Work in progress

A 63

Known as:A 63; THT 696
Cite this page as:Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Melanie Malzahn. "A 63". 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-a63 (accessed 08 Jun. 2026).

Edition

Editor:Gerd Carling; Georges-Jean Pinault; Melanie Malzahn
Date of online publication:2014-05-30

Provenience

Main find spot:Shorchuk
Specific find spot:Stadthöhle
Expedition code:T III Š 80.01
Collection:Berlin Turfan Collection

Language and Script

Language:TA
Script:late

Text contents

Title of the work:Rūpyāvata-Avadāna
Text genre:Literary
Text subgenre:Jātaka/Avadāna
Verse/Prose:prose; verse
Meter:4343 (4x); 554443 (4x); 543 (4x)

Object

Manuscript:A 55-88
Material: ink on paper
Form:Poṭhī
Number of lines:6

Transliteration

a1/// [s]wa cca¯ ¯m• yā ma rpā ka¯ ¯r• o¯ ¯ṅk• ño myo : lā ntu ne ṣiṃ ka rpa raṃ s̝a rpse ñcca¯ ¯m• kra¯ ¯nt [ṣ]o (– – – – – –)
a2/// (·)p(·) yi¯ ¯s• : 1 || tma ṣca¯ ¯m• ru pyā va teṃ śo maṃ u tpa lā va tṣi ñi wra sa¯ ¯ñä tso pa tsaṃ a bhi saṃ skā ryo [lā] ntu [n](·) (–)
a3/// – mraṃ ta mnu ma¯ ¯nt• wä knā || ā rśi lā ñci naṃ || ra ka¯ ¯r• o plā syo tkaṃ ri yaṃ ṣi ra¯ ¯śä pra [s]a rwra ntu snu m[ṣ]i na¯
a4/// – tsu ṣpu kwra sa¯ ¯ñä : pa nwa rwa lā nā sṣo ntsaṃ o rpa ṅksaṃ wo tā¯ ¯r• ā rkya¯ ¯nt• wä tsyā sśā waṃ ca ṅka rswā ñceṃ ko
a5/// (·)[ta] wsā lu yo o mkā re¯ ¯ñä brā mnā¯ ¯ñä we ñā rwā kmtsaṃ ā va ha ntu ā ka¯ ¯s• a śi ṣma ṅga lntu : wmā rṣiṃ e ntsā lyo ā rkya¯ ¯nt• śa ñi nā
a6/// – ·w· wi wā¯ ¯r• ro tka rpā ka rpā śi nā¯ ¯s• : 1 || ta nne wka nyo ca mi pa rno ntā pwra se¯ ¯s• a bhi ṣe kṣi nāṃ pra ṣta nä¯ ¯k• ñä [kc]i yāṃ ku be –
b1/// ki tso pa [t]ska rpa raṃ pā ka rtā¯ ¯k• || tma s̝sa¯ ¯m• ru pyā va te wä¯ ¯l – bo dhi sa tveṃ tso pa tsaṃ kā ru ṇa śśä ltri wo¯ ¯nt• ā ṣtraṃ knā [nm]u n[e] yo wlye [pa]ṃ
b2/// ke yo po ñcäṃ po to yo pu¯ ¯k• wra sa sṣya wkaṃ pa ltsa kyo e na smāṃ wra sa śśi kra ñcäṃ swā rtwlu ne yo mu s̝pa ltsku ma ṣśā we ñä kta¯
b3/// ya kṣe ñi tā śśi ta mne wka nyo o pṣlya ntu sa mwā lu ne yo ype yi spā ṣlu ne yā ma¯ ¯r• || wä rs̝a mpe knaṃ ||
b4/// – ¯nt• sā rmntu o ko ntu : na ka¯ ¯nt• ñā tse ntu pu kwra sa śśi pu¯ ¯k• tkaṃ saṃ : sne wle ṣlu ne yo sne psa¯ ¯l• sne ka¯ ¯s•
b5/// r[c]e o ko swā¯ ¯r• o ko : pu ṣpa vṛ kṣä ntu ska ma¯ ¯t• ye tā¯ ¯nt• pyā ppyā syo : sne mā¯ ¯l• klu ne yo m[ā] l[k]·¯ ¯nt• ko (·)i
b6/// [s]ne wra ske tā¯ ¯k• sa¯ ¯m• ype ska¯ ¯m• : klo pa su wra so¯ ¯m• mā o ntaṃ tmaṃ ka lpā ltā¯ ¯k• [:] (– – – – – –)

