British Library Kharoṣṭhī Fragment 13, Appendix (Gandhārī)
This is a minor Gandhāri verse commentary preserved on the verso of British Library scroll 13 — written in a different hand from the main commentary, added in the empty space at the end of the scroll. Six sections survive, each selecting a well-known early Buddhist verse and providing succinct doctrinal exegesis through the method of "categorial reduction" characteristic of the Gandhāri verse commentary genre.
The root verses come from some of the most widely circulated collections of early Buddhist poetry: parallels exist in the Gandhāri Dharmapada, the Pali Dhammapada, the Sanskrit Udānavarga, and the Jātaka collections. Topics range from the discipline of the angry and ungrateful monk, through the unsettled mind and the seven spiritual treasures, to the mindful who exert themselves like geese leaving a pool.
This is a Good Works Translation from Gandhāri Prakrit. Translated from the critical edition published by Stefan Baums (LMU Munich, 2017), Appendix 3. No prior freely available English translation existed.
Gospel Reading
1. On the Angry and Ungrateful
Root verse: "Angry, ungrateful, treacherous, and deceitful."
"Angry, ungrateful" — this is the sūtra. "Angry" — by the nature of the fault of anger ... he does not know — through the power of ignorance. "Treacherous" — by the nature of the predominance of lust, the one who has enmity betrays. "Renouncing" — the holy life ... "Holy life" — here, going forth is intended. Who then goes forth? Those who here, outside ... in the teaching of the Blessed One, going forth is undertaken. Therefore he says: in the teaching of the fully enlightened Buddha. Others say: the holy life ... "Abstaining from liquor" — where does this abstaining from liquor stand for me? He indeed rises up ...
Therefore he says: in the teaching of the fully enlightened Buddha. In brief: the three sources — renunciation is the function of the factor of virtue. The holy life is the function of the factor of concentration. In the teaching of the fully enlightened Buddha — the function of the factor of understanding. ❉
2. On the Unsettled Mind
Root verse: "For one whose mind is unsettled, who does not know the true dharma, whose faith is wavering — understanding does not come to fullness."
"Unsettled mind" — this is the sūtra. The mind is unsettled by the predominance of lust. In the sense-object, the mind does not become established. He does not recognize the limit of becoming. Therefore he says: "Not knowing the true dharma."
It becomes exceedingly wavering. Therefore he says: "Of wavering faith." Understanding does not come to fullness. It becomes attached.
In brief: "Of unsettled mind" — the factor of concentration. The factor of understanding. "Of wavering faith" — by the discrimination of the factor of virtue. Understanding does not come to fullness.
He says: one exposition is the dharma-teaching for the establishment of view. The three factors of the plane of development, growing ...
The growth of the three sources. He whose faith, whose understanding, whose sūtra — faith ...
3. On the Seven Treasures
Root verse: "He who has faith and understanding, energy, moral shame, and conscience — he is truly rich in this world. Much wealth is counted as nothing compared to this."
"Faith" ... of mind, characterized by the mark of clarity of confidence, the arising of confidence ... the arising of clarity. Understanding — the knowledge of another's mind. Energy — the seizing of will. Among the wholesome ... glory. "Conscience" — the recoil from mental conceit. "He is truly rich in this world."
... this treasure ... or this treasure pertaining to all three ... he says ...
... much wealth — the wealth that differs from ignorance. In brief: by faith, conscience ... he says: the factor of concentration. By understanding, indeed the factor of understanding.
Others say: by faith, the faculty of faith. By understanding, the faculty of understanding. By energy, the faculty of energy. By conscience, the faculty of concentration. By moral shame, the faculty of mindfulness.
Others say: by faith, the treasure of faith. By understanding, the treasure of understanding. By energy, the treasure of purity. By conscience, the treasure of conscience. By moral shame, the treasure of moral shame. By the entrance of the untainted, the treasure of virtue. He who has these seven treasures — ... he defeats the destitute. ❉
4. On the Mindful Who Exert Themselves
Root verse: "The mindful exert themselves; they do not delight in a home. Like geese leaving a pool, they abandon home after home."
What he says is: the dharma-teaching for the establishment of view ... by passion, he exerts energy; he attains arahantship. The mindful — by those two there ...
... for bound — for grasping is consciousness. Holding fast, it sustains ...
