THT 273

Known as:	THT 273; B 273; Bleistiftnummer 2520
Cite this page as:	Adrian Musitz (translation). "THT 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-tht273 (accessed 20 May 2026).
Edition
Editor:	Adrian Musitz (translation)
Provenience
Main find spot:	Kizil Ming-öy
Expedition code:	T III MQ 70.7
Collection:	Berlin Turfan Collection
Language and Script
Language:	TB
Linguistic stage:	archaic
Script:	middle archaic
Text contents
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Buddhastotra
Verse/Prose:	verse
Meter:	444 (4x)
Object
Manuscript:	THT 273-275
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	5

Transliteration

a1	nts[e] ce¯ ¯u ta ñyä kne mā no ā keṃ 20 5 wro cceṃ yśe lmeṃ ri na ske ntra ma nta kā llyai¯ ¯k ///
a2	mai stsi rā mno pa knā ske ntra e na ṣṣe ñcai kre ntka ṣṣī nno ma kca ka llaṃ o tmā cä mpeṃ s̝a [ñ](·) ///
a3	rttse yā mtsi 20 6 tkā rā ○ no twe pwā rmeṃ pa du¯ ¯m wä rmeṃ pwā rrā mā ka yo lo npre ke ///
a4	tsa ṅkā stā kreṃ tpre ke ṣṣeṃ tsa ṅko s̝aṃ ceṃ pū dñä kteṃ npā kre nte¯ ¯u nā sa ṣe mai kne ne¯ ¯st ñä [kt]e ///
a5	snai ke św[ā] we¯ ¯s cī [s]ai myā mo ṣta llā ñci ś[k]aṃ pā ta rmā ta rrī ntsā mte pe[¯] [¯]s[t] ci ṣ[c](·)ī kā ///
b1	no twe rī ne ra me(·) n(·) r[v]vā nṣai pe¯ ¯st o ra sta we¯ ¯s kle śa nmā ṣṣeṃ sā na¯ ¯nts śwā tsi 20 8 ///
b2	cä e re pā te tsā tsai ka rnne tsā ṅkaṃ nno ntwe te ma ntpa rma¯ ¯ṅk ma ske ta rñī we swā tnai ///
b3	ñmā kā ye kte pe rni yu ○ stme wā nnai ta llā ñci śkaṃ mā we stme śca 20 9 ka nte [p]i ///
b4	pi ṅkte tsa ṅkā lle ṣe¯ ¯ī a lle kpo yśī o trā mā kā sne¯ ¯u kī ynā ñma kuce s̝a pno [k]ī ///
b5	pyā ppyai sa s̝a¯ ¯p mā ka sne¯ ¯u kī mā pi ra rkse lle ṣai ta 30 e pe wa tno te [ma] ///

25d	(krent) (käṣṣi)a1ntse ; ce_u täñ yäkne ; mā no ākeṃ 20-5
26a	wrocceṃ yśelmeṃ ; rinäskenträ ; mäntäk āllyaik
26b	– – – – ; a2 maistsi rām no ; päknāskenträ
26c	enäṣṣeñcai ; krent käṣṣīn no ; ma kca källaṃ
26d	ot mā cämpeṃ ; ṣäñ· – – – ; (kä)a3rttse yāmtsi 20-6
27a	tkā rā no twe ; pwārmeṃ padum ; wärmeṃ pwār rā
27b	māka yolon ; preke(ne) (twe) ; (tne) a4 tsäṅkāstā
27c	kreṃt prekeṣṣeṃ ; tsäṅkoṣäṃ ceṃ ; pūdñäkteṃnpā
27d	krente_unāsa ; ṣemaikne nest ; ñäkte(ṃts) (ñakta) (20-7)
28a	a5 snai keś wā wes ; cī saim yāmoṣ ; tallāñciśkaṃ
28b	pātär mātär ; rīntsāmte pest ; ciṣc·īkā –
28c	(masta) b1 no twe ; rīne räme(r) ; n(e)rvvānṣai pest
28d	orästa wes ; kleśänmāṣṣeṃ ; sānänts śwātsi 20-8
29a	(wināskau-)b2cä ; erepāte ; tsātsaikarnne
29b	tsāṅkaṃ nno =ntwe ; te mänt pärmäṅk ; mäsketär ñī
29c	wes wā tnai (tne) ; (yolai)b3ñ mākā ; yekte-perni
29d	yust-me wā nnai ; tallāñciśkaṃ ; mā west-meśca 20-9
30a	känte pi(k_ula) ; (kr_ui) (e)b4piṅkte ; tsäṅkālle ṣe_ī
30b	allek poyśī ; ot rā mākā ; sne_ukī ynāñmä
30c	k_uce ṣäp no k{r_u}ī ; – – – – b5 ; pyāppyaisa ṣäp
30d	māka sne_ukī ; māpi rä{me}r ; kselle ṣaitä 30
31a	epe wat no ; te mä ///

a1	They do not lead the good manner of yours, the good teacher.
a1	Just so, others renounce great desires.
a1+	... they intend to gauge (?)..., as it were.
a2	If they do not find [lit. obtain] any good instructing teacher, then they cannot do good for themselves and for others.
a3	... lotus from fire, fire from water ...
a3+	You arose in a very evil time.
a4	You are equal in your virtues to those Buddha-lords who arose during good times, oh god of gods.
a4+	For in countless numbers we miserable ones have made you our refuge
a5	[and] we abandoned our father and mother for you ...,
a5+	but you quickly went away to the nirvāṇa city
b1	[and] you left us as food to the kleśa enemies.
b1+	I (honour) you in [your] beauty and form.
b2	"It will arise then", thus is my hope.
b2+	For we are very evil here and of little glory;
b3	you turn towards us miserable ones,
b3	[but] you don’t speak to us.
b3+	If another omniscient [Buddha] had arisen within a hundred years, then there [would have been] great need and want,
b4+	because if there [had been] great need comparable to [the rareness of] the (udumbara)-flower, then you would not have been extinguished [so] quickly, would you?

a2+	If they do not find [lit. obtain] any good instructing teacher, then they cannot do good for themselves and for others. (restoration after 165) (Peyrot 2013b: 700)
a5+	whose deliverance is thought of? (Peyrot 2013b: 368)
b3+	If another omniscient [Buddha] had arisen within a hundred years, then there [would have been] great need and want, because if there [had been] great need comparable to [the rareness of] the (udumbara)-flower, then you would not have been extinguished [so] quickly, would you? (Peyrot 2013b: 338)

*	The meter has 4x12 (4/4/4) syllables.

Carling 2000: b1 (161); Krause 1952: a2 (121); Malzahn 2012b: a2 (159), a3 (158); Peyrot 2013b: a2 a3 (700), a5 b1 b2 b3 (368), b3 b4 b5 (338); Thomas 1952: b3 b4 (45); Thomas 1954: b1 (760); Thomas 1958a: a3 a4 (168); Thomas 1995: a3 (54)