YQ I.1

Known as:	YQ I.1; YQ 1.30
Cite this page as:	"YQ I.1". 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-yqi1 (accessed 17 Nov. 2025).
Provenience
Main find spot:	Qigexing
Collection:	Xinjiang Museum (Ürümchi)
Language and Script
Language:	TA
Script:	classical
Text contents
Title of the work:	Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka
Passage:	Act 1.1
Text genre:	Literary
Text subgenre:	Drama
Verse/Prose:	prose; verse
Meter:	543 (4x)
Object
Manuscript:	Yanqi
Material:	ink on paper
Form:	Poṭhī
Number of lines:	8

Images

Transliteration

a1	/// (–) brā mnā¯ ¯ñä ca ra ki pa ri vrā
a2	/// k· tkmāṃ nāṃ tsu¯ ¯s̝ ṣñi ṣñi ka lyme yaṃ lo
a3	/// [ñä] kta sā śa śä rsu bā dha riṃ brā hmaṃ ra ryu ra
a4	/// [de] ś·¯ ¯[c] ·[ma]¯ ¯s̝ \|\| pu rṇa ke tra ṅka¯ ¯s̝ ce ṣpe nu ñä kci ñi
a5	/// – ṅka¯ ¯s̝ p· cä swa sku cne wai śra vaṃ wä¯ ¯l pā ṣā na kṣu laṃ klyo ma¯ ¯nt me t[ra]
a6	/// [t]· ta preṃ klyo mme tra¯ ¯k śma s̝ta preṃ pa rmā wa¯ ¯s ptā ñka tka ṣṣiṃ lkā lu n[e] – –
a7	/// ¯s̝t ṣu pi cä¯ ¯s lcä rpo¯ ¯ñśä \|\| pra ve śa kkā¯ ¯r \|\| \|\| sā snu tā pa¯ ¯rk plā¯ ¯cä da
a8	/// [s̝]a ku mse¯ ¯ñcä klyo ma¯ ¯nt me tra kaṃ ne ṣo ntā pa ñkä¯ ¯nt ma na rkā syo wo rpu • nmo
b1	/// [tra] ṅka¯ ¯s̝ klyo mme tra¯ ¯k kā tkmāṃ na sa mse ku cne pa rno¯ ¯nt wra so ma nta śśä¯ ¯l
b2	/// – [pe] nu tā pa¯ ¯rk o ṅkra ci wā kma tsaṃ • bra mla me ka lpā lu ne ṣiṃ ā kā lyo
b3	/// wā pa lkā rse \|\| e twaṃ \|\| nmu ks̝a kpi wä knā ku sne wa s̝ta¯ ¯s̝ la ntu ṣne¯ ¯ñcä : [b]··
b4	/// – ga ve¯ ¯yñä ā ji vi kā¯ ¯ñä ni gra nthā¯ ¯ñä : go vra du lu ki kā ṣā l[i] kā
b5	/// – n[ä]¯ ¯s̝ : sā ṅkhya vai śe ṣi¯ ¯k ve dā yu rve¯ ¯t lo kā yaṃ
b6	/// – pki¯ ¯s e¯ ¯l wsā : 2 ku spa tnu ā nā stā lo
b7	/// – e [kr]o rñe yā lo ka ṣye¯ ¯ñcä : pki¯ ¯s pu¯ ¯k
b8	/// – e la [e] ṣla ckā swa pa lskā ñma ska ntra

