Work in progress

THT 99

Known as:	THT 99; B 99; Bleistiftnummer 2324
Cite this page as:	Melanie Malzahn. "THT 99". 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-tht99 (accessed 10 Jun. 2026).
Edition
Editor:	Melanie Malzahn
Date of online publication:	2015-12-16
Provenience
Main find spot:	Shorchuk
Expedition code:	T III Š 78.7
Collection:	Berlin Turfan Collection
Language and Script
Language:	TB
Linguistic stage:	classical
Script:	classical
Text contents
Title of the work:	Subhāṣitagaveṣin-Jātaka
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Jātaka/Avadāna
Verse/Prose:	prose; verse
Meter:	4343 (4x); 45 (4x)
Object
Manuscript:	Araṇemi α
Following fragment:	THT 100
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	6

Transliteration

a1	/// [ṣ](·) wa lo o lya po tse la kle ssu e re pa¯ ¯st spa rkā ne || tu meṃ wa lo eṃ ṣke to¯ ¯t śo ka gā rne yo psa kra ke cce wa ssi au
a2	/// [k]e plā ce ta pa ttri¯ ¯śä ñä kci ye śai ṣṣe ne ka rsa na lya || tu meṃ ylai ña kte śā mñe śai ṣṣe ne su bhā ṣi ta ga we ṣiṃ lā¯ ¯nt ai śai
a3	/// [ṇa] pra bheṃ ○ ña kte śwe s̝s̝aṃ mai ma ñ[cu] [p]ā lka co¯ ¯mp po trai śai ṣṣe¯ ¯ts• sai mne sa lye su bhā ṣi ta ga ve ṣiṃ la¯ ¯nt• pe lai kne
a4	/// ○ pa¯ ¯st lya ma || vi bhu ṣa ṇa pra bhe we s̝s̝aṃ ña kteṃ¯ ¯ts sa swa kuse pi ksa a yi ne pe lai kne klyau ṣtsi || ylai
a5	/// (·)[ī] ta ma rne : krui pa lsko kā rsau ne ṣe me ślo¯ ¯k klyau ṣtsi a yu ne || ta ne ylai ña kte ya kṣaṃ ñe we¯ ¯s̝ me mī
a6	/// [ta] ga we ṣi¯ ¯ñ la nte e ne pre stmo śle ya rke lā (– –) s̝s̝aṃ o ro ccu wa lo kuce ṣa rmtsa ce meṃ ntsi m(·) (·)e
b1	/// [r](·)¯ ¯mt• lkā tra : tu meṃ wa lo a ñca li ṣa rne yā mu (– –) (·)[c](·) w(·) s̝s̝a(·) pa klyau¯ ¯s̝• mai ma ñcu || tu meṃ we(·) [s̝](·)
b2	/// [ṣ]ṣ[o] rka mñe wī ka ṣṣe ñca snai lyī pa¯ ¯r : po kre ntau na¯ ¯ts• yke po staṃ ṣa rmau ñe ntau ta tā ku : pū dñä kta ññe pe lai
b3	/// ○ ce¯ ¯u sa ñi¯ ¯ś ñke me ṅ[k]i tse te sa pkā rsa¯ ¯ñ• ya ktā¯ ¯ñm ñi : 1 || yā kṣe we s̝s̝aṃ kuse tuṃ tse pi to krui ksa
b4	/// (·)(·)y(·) ṣtsi || ○ ta ne wa lo pa rma ṅka(·) [ce] pi lko sa wa wā ka¯ ¯s̝ e re sa ya kṣaṃ lkā ske ma ne we s̝s̝aṃ pa klyau¯ ¯s̝ snai mi
b5	/// m[e]ṃ we s̝s̝aṃ || pa ṇḍu rā ṅka ññe ne || mā su nta ksa ka lpā stra wä ntre : e ṣke ṣa¯ ¯ñ śau¯ ¯l te pkā rsa klyo mai : pe lai kne(·) tse ṣa rmtsa preṃ
b6	/// mo¯ ¯ymä mā rī ñī ma¯ ¯r || yā kṣe we s̝s̝aṃ kuce a kā lksa to tteṃ pe lai kne klyau ṣtsi ā ñma nta¯ ¯r• || wa lo we s̝s̝aṃ snai yo lya po pa

(continues on THT 100)

