Gò Xoài gold foil (K. 1330), 7th-8th century CE

Editors: Arlo Griffiths, Gerdi Gerschheimer.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSCIK01330.

Language: Prakrit.

Repository: Khmer (tfc-khmer-epigraphy).

Version: (e502a7a), last modified (25c6f3e).

Edition

I. Āryā

⟨Zone 1⟩ ⟨1⟩ ye dharmmā hetu-ppabhavā tesaṁ hetuṁ ta⟨Zone 2⟩thāgato Avaca

ab

tesañ ca yo ni⟨Zone 3⟩rodho Evaṁ-vādī mahā-saman⟨Zone 4⟩o ⁋

cd
II. Anuṣṭubh

⟨Zone 1⟩ ⟨2⟩ duḥkhaṁ duḥkha-samutpādo

a

duḥkha⟨Zone 2⟩ssa ca At¿ī?⟨i⟩-kkamo

b

Airo ⟨Zone 3⟩Aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo

c

duḥkhopaśama⟨Zone 4⟩-gāmiko ⁋

d

⟨Zone 1⟩ ⟨3⟩ tadyathā|| daṇḍake|| paṇḍake ⟨Zone 2⟩ || kauraṇḍe|| keyūre|| ⟨Zone 3⟩ dantīle|| dantrīle|| svāhāḥ ⁋ ⟨Zone 4⟩ ⁋

⟨Zone 1⟩ ⟨4⟩ tadyathā A(v/dh)ame Amvare A⟨Zone 2⟩mvare parikuñja nāṭa ⟨Zone 3⟩nāṭa puṣkarā(v/dh)aha ja⟨Zone 4⟩lū khama khaya Ili mi⟨Zone 1⟩⟨5⟩li kili ⟨Zone 2⟩mili kīrtti cara mu⟨Zone 3⟩dre mudra-mukhe svāhāḥ ⟨Zone 4⟩⁋

Apparatus

⟨1⟩ dharmmā ⬦ dhammā S • Skilling 1999, p. 172, n. 5 noted: “Ha Van Tan reads dharmmā. I cnnnot see the ¿ra? in the plate, which is not entirely clear. The reading can only be resolved with a better reproduction. (Note that Ha Van Tan’s transcript uses only one diacritic, a = ā).” The photographs that have since become available remove all doubt about the presence of r. — ⟨1⟩ hetu-ppabhavā S ⬦ hetu-pabhavā H • The reading ppa is beyond doubt. — ⟨1⟩ ⁋ • Skilling 1999 throughout notes this symbol sign as double daṇḍa.

⟨2⟩ At¿ī?⟨i⟩-kkamo ⬦ Atī-kkamo S • The vowel marker on the t is the same as in Evaṁvādī in line 1, and so definitely intended as ī. The syllable is long by position and this seems to have induced the scribe to spell ī instead of expected i.

⟨3⟩ || • Skilling 1999 throughout notes this “punctuation” sign as double daṇḍa. — ⟨3⟩ daṇḍake, paṇḍake, kauraṇḍe S • The script is ambiguous on the cluster ṇḍ, which could in each instance also be read ṇd. — ⟨3⟩ keyūre ⬦ keyyūre S. — ⟨3⟩ dantīle|| dantrīle ⬦ dantile|| dantile S • Skilling ignores the fact that the second word is differentiated from the first by presence of r. — ⟨3⟩ svāhāḥ ⁋ ⟨Zone 4⟩ ⁋ ⬦ svāhāḥ || S.

⟨4⟩ A(v/dh)ame ⬦ Adhame S. — ⟨4⟩ pu⊔ṣkarā(v/dh)aha ⬦ puṣkarādhahā S. — ⟨4⟩ jalū ⬦ jala S. — ⟨4⟩ jalū ⬦ jala S. — ⟨4⟩ Ili mi⟨Zone 1⟩⟨5⟩li ⬦ Ilīmī⟨5⟩li S.

Translation by Arlo Griffiths

I
The states arisen from a cause, their cause the Tathāgata proclaims, as well as their cessation: this is the teaching of the Great Ascetic.
II
Suffering, the arising of suffering, and the transcendence of suffering, and the noble eightfold path, leading to the cessation of suffering that is emancipation (khemopaśama)

(3–5) As follows: a(v/dh)ame amvare amvare parikuñja nāṭa nāṭa puṣkarā(v/dh)aha jalū khama khaya ili mili kili mili kīrtti cara mudre mudra-mukhe svāhāḥ.

Commentary

The translations for stanzas I and II are taken here from the ones offered by other scholars for K. 820 and K. 1455.

I
On the metrical deviance of the first four gaṇas, see Hinueber2015_01.

Bibliography

Provisionally edited by Hà Văn Tấn 1995 being edited and translated by Peter Skilling more professionally (1999); re-edited here by Gerdi Gerschheimer & Arlo Griffiths from color photographs.

Primary

[H] Hà, Văn Tấn. 1995. “Inscriptions on the gold leaf of Go Xoai (Long An).” In: Văn hóa Óc Eo: những khám phá mới. By Xuân Diệm Lê, Linh Côn Đào and Sĩ Khải Võ. Hà Nội: Khoa học xã hội, pp. 439–441. [URL].

[S] Skilling, Peter. 1999. “A Buddhist inscription from Go Xoai, southern Vietnam and notes towards a classification of ye dharmā inscriptions.” In: 80 ปี ศาสตราจารย์ ดร.ประเสริฐ ณ นคร : รวมบทความวิชาการด้านจารึกและเอกสารโบราณ / 80 pī śāstrācāry dr. praḥsert ṇa nagara: ruam pada khvam vijākāra dan charük lae ekasāraporāṇa [80 Years: A collection of articles on epigraphy and ancient documents published on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th birthday of Prof. Dr. Prasert Na Nagara, Bangkok 21 March 2542]. Bangkok, pp. 171–187. Pages 171–178.

Secondary

Hà Văn Tấn. 1998. “Ghi chu them ve minh van o Go Xoai (Long An) [Further notes on the Go Xoai inscription (Long An)].” Những phát hiện mới về khảo cổ học năm 1997.

Lê, Thị Liên. 2007. “Gold plaques and their cultural contexts in the Oc Eo culture.” Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 25, pp. 145–154. DOI: 10.7152/bippa.v25i0.11930. [URL]. Page 148, figure 2.

Tingley, Nancy. 2009. Arts of ancient Viet Nam: from river plain to open sea. New York; Houston: Asia Society; Museum of Fine Arts. Pages 166–167, item 49.