Transcription

a1	/// (sarvapāṣāṇḍik) (talke) (•) (lo) (armāṃ) (lkātär) (k_uyalte) (•) (ceṣ) (yāvśi) – – – – brāmnāñ caraki parivrā¬
a2	¬(jaki)n1 (•) (nmuk) (ṣäk) (pi) (wäknā) (waṣtäṣ) (lantuṣ) /// (luneyā) k(ā)tkmāṃ nāṃtsuṣ ṣñi ṣñi kälymeyaṃ lo
a3	n2 (yiñc) (॥) (haimavati) (träṅkäṣ) (tāpärk) (ṣakkats) (klyom) (metrak) (śuddhavāṣinäs) ñäktasā śaśärsu bādhariṃ brāhmaṃ raryurä¬
a4	¬(ṣ)n3 /// (ptāñktac) (waṣtäṣ) (läntassi) (dakṣināpathäṣ) (madhya)deś(a)c (ś)mäṣ ॥ purṇake träṅkäṣ ceṣ penu ñäkciñi
a5	(lāñś) (wasā-k) (särki) (lo) (kakmuṣ) (॥) (sātāgiri) (trä)ṅkäṣ p(i)cäs was kuc ne waiśravaṃ wäl pāṣānak ṣulaṃ klyomänt meträ¬
a6	¬(kyāp)n4 (mosaṃ) (ārwar) (yatsi) (wotka-m) (täm) (pyāmä){t→s} täpreṃ klyom metrak śmaṣ täpreṃ parmā was ptāñkät käṣṣiṃ lkālune – –
a7	n5 /// (pyāmtsāc) (॥) (haimavati) – – – – – (weñā)ṣt ṣu picäs lcär poñś ॥ praveśakk ār ॥ ॥ sās nu tāpärk plāc da¬
a8	¬(kṣiṇāpathaṃ)n6 /// (kärsnālyi) (•) (tmä)ṣ{†ä} kumseñc klyomänt metrakäṃ neṣontā päñ känt manarkāsyo worpu • nmo¬
b1	¬(sāṃ) (kapśiñño) (bādhari) (brāhmaṃ) (•) (meträkyāp) (tsarā) (tsitoräṣ) /// träṅkäṣ klyom metrak kātkmāṃ nasam se kuc ne parnont wrasomäntaśśäl
b2	n7 /// ·(i) (kurosāṃ) (kapśiñño) penu tāpärk oṅkraci wākmatsäṃ • bram lame kälpāluneṣiṃ ākālyo
b3	n8 /// (sarvapāṣāṇḍik) (talke) (śaśmā)wā pälkār se ॥ etwaṃ ॥

1a	nmuk ṣäk pi wäknā ; kus ne waṣtäṣ ; lantuṣ neñc :
1b	b(rā)b4(mnāñ)n9 (caraki) ; (nagni) (pari);(vrājaki) (:)
1c	– – /// – gaveyñ ; ājivikāñ ; nigranthāñ :
1d	govraduluki;kāṣālikāb5(ñ)n10 ; – – – (:) (1)
2a	/// 11σ – näṣ :
2b	sāṅkhya vaiśeṣik ; vedāyurvet ; lokāyaṃ b6 (:)
2c	12σ
2d	/// 9σ – ; pkis el wsā : 2
3a	kus pat nu ānās ; tālo b7 5σ
3b	/// 5σ – ; ekrorñeyā ; lokäṣ yeñc :
3c	pkis puk b8 10σ
3d	/// 2σ – el{†ä} eṣlac ; kāswa-pälskāñ ; mäskanträ

Translation

a1	.. (the Sarvapāṣāṇḍika sacrifice is seen coming to an end.
a1	Why that?
a1+	These yāvśi..., ...) Brahmins, wandering religious students, religious mendicants, (those who left their homes) in ninety-six ways were delighted by (the receiving of alms), (return) each in his own direction.
a3	\|\| Haima(vati) (say)s:
a3+	Now, surely the noble Metrak was instructed by the Śuddhāvāsa gods: Having left Bādhari the Brahmin ... (in order to leave his home to go to the Buddha) he will come (from Dakṣiṇāpatha to Madhyadeśa).
a4	\|\| Pūrṇaka says:
a4+	Also these divine (kings have come following us.
a5	\|\| (Sātagiri) says:
a5	Let us go!
a5+	As King Vaiśravaṇa on Pāṣāṇaka Hill (has given ... order) (to prepare for the sake of the noble Metrak, let us do the same!)
a6	The so noble Metrak will come,
a6+	so we on our part (let us do) that (because of our wish) to see the Buddha, the teacher!
a7	\|\| Haima(vati says:
a7	Well) spoken!
a7	Let us go away from here!
a7	All went away.
a7	\|\| The interlude ends. \|\|
a7+	The (following) part must now be (understood as) taking place in Dakṣiṇā(patha) ...
a8	Then they come, with the noble Metrak in the lead,
a8+	surrounded by five hundred disciples, with bent body, Bādhari the Brahmin, (having touched) ... with the hand of Metrak, says:
b1+	Noble Metrak, I am full of joy, my son, as ... together with a radiant being ... (already 120 years old), with a worn body too, now with the wish to obtain the excellent immortality, the position of Brahmā, ... I (have arranged the Sarvapāṣāṇḍika sacrifice.)
b3	Look here, my son!
b3	\|\| In the Etu [tune] \|\|
b3	Those who have left their home in ninety-six ways, Brahmins, wandering religious students, naked pilgrims, religious mendicants, ... -gaveyñ, Ājīvikas, Nigranthas, ascetics living after the mode of cows and given to severe austerities, etc. ... Sāṅkhya, Vaiśeṣika, Veda, Āyurveda, Lokāyata, ...
b6	... to everybody I gave alms.
b6+	Whoever (was) poor and miserable, ... they go away (free of) poverty. To everyone (I gave) all
b8	... they are full of sympathy for those to be given alms.
a6	\|\|
b6	2.