Transcription

a1	/// (subhāṣitagave)ṣ(i) walo olyapotse läklessu ere päst sparkā-ne ॥ tumeṃ walo eṃṣke tot śokagārne yopsa krakecce wassi au¬
a2	¬(su)n1 (॥) (sā) (no) (ña)ke plāce tapattriś ñäkciye śaiṣṣene kärsanalya ॥ tumeṃ ylai-ñakte śāmñe śaiṣṣene subhāṣitagaweṣiṃ lānt aiśai
a3	n1n2 (yāmormeṃ) (vibhuṣa)ṇaprabheṃ ñakteś weṣṣäṃ maimañcu pālka comp po trai śaiṣṣets saim nesalye subhāṣitagaveṣiṃ lant pelaikne
a4	n2n3 /// päst lyama ॥ vibhuṣaṇaprabhe weṣṣäṃ ñakteṃts saswa kuse pi ksa ayi-ne pelaikne klyauṣtsi ॥ ylai¬
a5	¬(ñakte)n4 (weṣṣäṃ) /// (r)ītamar-ne : krui palsko kārsau-ne ṣeme ślok klyauṣtsi ayu-ne ॥ tane ylai-ñakte yakṣaṃñe weṣ memī¬
a6	¬(sku) /// (subhāṣi)tagaweṣiñ lante enepre stm{o→au} śle yarke lā(ntäśc) (we)ṣṣäṃ oroccu walo kuce ṣarmtsa ce meṃntsi m· ·e
b1	n5 /// r(a)mt lkāträ : tumeṃ walo añcali ṣarne yāmu (yākṣeṃś)c() w(e)ṣṣä(ṃ) päklyauṣ maimañcu ॥ tumeṃ we(ṣ)ṣ(äṃ)
b2	n6n7n8 ///

1a	(aknātsaññe)ṣṣ= ; orkamñe ; wīkäṣṣeñca ; snai lyīpär :
1b	po krentaunats ; yke-postäṃ ; ṣarm auñent{au→o} ; tatāk{u→au} :
1c	pūdñäktäññe ; pelaib3(kne) 8σ ///
1d	ceusa ñiś ñke ; meṅkitse ; tesa pkārsa-ñ ; yakt-āñm ñi : 1 ॥

*	yākṣe weṣṣäṃ kuse tuṃtse pito krui ksa
b4	n9 /// (kl)y(au)ṣtsi ॥ tane walo pärmaṅkä(c)ce pilkosa wawākaṣ eresa yakṣaṃ lkāskemane weṣṣäṃ päklyauṣ snai mi°
b5	n10 /// (tu)meṃ weṣṣäṃ ॥ paṇḍurāṅkäññene ॥

1a	mā su nta ksa ; kälpāsträ wäntre :
1b	e{ṃ}ṣke ṣañ śaul ; te pkārsa klyomai :
1c	pelaikne(ṃ)tse ; ṣarmtsa preṃb6(tse)n10n11 (ñiś)

*	(ce) (śaulne) (sta)moym mā rīñīmar ॥ yākṣe weṣṣäṃ kuce akālksa totteṃ pelaikne klyauṣtsi āñmantar ॥ walo weṣṣäṃ snaiy olyapo pa¬
*	¬(ñäkteññe) (perne)

(continues on THT 100)

Translation

a1	... King (Subhāṣitagave)ṣin [became] very sorrowful,
a1	the color disappeared from his [face].
a1+	Then he even entered into the lamentation room (having) put on a dirty garment.
a2	Now (then this) [following] dialogue has to be understood [to take place] in the divine world of the Trāyastriṃśa gods:
a2+	Threupon lord Indra (after having taken) notice of king Subhāṣitagaveṣin in the world of men says to god (Vibhū)ṣaṇaprabha:
a3	"O excellent one, look at that king Subhāṣitagaveṣin [who] ought to be a refuge for all three worlds!
a3+	(In order to hear) the Law he sits away ..."
a4	Vibhūṣaṇaprabha says:
a4	"O lord of the gods, will anybody give him the Law to hear?"
a4+	Lord Indra (says):
a5	"I will seek ...
a5	If I know his mind [to be righteous], I will give him one strophe to hear."
a5+	Then lord Indra (having) taken on the appearance of a Yakṣa,
a6	... having placed himself in front of king (Subhāṣi)tagaveṣin says with deference (to) the king:
a6+	"O great king, for what reason (has) this sorrow (befallen you) ...
b1	... as if ... is visible."
b1	Thereupon the king, having folded the palms of his hands, says to the (Yakṣa):
b1	"Listen, o excellent one!"
b1+	Thereupon he says:
b2	(In the tune ...:) ... Destroying the darkness of ignorance without a trace is the cause [and] beginning of all virtues step by step. The Law of the Buddha...
b3	... I [am] deprived of it now.
b3	Because of this understand my feeble state!"
b3	The Yakṣa says:
b3+	"What [would be] the price if someone (gave you the Law) to hear?"
b4	Then the king having flourished with a hopeful gaze [and] looking over the figure of the Yakṣa says:
b4+	"Listen without (disturbance ?)!
b5	... Thereupon (the king) says:
b5	In the [tune] Paṇḍurāṅkäññe:
b5	"Nothing indeed is obtained [more dearly] than one's own life.
b5	Know this, o noble one!
b5+	For the sake of the Law I would instantly renounce (this life of mine)
b6	[and] not adhere [to it]."
b6	The Yakṣa says:
b6	"For what reason do you desire to hear the Law so extremely?"
b6	The king says:
b6	"Incomparable [is] (the dignity of Buddhahood) ...
b3	[1d]

