PK NS 53

Known as:	PK NS 53
Cite this page as:	Georges-Jean Pinault; Adam A. Catt (collaborator); Timothée Chamot-Rooke (collaborator); Hannes A. Fellner (collaborator); Athanaric Huard (collaborator); Bernhard Koller (collaborator); Véronique Kremmer (collaborator). "PK NS 53". 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-pkns53 (accessed 11 Dec. 2025).
Edition
Editor:	Georges-Jean Pinault; Adam A. Catt (collaborator); Timothée Chamot-Rooke (collaborator); Hannes A. Fellner (collaborator); Athanaric Huard (collaborator); Bernhard Koller (collaborator); Véronique Kremmer (collaborator)
Provenience
Expedition code:	498.4
Collection:	Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds Pelliot Koutchéen (Paris)
Language and Script
Language:	TB
Text contents
Title of the work:	Meditation on the Pratītyasamutpāda
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Doctrine
Object
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī

Transliteration

a1	[wa] ·[pa] ll[e] – – – – [ll]· • ma sa¯ ¯k ma la [k]l· [w]· – ·y· – yo ko ma ksā¯ ¯u^• ykā ssaṃ [ñ]· ṣṣa [y]· ko • e rsnā
a2	ṣṣa yo ko • sn[ai] [e] (–) ·[ṣa] yo ko • e ṅka lñe ma ksu • pi¯ ¯ś e ṅka lñe cci ā ntsi • ma ske [lle] ma ksu • ykā ssaṃ ñe ṣṣe
a3	ma ske lle • e rsnā ssu ma ○ ske lle • snai e rsna ma ske lle • ca me¯ ¯l ma ksu • a ntse ntso ka llā lñe • ktsai tsa ññe
a4	ma ksu • a ntse ntso pke ○ lñe • sru ka lñe ma ksū • a ntse ntso kau ta l[ñ]e • ·e – [w]o tra śa kwi lyyā sa sa pra
a5	tī tya sa mu tpā¯ ¯t \|\| kuse ṣo tri ceṃ śa kwi lyyā sa ntso • ka ṣṣī we s̝s̝aṃ mī ṣe [ra] [pā] ·[ñe] (– – – –) ·ā t·aṃ ·e (–) [s̝a] lle •
a6	[mī] ṣe ne lāṃ sra mta yā mo rnta • śa ktā lye ra ai śa lle • a kwa mpe re ra ñe – – – – – – – – – – – –
b1	tta lle ra ta ka lñe • pyā py[o] [ra] [wa] ·pa lñe • pyā py ai ri ta lñe ra [y]· – – – – – – – – – – – – –
b2	pā kri ne sa lle ra ne sa lñe • o [k]o śe śśa [n]mu ra ca me¯ ¯l^• o ko ntse – – – – – – – – – – – – [l]ñ·
b3	ra sru ka lñe • na no we ○ s̝s̝aṃ \|\| te te [m]u ta ṅki ta rre kra [a] kn[ā] tsa ññe [•] – – mo ṣe pi ta ṅki ta rre
b4	ka ntse trā ppa lle ra [yā] ○ mo rnta • ta trā ppa ṣ[e] pi kl[ā] [y]a lñe ra śa ktā lye • ka klā ya ṣe pi pī le
b5	yā mu ra ñe me r·a – [p]e [ṭā] la ntse ko yñi ra ṣka syä llo¯ ¯ñ pī le nä tkau ra ta ka lñ[e] • ·ä tkau pī le ra ṣe¯ ¯k la kle
b6	[w]a rpa lñe • – – – – lñe ra yo ko • pi le ·e sā· ·e – – lñe ra e ṅ[ka] lñe • pi le [ntse] pke lñe ra ne sa l[ñ]e •

