THT 290

Known as:	THT 290; B 290
Cite this page as:	Adrian Musitz (translation). "THT 290". 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-tht290 (accessed 11 Jun. 2026).
Edition
Editor:	Adrian Musitz (translation)
Provenience
Main find spot:	Kocho
Expedition code:	T I D 1
Collection:	Berlin Turfan Collection
Language and Script
Language:	TB
Linguistic stage:	classical
Script:	classical
Text contents
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Kāvya
Verse/Prose:	verse
Meter:	553 (4x), 44445 (1x)
Object
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	7

Transliteration

a1	¯t wä rñai yā ma(·) wr[o] tstsa na te lka nma • pa ñcwa rṣi ka nta ka ko nta wro cceṃ sta ma ṣṣaṃ ce lā ma ñña na ai nwa tā yo rnta sta ye ttse [ma] ///
a2	ks̝aṃ ya rpo sa ā streṃ 3 ya rke ṣe yā mi ki ṭa nma sa a rha nte ntso • pa rkreṃ pre ke ntsa ma ntra pra tyai ka pu dñä kte¯ ¯ts^• • e ri ta r·· ///
a3	yā mta rde śi¯ ¯t^• su ce¯ ¯u^• yu ks̝aṃ ya rpo sau rce me ñe ści riṃ ra 4 pta nma wro tsa na ṣe śa ri rtsa na ya mī tra [•] ///
a4	śi kṣa pā¯ ¯t^• a ke sso¯ ¯nt^• ā stre ka tko ṣwa¯ ¯t^• yā mta¯ ¯r^• de śi to • su ya rpo po yu ks̝aṃ no ṣwe¯ ¯nt^• kauṃ ñä kte ra ///
a5	ā streṃ ya rpo sa su pa ṣṣī ta¯ ¯r^• pa pā ṣṣo rñe • ka tko ṣwa¯ ¯t^• tra ṅko ta rko¯ ¯yä ma ntā rtte pre ntse ra • ru tka lyño n[mi] ///
a6	ṅko lmo yai ṣe¯ ¯k^• i ma ssu 6 te ke śta ttā rmeṃ o nmiṃ mai yyā tstse e ri ta¯ ¯r^• e pya¯ ¯cä ka lo yta¯ ¯r^• la li wro tsa na ///
a7	(·)[k]wa nmā rtte a ñma ntse • nā ṭa¯ ¯k^• ktse ra yä kne yä kne ā ñma myā ska te we sa ñka rtse¯ ¯śä snai ke¯ ¯śä ///

3a	3σ a1 t wärñai ; yāmä(ṃ) wrotstsana ; telkanma •
3b	pañcwarṣikänta ; kakonta wrocceṃ ; stamäṣṣaṃ
3c	celāmäññana ; ain wat= āyornt= ; asta yettse
3d	mä° /// 12σ
3e	15σ a2 kṣäṃ ; yarposa āstreṃ 3
4a	yarke ṣe yāmi ; kiṭanmasa ; arhantentso •
4b	pärkreṃ prekentsa ; mant ra pratyaika;-pudñäktets •
4c	eritär ·· /// 10σ
4d	13σ
4e	4σ a3 ; yāmtär deśit ; su ce_u yukṣäṃ ; yarpos= aurce ; meñe ściriṃ ra 4
5a	ptanma wrotsana ; ṣe śarirtsana ; yamīträ •
5b	/// 13σ
5c	10σ a4 śikṣapāt
5d	akessont āstre ; kätkoṣ wat yāmtär ; deśito •
5e	su yarpo po ; yukṣäṃ noṣwent ; kauṃñäkte ra ; /// 9σ
6a	13σ
6b	a5 āstreṃ yarposa ; su paṣṣītär ; papāṣṣorñe •
6c	kätkoṣ wat traṅko ; tarkoy mant= ārtte ; prentse ra •
6d	rutkalyñ= onmi /// 9σ
6e	14σ a6 ṅkolmo ; yai ṣek imassu 6
7a	te keś tattārmeṃ ; onmiṃ maiyyātstse ; eritär
7b	epyac kaloytar ; lali wrotsana ; /// 3σ
7c	13σ
7d	5σ ; 2σ a7 (s)kwanm= ārtte ; añmantse •
7e	nāṭakktse ra ; yäkne yäkne ; āñm{†ä} myāskate ; wesäñ kartseś ; snai keś

a1	If he makes great sacrifices, the aśvamedha etc., if he establishes five-year-festivals and great invitations, or if he gives cmelāmäññana-gifts, bones and skin... he (overcomes) with pure deed...
a2	(Even) if one, as a single person, would honor tens of millions of Arhants for long periods of time (and) in this same manner Pratyeka-Buddhas, even if one would evoke..., - if one confesses, he surpasses such a one with his great deed, like the moon the stars.
a3	Even if a single person makes big stūpas with remains, ... if he confesses to transgressing a pure, foremost (?) commandment, this deed surpasses every earlier (deed), like the sun...
a4+	... (even) if he observed good behavior with pure deed, if he let go in an instant a sin he committed, ... removal... regret..., mindful (like) an elephant went...
a6	May the powerful one, having taken this into account, evoke regret.
a6	May he remember exertion... great...
a6+	... disregard... his own happiness...
a7	Like an actor, he changed himself in manifold ways for our good, without number.

a1+	One may carry out great sacrifices such as the aśvamedha, one may establish pañcavarṣikas and great invitations, or one may give prominent (?) gifts [such as] bones, skin, … (—if one confesses, then this) surpasses [it] through its pure merit. (cf 260) (Peyrot 2013b: 331)
a2+	One might honour koṭis (tens of millions) of arhats, and likewise during a long time pratyekabuddhas, one might evoke …—if one confesses, this surpasses it through extensive merit like the moon the stars. (cf 412) (Peyrot 2013b: 331)
a3	... [wenn] er Beichte ablegt, [so] übertrifft sie [scil. die Beichte] es [das andere Verdienst(?)] durch [ihr] hohes [wtl. breites] Verdienst wie der Mond die Sterne. (Schmidt 1974: 412)
a3	Möge einer große Stūpas mit Reliquien anlegen, ... (Schmidt 1974: 462)
a3+	One might bestow relics [unto] great stūpas, …—if one confesses that one has broken the pure prescriptions, this merit surpasses all earlier [merit] like the sun (the clouds?) … (cf 98) (Peyrot 2013b: 332)

*	Only one side is written on.

Tamai 2011	C1
Tamai 2011	C14

Hackstein 1995: a3 (98), a4 (98), a5 (174), a7 (194); Meunier 2013: a1 (176), a3 (159); Peyrot 2013b: a1 a2 (331), a2 a3 (331), a3 a4 (332); Schmidt 1974: a3 (412, 462), a3 (412), a3 (462); Thomas 1957: a6 (69), a7 (194); Thomas 1968: a3 (209); Thomas 1969: a3 (252), a4 (252); Thomas 1970: a1 (260); Thomas 1983: a6 (20)