Transcription

1ba1n1 4σ /// ; (kā)swac cam ; yāmär pākär ; oṅk ñomyo :
1clāntuneṣiṃ ; kär-paräṃ ; ṣärpseñc cam krant ; ṣo(treyā)
1d– – – – a2n1 12σ /// (y)p(e)yis : 1 ॥
*tmäṣ cam rupyāvateṃ śomäṃ utpalāvatṣiñi wrasañ tsopatsäṃ abhisaṃskāryo lāntun(eṣi)
a3n2n3 (ynāñmuneyo) (yā)mr-äṃ täm nu mänt wäknā ॥ ārśi-lāñcinaṃ ॥
1arakär oplāsyo ; tkaṃ riyaṃ ṣiraś ; prasar wräntu ; snumṣinäa4(s)n3 3σ – – – (nāṃ)tsuṣ ; puk wrasañ :
1bpanwar walānās ; ṣontsaṃ orpaṅksaṃ ; wotār ārkyant ; wätsyās śāwaṃ ; caṅkär swāñceṃ ; koa5(ñ-ñäktes)n3
1c(ārkyan)t{†ä} wsāluyo ; omkāreñ brāmnāñ ; weñār wākmtsaṃ ; āvahantu ; ākäs aśiṣ ; maṅgalntu :
1dwmārṣiṃ entsālyo ; ārkyant śañināa6(s)n3n4 ; 5σ – – – – · w(a)wiwār ; rotkar pākär ; pāśinās : 1 ॥
*tanne wkänyo cami parnontāp wrases abhiṣekṣināṃ praṣtan-äk ñäkciyāṃ kube(r)
b1(ñäktes) (riyann) (o)ki tsopats kär-paräṃ pākär tāk ॥ tmäṣ säm rupyāvate wäl bodhisatveṃ tsopatsäṃ kāruṇaśśäl triwont āṣträṃ knānmuneyo wlyepäṃ
b2n5 (tsaryo) (swāräṃ) (ra)keyo poñcäṃ potoyo puk wrasas ṣya wkäṃ pältsäkyo enäsmāṃ wrasaśśi krañcäṃ swārtwlune yomuṣ pältskumäṣ śāwe ñäkta¬
b3¬(ñ)n6 (asurāñ) yakṣeñi tāśśi tämne wkänyo opṣlyantu sam wāluneyo ypeyis pāṣlune yāmär ॥ wärṣämpeknaṃ ॥
b4n6n7
1a5σ /// ; (pyāṣtṣā)nt sārmntu ; okontu :
1bnakänt ñātsentu ; puk wrasaśśi ; puk tkaṃsaṃ :
1csne wleṣluneyo ; sne psäl sne käs ; b5n7n8 (klu) – – 2σ
1d– – – – – 5σ ; (ṣā)rce oko ; swār oko :
2apuṣpavṛkṣäntu ; skamat yetānt ; pyāppyāsyo :
2bsne mālkluneyo ; mālk(a)nt ko(w)i ; b6n8 – – – 3σ
2c– – – – – 5σ ; sne wraske tāk ; säm ype skam :
2dklopasu wrasom ; mā ontaṃ tmaṃ ; kälpāl tāk :