... he says ... the entire triple world. The cessation of the unstable — he conquers nowhere.
Like geese leaving a pool, leaving ... lotuses — he whose geese, whose truth, those of awakening are born.
... the viewer ... born in saṃsāra ... the stream — saṃsāra having been abandoned ...
Here ... unstable is not intended. For thus is the sūtra: grasping the element of form, of consciousness ...
... in the station of consciousness — for there, through the night, a being by the power of attachment is freed ...
... home after home they abandon. Others say: the flood — the not-being-born-again ...
... in brief: "They exert themselves, the mindful" — the path. "They do not delight in a home" — cessation.
... others say: "They exert themselves" — quietude.
5.
... hypocrisy, prattling ... settling into the dharma ...
... not oneness — the two liberations. The threefold cutting off. ❉
6. On the Energetic
Root verse: "For the energetic, the mindful, the pure in deed, the considerate in action, the restrained, the righteous in livelihood, the heedful — his glory increases."
... the root of virtue ... the doer of purity ... living the dharma ...
... established in the way ... the disciple ...
Colophon
Translated from Gandhāri Prakrit by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with Claude (Good Works Translation, 2026). Source text: Stefan Baums, Two Gāndhārī Commentaries on Early Buddhist Verses: British Library Kharoṣṭhī Fragments 4 and 13: Text, Translation and Glossary (LMU Munich, 2017), Appendix 3. The minor commentary was written by a second scribe in the empty space at the end of scroll 13 (BL Or. 14195), dating to the 1st century CE. Root verse identifications: (1) Gandhāri Dharmapada 77 / Jātaka 298; (2) Pali Dhammapada 38 / Udānavarga 31.28; (3) Gandhāri Dharmapada 260; (4) Pali Dhammapada 91 / Udānavarga 17.1; (5) unidentified; (6) Pali Dhammapada 24 / Udānavarga 4.6. All English is independently derived from the Gandhāri Prakrit. Existing translations were consulted as reference only.
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Source Text
Gandhāri Prakrit Transliteration (Kharoṣṭhī Script)
1
91. + + /// a. krosana agridaña ṣaṭha katava kros̱ana agridaña ya sutro · kros̱ana doṣ̱̄aspadatvena + + + +
92. + + + /// ? ? ? ? ? ja ? ḏi · añanavaśena · drohini ragaüsadatvena spamiṇo drohati · parivajae
93. + + + + + + + /// ? o care · bramaïo iśe pravayano ahipredo · ke yi dani pravayeati · te ido ba-
94. + + + + + + /// gradośaś̱ane pravaja sieaḏi ta aha samasabudhaśaś̱ane · avare bramayio
95. suraveramane · kua yi me suraveramani sieadi · so du ho uavati sa keṃ de na ya ? ?
96. g. ? ? ? · ta aha samasabudhaśaś̱ane · sakṣeva trinidana a ? ma tri da na ◦ praḍia rahaśo ?
97. + + + + /// ? ? na ◦ bramayio samas̱ikadhasa · samasabudhaśaś̱ane prañakadhasa niyoana ❉
2
98. + + + + + /// citasa sutro · anavaṭ́hido cito rag̱aüsadatvena · arabane cito na avaṭ́hahati ·
99. + + + + + + /// ? n. bhudakoḍi na vianaḏi · tena aha sadhamu aviyanaḏo ·
100. + + + + + + + + /// ? ? + calacalaṣadha bhoti · tena aha paripraopras̱adasa · praña na
101. + + + + + + + + + /// ? ? pra ? liada bhoti · sakṣeva ◦ anavaṭ́hidacitasa samas̱ikadhavi-
102. + + + + + + /// ? ? ? ? prañakadhasa ◦ paripraoprasadasa · śilakadhavivadana · praña
103. na parivajaḏi ◦ eko aha daśanapradiṭhidana dhamadeś̱ana · trae kadha bhavanabhumie ◦ vaḏaman.
104. + /// ? ? na la ? ? vurdhi di ? lo trina nidanana vurdhi ? ◦ yasa ṣadha ya praña ya s.tro ◦ ṣadha o-
3
105. + + /// p. na analo ? acitasa · pras̱adoog̱apanalakṣana ṣadha ◦ pras̱adapracuaṭ́hana ◦ asa va sa paria ?
