 23-16a 16 |
Philological commentary
| This fragment contains part of the eleventh act of the Maitreyasamitināṭaka; an Uy. parallel is MaitrHami 11, 14b23-16a16. See also Pinault 1999: 199-200. | |
| n1 | Beginning of a stanza of 4x12 (5/7). |
| n2 | Beginning of a stanza of 4x12 (5/7). |
References
Online access
Edition
Sieg and Siegling 1921: 142; Sieg and Siegling 1921 p. 142
Translations
Carling 2000: a1 (310), a3 (403); Knoll 1996: a5 (28, 42, 46); Kölver 1965: b5 (18); Thomas 1954: a5 (743); Thomas 1981: b4 (490); Thomas 1983: a4 (35); Thomas 1995: b5 (67)
