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Nanda the merchant1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Extract

The story of the merchant Nanda is told in Khotanese on a roll now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, P(elliot) 2834. The first five lines are a document, transliterated by our honorand in KT, III, 77. Thereafter comes the Nanda story. The story is incomplete, although the roll is blank at the end and the text finishes in mid-line at 1. 58 with a double daṇḍa. Even the final sentence is incomplete. The reason for this unfortunate circumstance is unknown.

Type
Articles and Notes and Communications
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1970

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References

2 Bendall, C., Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts in the University Library, Cambridge, Cambridge, 1883, p. 135Google Scholar.

3 As the Sanskrit text has not been published I quote it in the following footnotes. I have chosen those passages that most closely resemble the Khotanese version.

4 tadyathānuśrūyate śrāvastyāṃ namdo nāma sārthavāhaḥ prativasati sma (33 r 2–3).

5 mātsaryābhyāsāt tu notsahate sma hiṃ cid api kasmai cit pradātum (33 r 4).

6 vanīyakās tasya gṛhājirebhyo vrajaṃti niśvasya visuṣka-vaktrāḥ (33 v 4).

7 nāmāpi tasya parikīrtya kila prabhāte lebhe na kaś cid aśanam divasāvasāne (34 r 1).

8 caṇḍāla-nāryāḥ pratisa(ṃ)dhi-vaṃdhaṃ cakāra kukṣau kṣata-locanāyāḥ (34 v 2–3).

9 aṃdhā vṛddhā daridrā ca ca(ṃ)ṇḍālī dīrgha-rogiṇī (34 v 4).

10 atha sā vṛddha-caṇḍālī kramerṇa dārakaṃ prasū. tasyā etad abhūt: nūnam ahaṃ devatābhir anukaṃpitā yena me putrako jāto. niyatam ayam āyuṣmdn abhivar(d)dhamāno mamāṃdhāyā yaṣṭi-bhūto bhaviṣyatīti. sā praharṣākṣipta-hrdayā samīpa-parivart(t)anī(ṃ) caṇḍālīm avravtt: jñāyatāṃ tāvad bhaginī kīdrśo ‘yaṃ dāraka iti. sā tam ālokyāvravīt: aṃdhah saṃkucita-gātras tava putro 'yaṃ īdrśah. sā nairāśāpahata-santānā āha: hā hā hatāham adhanyety (34 v 5–35 r 3).

11 atha sā ja(ṃ)rjara-cṇḍdālī hṛta-vyasana-vikṛta-hṛdayā sasvaraṃ ruroda: patitāham anarthakardame chalitā pūṛva-krteṇa karmaṇā. kim ayaṃ mṛta-māritā kṛtā vidhinā niṣkaruṇena me punaḥ (35 r 4–6).

12 apayukta-vilocanāṃ satāṃ (a)śana-pravaṇādai-vrjitāṃ jaratīṃ upahatya ko guṇo vada māṃ nirghṛṇa-citta daiva he. evam anyathā ca sā tapasvinī vahu-prakāraṃ viruroda. atha garbhamalopalipta-dehaṃ tanayaṃ taṃ mahītale sā vinicikṣepa (35 v 2–4).

13 atha sa ca(ṃ)ḍāla-dārako daiva-sāmarthyāt krameṇa yadā caṃkramaṇa-kṣamaḥ saṃvṛttas tadāsya mātrā daṇḍa(ḥ)-khaṇḍam adhvakaṃ cārp(p)itaṃ gṛchedāniṃ adhanyānubhavāśubhānāṃ karmaṇāṃ phala-vipākam iti. atha sa caṇḍāla-śiśur bhikṣā-hetoś caṃdanasyaiva gṛham upajagāma (36 r 6–36 v 2).

14 adrākṣīc candanaḥ sārthavāhas taṃ cāṇḍāla-kumārakaṃ daṇḍa-khaṇḍa-śarāva-vyagra-hastaṃ. Iālā-jala-pariklinna-vadanaṃ bhinibhināyamāna-makṣikā-śata-nipāta-bhūtaṃ. vāhyādhyātmikamalopahata-gātraṃ rathyā-veṇu-vir(ū)kṣita-katipaya-śiroruhaṃ (36 v 3–5).

15 dṛṣtvā ca dauvārikam avravīt: are kāpuruṣa nirvāsayainam amaṃgalam na lakṣmīkam aprekṣaṣīyaṃ caṇḍālādhamaṃ tathā cainaṃ nirbhatsaya yathā na punar ihāgached iti. sa tatheti pratiśrutya taṃ ca(ṃ)ṇḍāla-kumārakaṃ daṇḍena prerayāmāsa paruṣām udgiran giraṃ: yadi tvāṃ punar āyātam iha paśyāmi kaśmala(ṃ) asmāt kaṣṭataraṃ te 'haṃ kariṣyāmīti (37 r 4–37 v 1).

16 Frisk, H., Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg, 1954–, 422Google Scholar.

17 Chantraine, P., Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque, I, Paris, 1968Google Scholar.

18 In Skt. bhāga- is used in this type of context, cf. Suv., ed. Nobel, J., p. 193Google Scholar, 1. 6 (with references in n. 22).