106. + + + /// ? ? ta · ana ? la pracuaṭ́hana · praña paras̱inañano ◦ virio chadasa pragraho · kuś̱aleṣu
107. + + + + + + /// ka ? ? yas̱io ◦ hiri mana amade paḍisaharo ◦ so ho mahadhano loge ◦
108. + + + + + + + + /// ? ? ? ? ? .i ? ? ? ? g. do dhana ◦ asa va edo dhano savatrina ◦ ? ? ? aha
109. + + + + + + + + + bahu dhana visabadaoaña dhano ◦ sakṣeva ◦ ṣadhae hiri ? ? ? ? ///
110. + /// śa ? ? ? ? ? ? na aha ? ? n. samasikadho · prañae prañakadho yeva ◦ avare ṣadhae ṣadhi-
111. drio prañae prañedrio · viriena viridrio ◦ hirie samasidrio ◦ otrapena spadidrio ◦
112. avare ṣadhae ṣadhadhano · ya ? ? + dhanaya ? ? prañae prañadhana ◦ viriena ṣuḏidhano ◦ hiri-
113. e hiridhano ◦ otrapena otrapadhano ◦ aś̱agaüaveś̱ena śiladhano ◦ yasa ede sata dhana
114. + + /// ? daridro hanadi ❉
4
uyujati svadivata sutra ◦ ke yi aha daśanapradiṭhidana dhamadeś̱ana
115. + + + + /// ? ? ragana uyujati virio aravhati ◦ spadivata yehi ca duhi atra ? vaśa ?
116. + + + + + + + /// ? ? ? ? + + ? ? ? + ? ? + ? ś̱. r. a. śava phoṭhava ahipreda · ? /// +
117. + + + + + + + + + + + /// vi nivadho hi grahavaḏi viñano · nig̱eda dharidi .u ? ?
118. + + + + + /// ? ? aha ? ? ? ? sava triloḵo ◦ aṭ́hitao paśamana ◦ na kuayi aḏijayaḏi
119. hasa vi palaro hitva palara .u ca ? .u g. ra da · padmini · yasa te hasa tatva jaḏa tasa vudha
120. ? draś̱aga ? ? ? ? ? ? ti · a ? na tva sasare jata + + + + + + + saraś̱ag̱a · sasaro jahita va ? ti
121. + /// tro iś̱a · ? + + ? · na ṭ́hidio avhipreda ◦ eva hi sutro ruadhadu graha atvo viñanasa o ? ///
122. + /// ? ? kh. + + + + + + + + + viñanaṭ́hidie · tatra hi drigaratro satva sehavaś̱ena pramuchi ? /// +
123. + + + + + + + + + + /// og̱amug̱o jahati te · avare og̱o aj̄atiaaïḏano
124. + + + + + + + + + /// sakṣeva · uyujati spadivata mogo ◦ na nig̱eḏe ramati te samuda
125. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + /// avare uyujati śamaso ◦
5
Av1. + + /// ? e · kuhana lavana ? ? g. ? di naro ? as̱iṭ́hana dhama · a ? ? ? ? ? ? .u ? ? ? ?
Av2. + + /// ch. di + + + + + + + na eg̱atvo due vimutie · trivaṭachedo ❉
6
uṭ́hanamado sutro
Av3. + + + + + + + + /// s. śi a ma sa pa ri śa dha vi mi sa · niś̱amacarini ? tva
Av4. + + + + + + + + + + /// ? ra mulo śilasa · kriasabare ? + ? · dhamacarina
Av5. + + + + + /// ? so ku ? ? ? aṭ́hidado rita · ya śiś̱ava /// + + + + + + + +
Source Colophon
Source text: Stefan Baums, Two Gāndhārī Commentaries on Early Buddhist Verses: British Library Kharoṣṭhī Fragments 4 and 13: Text, Translation and Glossary (LMU Munich, 2017), Appendix 3: "A Third Commentary on Early Buddhist Verses." Lines 91–125, Av1–Av5. Birch-bark scroll, Kharoṣṭhī script, 1st century CE. British Library shelf mark Or. 14195. Written by a second scribe in the empty space at the end of scroll 13. Transliteration follows the Dictionary of Gāndhārī system (Baums & Glass 2002–).
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