Transcription

a1	(warpalñe) (mäksu) (•) (sak) wa(r)palle (lakle) (warpa)ll(e) • ma sak ma lakl(e) w(arpal)y(e) (•) yoko mäksā_u ykāssäṃñ(e)ṣṣa y(o)ko • ersnā¬
a2	¬ṣṣa yoko • snai e(rsnāṣ)ṣa yoko • eṅkalñe mäksu • piś eṅkalñecci āntsi • mäskelle mäksu • ykāssäṃñeṣṣe
a3	mäskelle • ersnāssu mäskelle • snai ersna mäskelle • camel mäksu • antsentso källālñe • ktsaitsäññe
a4	mäksu • antsentso pkelñe • srukalñe mäksū • antsentso kautalñe • (s)e (klyo)woträ śak wi lyyāsasa pra¬
a5	¬tītyasamutpāt ॥ k_use ṣotri ceṃ śak wi lyyāsantso • käṣṣī weṣṣäṃ mīṣe rapā(l)ñe (ramt) – (akn)āt(s)aṃ(ñ)e (lkā)ṣ(ṣ)älle •
a6	mīṣene lāṃs ramtä yāmornta • śäktālye ra aiśalle • akwam pere ra ñe(m) (ersna) – – – – – – – – –
b1	ttalle ra takälñe • pyāpyo ra wa(r)palñe • pyāpyai ritalñe ra y(oko) – – – – – – – – – – – –
b2	pākri nesalle ra nesalñe • oko śeśśanmu ra camel okontse (pkelñe) (ra) (ktsaitsäññe) (•) (okontse) (kauta)lñ(e)
b3	ra srukalñe • nano weṣṣäṃ ॥ tetemu täṅki tärrek ra aknātsaññe • (tete)moṣepi täṅki tärre¬
b4	¬käntse trāppalle ra yāmornta • tatrāppaṣepi klāyalñe ra śäktālye • kaklāyaṣepi pīle
b5	yāmu ra ñem er(sn)a (•) peṭāläntse koyñi ra ṣkas yälloñ pīle nätkau ra takälñe • (n)ätkau pīle ra ṣek lakle
b6	warpalñe • (sāṃtke) (rita)lñe ra yoko • pile(n)e sā(ṃtk)e (laupa)lñe ra eṅkalñe • pilentse pkelñe ra nesalñe •

Translation

a1	(What is sensation) [vedanā-]?
a1	Experiencing pleasure, experiencing suffering; experiencing neither pleasure nor suffering.
a1	What is thirst [tṛṣṇā-]?
a1+	Thirst pertaining to sensuality; thirst pertaining to form; thirst pertaining to the formless.
a2	What is attachment [upādāna-]?
a2	The five aggregates [skandha-] of attachment.
a2	What is existence [bhava-]?
a2+	sensual existence; material existence; immaterial existence.
a3	What is birth [jāti-]?
a3	Acquisition of the aggregates.
a3+	What is old age? [jarā-]
a4	Maturation of the aggregates.
a4	What is death [maraṇa-]?
a4	Splitting of the aggregates.
a4+	This is called the pratītyasamutpāda- with twelve parts.
a5	What is the mark [lakṣaṇa-] of these twelve parts?
a5	The teacher states:
a5	One (should) (see) ignorance (like) plowing a field.
a6	The acts [are] like work in a field.
a6	Consciousness [is] like the seed.
a6	Name [and] (form) [nāma-rūpa-] [are] like sprout [and] stalk.
a6+	Contact [is] like ...-ing.
b1	Sensation [is] like the flower.
b1	Thirst is like desiring the flower.
b1+	Existence is like the (fruit) becoming visible.
b2	The birth is like the fruit being bound.
b2	Old age is like maturation of the fruit.
b2+	Death is like the splitting of the fruit.
b3	Again he states:
b3	Ignorance is like a man born completely blind.
b3+	The acts are like the stumbling of a man born completely blind.
b4	The seed is like the falling of the one who stumbled.
b4+	Name and form is like a wound having been inflicted on the one who has fallen.
b5	The six sense functions [are] like the openings of a boil.
b5	Contact is like the wound having been squeezed.
b5+	The constant sensation of suffering is like the wound having been squeezed.
b6	Thirst is like desiring a remedy.
b6	Attachment is like rubbing a [scil. unsuitable] remedy on a wound.
b6	Existence is like the festering [lit. maturation] of the wound.