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No. 32.]
TWO BRICK INSCRIPTIONS FROM NALANDA.
197
tablets, plaques, etc., throughout the Buddhist world. The blessings derived from putting in the images or chaityas the sariras mentioned above are abundant. The authentic relics of the Buddha were always scarce and must have been more so after the early centuries of the Christian era. That is why we find in the stūpas at Nālandā and other places only tablets containing the Nidänasütra, which was part of the Dhamma preached by the Buddha himself. To a Buddhist this sūtra is next in sacredness only to the four venerable truths (ārya-satyani) and is very important since a proper understanding of this leads to the way of Nirvana. Nägarjuna said in his Suhrillēkha, “Even though fire should be burning above our head,... ......we ought to waste no time in putting it out, but should keep in view perpetually our Final Liberation (Moksha), reflecting on the truths of the Chain of Causality'." It is no wonder, therefore, that this sūtra is considered as of paramount importance and has so frequently been found deposited in the votive stūpas raised by the Buddhist monks as well as laymen.
The following text is transcribed from impressions and photographs kindly supplied by the Superintendent, Central Circle. As the Chinese translation, an English rendering of which has been appended below by Dr. Bagchi, followed the Sanskrit original quite closely, I have not given a separate translation of the Sanskrit text but have noticed the slight differences found in places in the foot-notes to Dr. Bagchi's translation.
TEXT. 1 Siddham (*) Evam maya erutam=ékasmin-samayē Bhagavāñ=chChrāvastyan
viharati ema Jētavané Anathapindadasy-arāmēó mahata bhikshu-samghēna sārdham=arddha-trayõda?sabhir-bhikshu-sataiḥ {1*] Tatra Bhagavan bhikshū
ņām=a[ma*]ntra2 yatē sma Pratītya-samutpädasya vo bhikshavaḥ adi[m*) VÕ dēsayishyāmi
vibhangam cha tach=chhpis nu*]talo sādhu cha sushthu cha manasi kuruta bhāshishyē Pratītya-samutpädasy=ādih katamaḥ [l*] yad=ut=āsmin=sat=[i]dan bhavaty=asy=otpāda(da)" d=ida
3 m=utpadyatės yad=ut=āvidyā-pratyayāk
vijñāna-pratyayan namarúpa[m] ayatana-pratyayah sparsih (rah)
saņskārāh 13 samskāra-pratyayam vijñānant nāmarupa-pratyayaṁ shad-ayatanam shadsparsa-pratyaya vēdanā vēdana.
4 pratyayā trishna trishnā-pratyayā ya)m="upādānam upādhina-pratyayo bhavaḥ
bhava-pratyayā jätih jāti-pratyaya jara-marana-soka-paridevd-duhkha-daurmannsyOpāyāsāḥ sambha(mbha)vanty-evam-asya kevala
1 [The latest finds of this kind are from Nalandi and Pabārpur excavations, where thousands of tiny clay votivo stops have been discovered in the relie chamber of small stúps, each encasing little clay seals inscribed with the Buddhist creed.-Ed.) * I-tsing. A Record etc., p. 151.
Translated by I-tsing in his Record, p. 161. •Expressed by a symbol.
•The record A has & mark of punctuation here. A reads ardha. There is a small stroke above tra in both which may be accidental. A reads correctly amantrao.
A has ganacha. 16 A reads chhrinuta correctly.
112rends da correatly. 11 Hore sed in several other places A reads sankado. Aho correotly pukah. NA bas pratyayam.
16 A reads sambhavanty