Other

a4	In order to leave his home for the Buddha he will come from Dakṣiṇāpatha to Madhyadeśa. (cf 23) (Peyrot 2013b: 626)
a6	The so noble Maitreya will come. (23) (Peyrot 2013b: 628)

Commentary

Linguistic commentary

*	This commentary is adapted from Ji et al. 1998: 26.
n1	Leaving the house: “to become a monk”.

Parallel texts

*	A 288; A 293; MaitrHami 1, 6-8

Philological commentary

*	This is not the real beginning of the 1st act. According to the Old Uyghur version, there is a rather long story before this page, cf. MaitrHami 1, leaf 1-6 b onwards (see Ji et al. 1998: 3-4). In A 288: b1 onwards we find the same text which in some way may complement our text.
*	-gaveyñ: Carling et al. 2009: 237 suggests restoration to (yo)gaveyñ, “possessor of the science of Yoga”.
n2	For Śuddhāvāsa gods cf. Skt. śuddhāvāsa- ‘pure abode’.
n3	Madhyadeśa, a Skt. word, denotes the region between Himālaya in the north and Vindya mountains in the south, Vinaśana in the west and Prayāga in the east. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-xian translated it literally with Zhongguo ‘Middle Region’.
n4	śmaṣ: Sic! The reading is sure, against expected śmas̝ (= śmäṣ), as in A 288: b4.
n5	poñś: equivalent to Skt. niṣkrāntāḥ sarve, vide A 253: a5, A 287 and 259: b2, A 297: a8, A 299: a7; these are technical terms used in Skt. dramas. praveśakk ār: equivalent to Skt. praveśakaḥ samāptaḥ.
n6	worpu is the correct reading; wopu in A 288: b6 is an error.
n7	This line has been complemented according to MaitrHami 1, 7 b1-2 (cf. Ji et al. 1998: 18). Carling et al. 2009: 32-33 translates: “with the wish to obtain immortality and the excellent abode of Brahman”.
n8	etwaṃ: three stanzas of 4 x 12 (5/7) syllables. It is remarkable that all names of the tunes are left out in the Uyghur text.
n9	nagni: a sect of Jainism, equivalent to Skt. nagna.
n10	According to MaitrHami 1, 7 b 14 (cf. Ji et al. 1998: 18), there are two more works: purāṇa and vyākaraṇa.

Remarks

*	This fragment contains part of the first act of the Maitreyasamitināṭaka. An Uy. parallel is MaitrHami I, 6b20-8a1; lines a1-b4 here correlate with A 288: b1-8; the end of the verso side correlates with the beginning of A 293. See also Pinault 1999: 193-4.
*	The translation and the following commentary are adapted from Ji et al. 1998: 26.

References

Edition

Ji et al. 1998

Translations

Peyrot 2013b: a4 (626), a6 (628)

Bibliography

Carling et al. 2009

Carling, Gerd, Georges-Jean Pinault, and Werner Winter. 2009. A dictionary and thesaurus of Tocharian A. Volume 1: Letters a-j. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

Ji et al. 1998

Ji, Xianlin, Werner Winter, and Georges-Jean Pinault. 1998. Fragments of the Tocharian A Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka of the Xinjiang Museum, China. Transliterated, translated and annotated by Ji Xianlin in collaboration with Werner Winter, Georges-Jean Pinault. TLSM 113. Berlin/New York: de Gruyter.

Peyrot 2013b

Peyrot, Michaël. 2013b. The Tocharian subjunctive. A study in syntax and verbal stem formation. Vol. 8. Brill’s Studies in Indo-European Languages & Linguistics. Leiden/Boston: Brill.

Pinault 1999

Pinault, Georges-Jean. 1999. “Restitution du Maitreyasamiti-Nāṭaka en tokharien A: Bilan provisoire et recherches complémentaires sur l’acte XXVI.” Tocharian and Indo-European Studies 8: 189–240.