(continues on THT 100)

Commentary

Linguistic commentary

*	The texts has some misspellings of vowels. In contrast, the spelling of the compounds ylai-ñakte (a2, a5) and yakt-āñm (b3) and the gen.pl. ñakteṃts (a4) rather seem to indicate accent shift to the first syllable.

Philological commentary

*	Restoration according to Sieg/Siegling in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 34, fn. 4.
n1	Some form of the root yām- followed at the beginning of a3 from the phrase "to take notice of". Sieg/Siegling suggested to restore yāmormeṃ.
n2	Thomas in Sieg and Siegling 1983: 251 suggests to restore to (klyauṣalñentse pelkiṃ lantuññe) "er hat, (um) das Gesetz (zu hören) [wörtl. "(um des Hörens) des Gesetzes (willen)"], (die Königswürde) hinangesetzt". I doubt, however, that päst lämā- can have this meaning; it rather refers to the king having taken refuge in the chamber of lamentation.
n3	According to Sieg/Siegling in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 35, fn. 5, approx. nine akṣaras are missing at the beginning of the line.
n4	According to Sieg/Siegling in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 35, fn. 6, approx. eleven akṣaras are missing at the beginning of the line.
n5	According to Sieg/Siegling in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 35, fn. 11, approx. twelve akṣaras are missing at the beginning of the line.
n6	According to Sieg/Siegling in in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 35, fn. n12, approx. 10-11 akṣaras are missing at the beginning of the line, which included the name of a tune of 4x14 syllables. Restoration to (aknātsaññe)ṣṣ=orkamñe likewise according to Sieg/Siegling. Couvreur 1954c: 105 further seems to propose restoration of pudñäktäññe perne vel sim. ("(De boeddhawaardigkeit) verdrijft sporloos de duisternis der (onwetendheit)", but pāda 1a is already complete by the restoration of (aknātsaññe)ṣṣ=. Thomas in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 250 takes pelaikne as subject.
n7	The spelling auñentau tatāku for auñento tatākau is rather due to miscopying than to hypercorrection.
n8	Couvreur 1954c: 105 translates yakt-āñm with "moedeloosheid" ("despondency"), Thomas in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 250 with "Minderwertigkeit" ("inferiority").
n9	A possible restoration at the end might be snai mi(yäṣṣälñe) "without harm, disturbance".
n10	Restoration according to Sieg/Siegling in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 35, fn. 19.
n11	Restoration according to Thomas in Sieg and Siegling 1953: 251, Couvreur 1954c: 105 likewise translates "boeddhawaardigheid".

Alternative linguistic/paleographic classifications

Tamai 2011	C5
Tamai 2011	C14

References

Online access

IDP: THT 99; TITUS: THT 99

Edition

Sieg and Siegling 1953: 34-35

Translations

Carling 2000: a6 (357), b5 (323); Couvreur 1954c: a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 a6 b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (105); Hackstein 1995: b4 (128f); Peyrot 2013b: a4 (307, 362), a5 (669); Schmidt 1974: b5 (215f), b6 (145); Sieg and Siegling 1983: a3 (251), a3 a4 (251), a4 (250), b4 (251), b5 (251), b6 (251); Thomas 1952: a3 (27); Thomas 1954: a1 (762), a4 (730), a5 (730), b6 (719); Thomas 1957: a3 a4 (182); Thomas 1958a: a1 (166); Thomas 1967b: a3 (22); Thomas 1979b: b3 (56), b4 (7)