Kz-213-ZS-L06

Known as:	Kz-213-ZS-L06
Cite this page as:	Adrian Musitz. "Kz-213-ZS-L06". 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-kz213zsl06 (accessed 03 Jul. 2025).
Edition
Editor:	Adrian Musitz
Provenience
Main find spot:	Kizil
Collection:	in situ
Language and Script
Language:	TB
Linguistic stage:	archaic
Add. linguistic characteristics:	classical; late
Script:	classical
Text contents
Text genre:	Literary
Verse/Prose:	verse
Object
Material:	charcoal on wall
Form:	Graffito
Number of lines:	5

Transliteration

a1	ku [tsa] [nai] ·[k]ai klyo mo [ṣ]i [kuṣ]ai ṣṣe ñ[ya] [ṣ]e wi w· ske(·) : k[a] s[e] [kre] nta¯ ¯ts śa rwa rññe [sakwa] a ñu ṣṣe [ka] nmā skeṃ : ce kk[a] wä r[k]s̝a¯ ¯l [kca] kle śa [nma]¯ ¯ts spe ltke nau tsi a [ya] [to] [:] [mā] – tsa na kre nta ts[o] te ra [w]e skeṃ śle ni tsa¯ ¯[s] [:] [1]
a2	[ā] pa ṣṣ[e] tse kuwä sna ta¯ ¯r wä r·· lyñe ṣṣe la [k]le sa : wä rpa la ññe kuwä sna ta¯ ¯r (–) tra – (–) (–) – – [sā] tra ṅka ly[ñ]e [k]uw· sna [ta]¯ ¯r [ka] [ka] lyñe ṣṣe – kle sā : ske yye – p· mā ne saṃ – [so]¯ ¯[s] – l(·)e [kuwä] [sna] [ta]¯ ¯[r] : 2
a3	ñu w[e] tsä ñe kuwä sna ta¯ ¯r ktsai tsa ññe ṣṣe la ·(·)e sa : ktsai tsä ñe [a] mi śkeṃ te ka – [ṣ]e la kle s[a] : y[ā] ta – – kwä sna nta¯ ¯r spa [r]ka [l]y[ñ]e [ṣṣ]e (–) la kle sa : s[w]ä rka ññe kuw· sn· ta¯ ¯r [sru] ka lyñe ṣṣe la [kle] sa : 3
a4	o¯ ¯kt la k[l]e [nta] wai pta yä¯ ¯r [ta]¯ ¯ñ ·[r]· [l]ñ· [la] ·[l]· – kuwä sna ta¯ ¯r : – ¯kt [tp]ā [n]e ·pa [kl]· [ś]· – – – lyñe ·(·)[ā] – – – ¯r – – – – ¯r kuw[ä] sna ta¯ ¯r ya [m]o [r]nt[a] – – – s[n]ai pe le cce – lai [kn]e – ··[e] – – kre¯ [¯ñc] ·[e] ·eṃ : (–)

Transcription

1a	a1 ku{se} tsa nai (ṅ)k{ai→e} klyomoṣi k_uṣaiṣṣeñy{a→ai} ṣewi w(e)ske(ṃ) :
1b	ka se krentats śarwarññe s_äkwa añuṣṣe känmāskeṃ :
1c	ce kka wärkṣäl kca kleśanmats speltke nautsi ayato :
1d	mā(la)tsana krentätso te ra weskeṃ śle nitsas : 1
2a	a2 āpaṣṣetse k_uwäsnatär wär(pa)lyñeṣṣe läklesa :
2b	wärpaläññe k_uwäsnatär (–) trä(ṅkälyñe) (läkle)sā
2c	träṅkälyñe k_uw(ä)snatär kakalyñeṣṣe (lä)klesā :
2d	skeyye – p· mā nesäṃ – sos – l(·)e k_uwäsnatär : 2
3a	a3 ñuwetsäñe k_uwäsnatär ktsaitsäññeṣṣe lä(kl)esa :
3b	ktsaitsäñe amiśkeṃ teka(nma)ṣe läklesa :
3c	yāta(lyñecci) kwäsnantär spärkalyñeṣṣe (–) läklesa :
3d	swärkaññe k_uw(ä)sn(a)tär srukalyñeṣṣe läklesa : 3
4a	a4 okt läklenta waiptayär täñ (ts)r(e)lñ(e) lä(k)l(esa/ā) k_uwäsnatär :
4b	(o)kt tpāne (ṣ)pä kl(e)ś(anma) – – lyñe(s)ā (k_uwäsnatä)r
4c	– – – – r k_uwäsnatär yamornta – – –
4d	snai pelecce (pe)laikne – ··e – – kreñc ·e ·eṃ : (–)

Translation

a1	Whoever is noble speaks (of?) pretexts of the village (= vulgar pretexts?). "Why (?)n1 do this arrogance [and] bliss of rest come to the good? Zeal to destroy this power of the Kleśas is proper." This they say to the good with intoxicating nitsas.
a2	āpaṣṣetse mourns because of the suffering of undergoing. Undergoing mourns through the suffering of lamenting. Lamenting mourns because of the suffering of invitation. ... zeal... is not... ... mourns...
a3	Youth mourns because of the suffering of old age. Old age (mourns) because of the suffering of depressing illnesses. Capable ones mourn because of the suffering of weakening. Weakening mourns because of the suffering of death.
a4	The eight sufferings (just mentioned) each mournn2 because of the pain of separation from you. Eight... tpāne Kleśas... mourn through... ... mourns... deeds... ... good... law without law...

Commentary

Philological commentary

*	The transliteration has been taken from Ogihara 2018: 165-166.
*	The transcription has been taken from Ogihara 2018: 166-167.
n1	ka is probably kā "why".
n2	Assuming kᵤwäsnatär is a mistake for kᵤwäsnantär.

Remarks

*	This document is difficult to interpret. There are a lot of hapax legomena. In verses 2-4, there appear to be personification of different qualities ("old age" instead of "old people", "weakening" instead of "people getting weaker"). Both the broad meaning of the inscription and the meaning of single phrases is difficult to grasp.

References

Edition

Ogihara 2018; Zhao and Rong 2020

Bibliography

Ogihara 2018

Ogihara, Hirotoshi. 2018. “Two fragments of Tocharian B laissez-passers kept in the Berlin Collection.” In Great Journeys across the Pamir Mountains: A Festschrift in Honor of Zhang Guangda on his Eighty-fifth Birthday, 37:33–45. Brill’s Inner Asian Library. Leiden: Brill.

Zhao and Rong 2020

Zhao, Li, and Xinjiang Rong, eds. 2020. Cave inscriptions in Ancient Kucha. Shanghai: Zhongxi Book Company.