List No. 008

SHOPPING TRIP TO DUNHUANG

RatnavR.kS.a and Praketu

10th Century

One morning in 10th-century China, two Tibetan monks named Ratnavr.ks.a and Praketu set off on a shopping trip to the ancient town of Dunhuang, a major stop on the Silk Road trade route, to buy a plethora of goods – mainly fabrics in the form of blankets and cloths – for their monastery. This shopping list is the record they kept of their numerous purchases, written in Khotanese and signed by witnesses; it is held at the British Library.

makala salya cvāvaja māśtä bistämye haḍai ṣa’ khalavī cu ratanavaraikṣä āśī’ u

prrakaittu būrä ṣacu vāṣṭä bauḍä va herä nauda. gaḍā-hvasta thauracaihä bera śā

u śaca prraiysge bira śā u kabalīja baysgyi hvāhyä ką̄madä śe u hūḍaigä

ysīḍai attaravāysä śau u hūḍaiga ysīḍai lahäpī śau u ką̄ra kagä khau-

ṣa thą̄racaihä pabanā śa u khaucīja khauśka śā u ījīnai hī-

rāsä hvattarakīnai ūra-bada śau u gaḍā-hvastä śīyi haysänā-

līkä thauracaihä dva u mījī jūna baysgyi kabala dvī u haija mai-

stä kabala u pe u śīyi maistä kabala śā u aysūra-gūna da-

jūna baimya kamaiśkä śā u nämāya śau baraka u ya.ma. hainai gaḍā hvastä

baysgi thauracaihä śau u haysnālīka gaḍā hvastä thauracaihä

dva u paha drau vī haysnālīkä śacī śau u haija baysgyi kabala

dvī u hainai thauna śacī u haysnālīkä thauna śaca dräya u śīya

baysgyi kabala tcaure u paima-vīstā kabalīnai draijsai śau u gahai śau u

eysnaṃ śā maista u dairśvā khaucvā drauhye bitcä dairsa u tcaurrvā starrvā ñū-

ṣṭyelīka u śau barä khaucä pajsāsä sera u paima-vīstāva thauna śacä ha-

darā śa u gaḍā hvastä thauracaihä jsa dā-gū baysgye paima jsa bira śā

u kagīja ṣkaumaka vīlaka śā hatca ttrraba jsa u dą̄rmīnai ṣką̄ma dale śau u

habastā gahā śa : gahai va maistä śau u valaka gahai śau u hatca hasą̄ña jsa

aiysna śā u nauṣṭara śau u kabalījä bįrga kagyä karastä śe u kabalī-

nai rūśkagä thūḍa-pa śau u kaimeja ysīḍā-mejanya kamaiśka śā u hai-

ja baysgyä kabala pajse u hainā thauna : ną̄ u ysīra gū śacī śau u pai-

mīnā thauna tcaura u phrramaina kabala śā u ką̄ra-kagä khauṣa śa hatca

āvasakāṃ jsa u mījī jūna śadā kaimejä īśīma śa u {ysīcä spī-

yi drai gūna mnan pa kamaiśka śā} u painajä śī nama śau u thauna śacī nūvarä {-e}

parekṣi śau u chava nū kāṃhä parakṣa śau u hainā śadā damarāśī’nai maista kai-

mejä śau u śe’ āṣana śadā damarāśī’nai maistä kaimejä śau u dai-

dä āṣana śadā śagīnai maistä kaimejä śau u paha drauvī sya-

dai hvaradai thauracaihä śau u haysnālīka hūḍaigä śau baysgi u hadā

naṣkūmāya namavīña thavalakañä khauca haudūsä sera pyaṣṭalīka

u hūḍaiga yą̄ma-bakä śau u thauracaihä śūkyainä dva u hų̄naugyä

jsaiṇyāṃ hīrāṃ jsa habaḍa pyaṣṭalīkya khadīrakya śe u pūstyą̄na tcairma

tha valaka śā u mījījunä thauracaihä birä śā u maistä pū-

stye śau u ejsīnai vasīyikä śau u nūvarä barä u vatsāvīśī’-

nai hamauka śau pajūka śau u būśaunāṃ barakä śau habaḍa u ūla-ka-

gä baraka śau u nvadāvaunä auramūṣa pajsa u gahā śa maistä gahai

śau u valakä śau u thūra-ma śau u pūstyą̄nä : namavīja thavalakä śā

pūstyāṃ jsa habaḍa u badana dräya u ṣką̄mye herä nāsākä ranavarai-

kṣä āśī’ akṣärä 共 u prrakai akṣä’rä byaunä kvāṃ ṣī-

thau āśī’ akṣärä [signed] byauna būyunä śau-śū śvauñakä akṣärä [signed]

[Translation]

In the Year of the Monkey, the month of Cvātaja, the 20th day.

This is a record because the reverend Ratnavṛkṣa and Praketu rode to Shazhou and obtained things:

one … coat; one … coat of … silk; one pair of trousers of thick and wide blanket cloth; one undergarment of yellow … ; one … of yellow cloth; one pair of shoes of … leather with laces of … ; and one …; one lether belt of black … ; two white … ; two blankets … ; a red large blanket; one … and white large blanket; and one asura-colored flaming … ; one thick … of beaten red …; two … of beaten … for washing; one silk cloth for washing with … ; two thick red blankets; three silk red cloths and wash cloths; four thick white cloths; one … ; one large … ; one wool-.. … for blankets; thirty … in thirty … ; … in four …; one … of 15 ounces; one wool … silk … ; one smoke-colored coat of thick wool with … of beaten … ; one small … of leather; … one large … and one small … ; … … one skin of wolf hide for blankets; one sheep-skin fur for blankets; … … five thick red blankets; nine red cloths; one gold-colored silk; four woolen cloths; one silver-gilt blanket; one shoe of …-leather; one yellow-white three-color … ; one white … felt; one new … of cloth-silk; one large cover for a dharmarājika of red earth; a second large cover for a dharmarājika of dark earth; a third large cover for a … of dark earth; one left and right … of … hair; one thick … for washing; a … of 17 ounces … ; one … ; two … ; one … for book leather; … one silver cup; a new … ; one goblet made of vasaka wood; one … ; one full perfume purse; one purse of camel-skin; five … ; one … ; one large … and one small; one spoon; one … of felt, filled with … ; three ropes; and a container for … things.

The reverend Ratnavṛkṣa’s akṣara. Praketu’s akṣara. The witness Kvāṃ Ṣīthau’s akṣara. The witness Būyunä Śauśū Śvaunaka’s akṣara.

[signed]