Verses on anger

Gandhāra, Kharoṣṭhī ∙ IM 19 + IM 12

BML logoBML edition (version 1, April 2026)

Based on the edition of Butcher 2020.

The verses are written by two scribes. Scribe 1 (verses 1–14) uses the meter triṣṭhub, scribe 2 (verses 15–17) anuṣṭhub/śloka (Butcher 2020: 132).

§ 1
v. 1 1r1 + + + + + + + + + + + (◊)
+ + + + + .. ni va pareṣu ◊
duh[u] alabho ayaśo akirti ◊
purekhidakros̱an(a) sarvam=(e)va ◦
v. 1 r1 …|
… pareṣu |
duḥkhaṃ alābhaḥ ayaśaḥ akīrtiḥ |
puraskr̥takrodhānāṃ sarvaṃ eva ||
v. 1 … with regard to others. Suffering, loss, infamy, and disgrace all indeed accrue to those by whom anger is favored.
v. 2 r2 + + + + + + + + + + + (◊)
+ + + ś(a)r(a)no uvakramena ◊
yakṣo śarira pi anupraviṭho ◊
bahopr(a)l(a)va vilavia kr[u/o]dho ◦
v. 2 r2 … |
… śaraṇaṃ upakramena |
yakṣaḥ śarīraṃ iva anupraviṣṭaḥ |
bahupralāpaḥ vilāpitaṃ krodhaḥ/kruddhaḥ ||
v. 2 … (going for) refuge because of an attack. An angry man weeps and wails as if (his) body were possessed by a yakṣa.
v. 3 r3 + + + + + + + .. + r. .. ◊
.. .. [g]o purva kiṭa baho pi ◊
budhe ca dhame ca tas̱iva saṃghe ◊
pracakhi na kros̱aras̱o manuṣya ◦
v. 3 r3 … |
… pūrvaṃ kr̥taṃ bahu pi |
buddhe ca dharme ca tathaiva saṇghe |
pratyakṣī na krodharasaḥ manuṣyaḥ ||
v. 3 ... done before. A man whose dominant emotion is anger is not a witness with respect to the Buddha and the dharma and likewise the saṅgha.
v. 4 r4 (aśi)viṣa ghoraviṣa ugrateya ◊
satvana heḍae carati loge
teṣa tiṣo kros̱a samusta teno ◊
kopaḍite mitro paricayea ◦
v. 4 r4 āśīviṣā ghoraviṣā ugratejasaḥ |
sattvānāṃ heḍayā caranti loke |
teṣāṃ tīkṣṇaḥ krodhaḥ samutthitas tena |
kopārditān mitraḥ parityajet ||
v. 4 Snakes with fierce heat and terrible venom act angrily toward beings in the world. And with that, bitter anger arises toward them. A friend would abandon those who are afflicted with anger.
v. 5 r5 krodhena mata kar(o)di akario ◊
karia ca havedi suha idi o ◊
a/h. .. + + + .. .. aśava m.go ◊
bhagiduho saṃbhavati .. .. .i
v. 5 r5 krodhena mattaḥ karoti akāryaṃ |
kāryaṃ ca hāpayati sukhaṃ iti …|
… |
bhāgīduḥkhaṃ saṃbhavati …||
v. 5 Intoxicated with anger, one does what shouldn’t be done and abandons what should be done, [thinking “this is] happiness” ... the path of āśravas ... and becomes a partaker of suffering ...
v. 6 r6 .. .. manuśa ◊
i[ś]. .u .. .. .. .. .. vrayati ◊
sayi punu eti manuṣyabhavo ◊
drovana drodaśia bhavati ◦
v. 6 r6 … maṇuṣya |
… vrajanti |
saci punar eti manuṣyabhāvaṃ |
durvarṇāḥ durdarśikāḥ bhavanti ||
v. 6 ... is reborn. If a man reaches a human birth again, they become discolored and ugly.
v. 7 r7 + + + + + + + gha[maṇeṇa] ◊
aveniyo suarabhavam=e[t]i ◊
manuṣyabhavo uvag̱ami p(u)n(u) ◊
yo suaro a ayurmena ◦
v. 7 r7 … |
āveṇikaṃ sūkarabhāvam eti |
manuṣyabhāvaṃ upāgami punaḥ |
yo sukaraḥ āyuṣmena ||
v. 7 ... goes to an appropriate birth as a pig. He reached a human birth once again, and whatever pig by a monk ...
v. 8 r8 [va]se mane labhe sakare ya .. ◊
sa .. nastigavuti .. sa ◊
sadhame [so na / sakṣa] viruhea jano ◊
kṣetro yas̱a pudibie pravuto ◦
v. 8 r8 … māne lābhe sakkāre ca ? |
… nāstikavr̥ttiḥ… |
saddharme saḥ na virohet janaḥ |
kṣetre yathā pūtibījam proptaḥ ||
v. 8 Regarding dwelling, respect, gain, and honor ... one who follows the nāstika way of life ... That man may not flourish in the good dharma, like a rotten seed sown in a field.
v. 9 r9 (sa)k(ro)s̱ana duvayam=idi vuta ◊
yo duvay. aragi vasia[mana] ◊
.. + + bhudo ugrahidaagradhamo .. ◊
[s]. .e y. + .. + + + kri ni .. ◦
v. 9 r9 sakrodhanaṃ durvacaḥ iti ukta |
yo durvacaṃ arāgī vaśika ... |
... bhūtaḥ udgr̥hītāgradharmaṃ |
… ||
v. 9 ... is called “the harmful words of angry people.” ... He who is self-controlled ... under the control of ... a being is one by whom the highest dharma is realized ...
v. 10 r10 + + + + + + + + + + +
(eva) na janati hidahida va ◊
añanino na a vitvasu sa ◊
kros̱o vas̱ae ugami jatu ◦
v. 10 r10 … |
evaṃ na jānanti hitāhitaṃ eva |
ajñāniṣu na ca vidvatsu saḥ |
krodhaḥ vadhāya udāgamat jātu ||
v. 10 Thus they don’t understand what is beneficial and what is not beneficial. Anger conducive to killing arose among the unwise, but never among the wise.
v. 11 r11
.. [gi/ji] loga [da] ma sa hidae na so ◊
[tas̱]a utama[r]tha sa[ṃ]bhavati [h./◦] se/te
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
v. 11 r11 …|
… saḥ hitāya na…|
… uttamārthaḥ saṃbhavati … |
… ||
v. 11 ... For the beneficial ... The highest goal arises ...
v. 12 r12+ + + + + + + + + + +
.. ṭhiyo yeya parahisiga ◊
acataniṭhasa aṃtarago ◊
krodho jaha halahalaviṣa va ◦
v. 12 r12 …|
… |
atyantaniṣṭhasya aṃtarāyaḥ |
krodhaṃ jahyāt hālahalaviṣaṃ iva ||
v. 12 ... and hurtful to others ... Abandon anger, the obstacle of the final goal, as if it were the halāhala poison.
v. 13 r13 kro[s̱o ca] hida suhida bhavati ◊
kros̱o ca hita sugati vrayati ◊


