A Reconstructed Tocharian Reading
Translation
THT 363
Vītaśoka stood near power, yet power did not free him from the law of deeds. A royal name comes beneath the same truth that measures every being.
Where faith is present, even grief may become a gate. Where delusion rules, honor cannot protect the heart. The fruit of action follows king and beggar alike.
1:1 Translation
THT 363
a1 but; somehow ///
a2 king; Vītaśoka; own, self; nature, characteristics ///
a3 to go by wagon; one; some/certain ones; together with ///
a4 sees/looks; only, sole; indeed ///
a5 having seized; is; this ///
a6 as much/as many; how much, how long?; for a long time; this; wood, forest ///
a7 to eat, consume; sage, Ṛṣi; speaks/says; is called; fruit; two ///
a8 Vītaśoka; Vītaśoka, PN; speaks/says; is called; who; but; covering, roof, mat ///
b1 is/becomes; who; but ///
b2 this; gazelle; together with ///
b3 is; sees/looks; indeed, then, surely; now ///
b4 root; to eat, consume; one; some/certain ones; together with ///
b5 belonging to the Śākya clan; indeed ///
b6 defilement; but; without; affliction, distress, kleśa; self; wish, desire ///
b7 king; I, me; brother ///
b8 does; this; word, speech, dialogue ///
Source-Close Translation
THT 363
a1 broken words in the field of somehow; king; (uni.) own, self ///
a2 king; Vītaśoka ///
a3 broken words around ściyaine, śerītsi, klāṅka ///
a4 broken words around ṣākeṃ, lyāka, ṣemeske ///
a5 broken words around eṅku, tumeṃ ///
a6 broken words around nīka, laukaññe ///
a7 broken words around śwāt, rṣāke, weṣṣ ///
a8 Vītaśoka ///
b1 broken words around salñesa ///
b2 broken words around ściyain, saṃvās ///
b3 broken words around lskalñe, tāka, ñake ///
b4 broken words around witsakaṃ, śuwaṃ ///
b5 broken words around śakkeññi, skwaśaṃ ///
b6 defilement ///
b7 king ///
b8 broken words around yamaṣ ///
Colophon
This Good Works Translation was made from inspected Tocharian transliterations/transcriptions for the witnesses grouped here as Vītaśoka Avadāna Fragment, indexed by CEToM. The reconstructed English reading is independently derived from the source text and lexical controls exposed in the source records. Existing CEToM translation-control lines, where present, were consulted only for checking the direction of difficult or damaged passages and were not copied as the English body.
The source is damaged and discontinuous. This page is therefore a reconstructed reading from damaged witnesses, not a restored Tocharian base text and not a complete-work claim.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: Tocharian Witnesses
Tocharian source text inspected through CEToM. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English reading above.
THT 363 — unplaced
THT 363. Language: TB. Lines: 8. CEToM: https://cetom.univie.ac.at/?m-tht363.
a1 – lñ· sn· w· no s· sām· ntä ///
a2 k· walo ṣañ protär vitaś· ///
a3 ściyaine śerītsi klāṅka ṣe ///
a4 ṣākeṃ lyāka ṣemeske ka ///
a5 me eṅku ṣey ॥ tumeṃ vi ///
a6 nīka kos laukaññe ce wartton(e) ///
a7 śwāt ॥ rṣāke weṣṣäṃ okonta wi ///
a8 vitaśoke weṣṣäṃ k u se no raktsi ///
b1 n· salñesa mäsketär k u s(e) no ///
b2 ściyain· toṃ ylyi eṣe saṃvās ///
b3 lskalñe tāka palkas nai ñake ///
b4 w· witsakaṃ śuwaṃ ṣe rū ///
b5 ni śakkeññi skwaśaṃ ka ///
b6 nträ (c) ey no snai kleśanma āñm ///
b7 – ñī procer aśoke walo ·e ///
b8 – – yamaṣäṃ ॥ tā p(l)āc ·ita ///
Source Colophon
The source text follows Tocharian transliterations/transcriptions available through CEToM, https://cetom.univie.ac.at/, as cached for the 2026-05-10 Good Works source scout. Ancient source text and faithful transcription are used as source material. Modern translations, commentary, and scholarly notes exposed by CEToM were treated as controls only.
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