Translation

a1... towards the (good) [thing] they revealed this one with a man's name [= Rūpyāvata].
a1They point to the glory of kingship (because of) this good si(gn). ...
a1+... of the country.
a21.
a2+Thereupon the people from Utpalāvatī (greet)ed this boy [named] Rūpyāvata with great performance [and] (the homage due to) a king.
a3And that [they did] in which way?
a3In [the tune] "Royal [anthem] of Ārśi":
a3They covered the earth with lotus flowers,
a3+all around the city they sprinkled perfumed waters,
a4all the beings have been (busy (?)).
a4They stretched garlanded arches over the streets [and] the market places,
a4[and] put [up] large white sunshades
a4+[and thus] stopped the ray[s] of the sun.
a5[Clad] in (white) garments the om-pronouncers, the Brahmins, said excellent invocations, announcements (?), benedictions [and] auspicious utterances.
a5+They made fan[s] with a jeweled handle [and] (chowries (?)) waiving (?),
a6[and] they carried the treasures into the open.
a61.
a6+In such a way precisely at the very time of the anointment of this glorious being [= Rūpyāvata] the great glory [of the city Utpalāvatī] became visible like (in the divine city of the god) Kubera.
b1+Thereupon this king Rūpyāvata (endowed) with pure knowledge, mixed with great compassion, with soft (hand, with sweet (?)) (voi)ce, he [kept] instructing all beings with equal thought [and] with respect for every [being].
b2+Having acknowledged the good behavior of the beings, attentively the great gods, (the Asuras), [and] the chiefs of the Yakṣas ensured [lit. made] the protection of the country because of the constant performing of ceremonies in that manner.
b3+In [the tune] wärṣämpekän:
b4The seeds [and] the fruits had been (prospering),
b4distresses disappeared for all beings in all places;
b4+without working (rice) without bran [and] without husk (was provided).
b5(The fruit trees always had) mature fruit [and] sweet fruit.
b5The flower trees were ornated constantly with flowers.
b5+Without milking the cows gave milk ...
b6this country was always without epidemy.
b6There one could not find any suffering being.

Other

b5Die Blütenbäume schmückten sich immerfort mit Blüten, [und] ohne Melken gaben die Kühe Milch. (Schmidt 1974: 77, 294, 306)

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).

Philological commentary

n1The meter has 4x14 syllables.
n3The meter has 4x25 syllables with the usual rhythm (5|5|8|7). However, in pāda 1a we have an alternative colon division 5|5|7|8. Note that the tune name literary means "the royal one of the Ārśis", which fits with the content of the narrative about a royal celebration.
n5Four to five akṣaras are missing.
n6The meter has 4x12 syllables, rhythm (5/7).
n7Formally, the 3.pl. Pt II śaśmānt 'they had been growing' does not comply with the remants of the akṣara in front of the lacuna. A better alternative is pyāṣtṣānt 'they became strong'.
n8ṣārce is otherwise only attested in A 57 a 2 in the phrase ṣārce spānte wätkāltsune 'firmness reliable [and] confident'. In the present context the adverb/uninflected adjective refers to fruits that are always edible and never raw or rotten.

Linguistic commentary

n2mänt in the phrase mänt wäknā 'in such a way, thus' is written with double virāma, even though in this manuscript such phrases or compounds are devoid double virāma after the first member. Note also the word-internal (!) double virāma spelling in mā_l\•kluneyo. There are other examples of such word-internal spellings in clusters, esp. in late TB texts.
n4Sieg et al. 1931: 472 restores a Pt II w(a)wiwār for w(a)wipār from the causative of the root wipā- 'to moisten', followed by Schmidt 2004: 311. However, the direct object is lost, and, what is more, it is more likely in this passage that the form refers to the act of waiving the aformentioned fans (and maybe chowries). The act of perfuming has already been mentioned in line a3.

References

Online access

IDP: THT 696; TITUS: THT 696

Miscellaneous

Edition

Sieg and Siegling 1921: 36; Sieg and Siegling 1921 p. 36

Translations

Carling 2000: a3 (160), a4 (96), b4 (83); Hackstein 1995: a3 (118); Schmidt 1974: b5 (72, 294, 306), b5 (77, 294, 306); Thomas 1952: a5 (62), b6 (29); Thomas 1957: b5 (198), b6 (198); Thomas 1967: b4 (273), b5 (272); Thomas 1969: b4 (258); Thomas 1970: a3 a4 (280); Thomas 1976a: b4 (73), b5 (75); Thomas 1990: b4 (14), b5 (14); Thomas 1997: b2 (141), b2 (75), b4 (141)