v. 13 r13 krodhaḥ ca hīnaḥ sukhitāḥ bhavanti |
krodhaṃ ca hitvā sugatiṃ vrajanti ||


v. 13 Anger is abandoned; they are delighted. And after abandoning anger they go to a good rebirth.
v. 14 r14 suha samas̱i viṣati [a jatu] ◊
(bha)ga ca niyano yo śatagami ◊
chitvana taṣ̄a vidhamitamotro ◊
akros̱a nivuti śidibhuda ◦
v. 14 r14 sukhaṃ samādhiṃ viṣati ca jātu |
bhāgya ca niryāna yo śāntagāmī |
chitvā tr̥ṣṇāṃ vidhamitamātrā |
akrodho nirvr̥taḥ śītībhūtaḥ ||
v. 14 One is happily and totally engrossed in samādhi, happiness and deliverance. Whoever is headed for peace, after cutting off craving, as soon as it is destroyed, he is free from anger, quenched, cooled.
v. 15 r15 prahahi paca ⟪dhama⟫ cedas̱a vi + + + + + ◊
viṇodaїta ede sarve supras̱aṇamaṇas̱o ◊


v. 15 r15 prajahi pañca dharmān cetasaḥ …|
vinodya ete sarve suprasannamānasāḥ |


v. 15 Abandon the five things of the mind ... After dispelling these they were all clear-minded.
v. 16 ṣuda trarya bharṣamaṇa sodamaṇa stitvi[ya]
r16 p(ra) ṇ. śa .. .. ki sa/ra .i .. (kh). .. .. /// ◦


v. 16 śrutaḥ traryaḥ bhāṣyamāna srotāpannaḥ sthāpayitvā
r16 praṇaśatva... |


v. 16 The three heard what was being said and were established as stream-enterers.
v. 17 bahaṇubhudo somaṇaso taṣu taṣu jaṇiṣu ◊
svadibahopragara idhikamabhogasapada


v. 17 bahvanubhūtaṃ saumanasyaṃ tāsu tāsu jāniṣu |
smr̥tibahuprakārāḥ r̥ddhikāmabhogasaṃpadāḥ ||


v. 17 ... (there is) happiness frequently enjoyed in every birth, as well as accomplishments of many kinds, magic powers, pleasure, wealth, and achievements.
v. 18 r17 na śaka daśi sevamaṇa tava drigho adhvaṇe ◊
tamavro .. hi ladha vriti tava pavia tirṣa


v. 18 r17 na śakya darśī sevamāna tāvat dīrghaṃ adhvane |
...labdhaḥ vr̥ttiḥ tāvat pāpikā tr̥ṣṇā ||


v. 18 One who sees, indulging for a long time, cannot ... existence is obtained as long as [one’s] desire is wicked.