The Country of Gandhara建馱羅國
1The king who gives away even his wife and buys her back
又從迦葉彌羅國西北隔山一月程至建馱羅。此王及兵馬。總是突厥。土人是胡。兼有婆羅門。此國舊是罽賓王王化。為此突厥王阿耶領一部落兵馬。投彼罽賓王。於後突厥兵盛。便殺彼罽賓王。自為國主。因茲國境突厥覇王此國已北。並住中。其山並燋無草及樹。衣著人風言音節氣並別。衣是皮𣬼㲲衫靴袴之類土地宜大麥小麥。全無黍粟及稻。人多食麨及餅。唯除迦葉彌羅大㔜小㔜揚同等國。即此建馱羅國。乃至五天崑崙等國。總無蒲□□□甘蔗。此突厥王象有五頭。羊馬無數。駝騾驢等甚□多。地與胡□□□□□迴不過。向南為道路險惡。多足劫賊。從茲已北。西業者多市店之間。極多屠殺。此王雖是突厥。甚敬信三寶。王王妃王子首領等。各各造寺。供養三寶。此王每年兩迴設無遮大齋。但是緣身所受用之物。妻及象馬等。並皆捨施。唯妻及象。令僧斷價。王還自贖。自餘駝馬金銀衣物家具。聽僧貨賣。自分利養此王不同餘已北突厥也。兒女亦然。各各造寺。設齋捨施。此城俯臨辛頭大河北岸而置。此城西三日程有一大寺。即是天親菩薩無着菩薩所住之寺。此寺名葛諾歌。有一大塔。每常放光。此寺及塔。舊時葛諾歌王造。從王立寺名也。又此城東南□里。即是佛過去為尸毘王救鴿處。見有寺有僧。又佛過去捨頭捨眼餧五夜叉等處。並在此國中。在此城東南山裏。各有寺有僧。見今供養。此國大小乘俱行。
Again from the country of Kashmir I went northwest across the mountains for a month and reached Gandhara (建馱羅). The king of this country and his troops are all Turks, while the native people are Hu (胡), and there are Brahmins as well.
In former days this country was under the rule of the king of Gyebin (罽賓). The Turkish king Aya (阿耶) led the troops of one tribe and put himself under that king of Gyebin; but afterward, when the Turkish force grew strong, he killed that king of Gyebin and made himself lord of the country. From that time the Turks have been kings from the border of this country northward, and they all live in the mountains.
Those mountains are all barren, with neither grass nor trees. The dress, the manners, the speech and the seasons are all different. They wear leather coats, wool shirts, boots, trousers and the like. The land is fit for barley and wheat, and there is no millet, no foxtail millet and no rice at all. The people eat much barley flour and many cakes. Except for Kashmir, Daebalryul, Sobalryul, Yangdong and such countries, from this country of Gandhara on to the five Indias and the countries of Kunlun (崑崙) and the rest, there are no grapes □□□ and no sugarcane at all.
This Turkish king has five head of elephants, and sheep and horses without number, and camels, mules and asses in great □ plenty. The land and the Hu □□□□□, so that one cannot go round and pass. Going south the road is steep and bad and there are many robbers. From here northward there are many who trade. In the shops of the market they slaughter beasts in great number.
Though this king is a Turk, he reveres and believes in the Three Jewels greatly. The king, the queen, the princes and the chiefs each build a monastery and make offerings to the Three Jewels. Twice every year this king holds a great unrestricted assembly (無遮大齋), and he gives away everything that serves his own body, his wife and his elephants and horses with it. Only for the wife and the elephants he has the monks set a price, and the king buys them back himself; the rest, the camels and horses, the gold and silver, the clothing and the household goods, the monks are free to sell and to share out for their keep. This king is not like the other Turks to the north. His sons and daughters are the same, and each of them builds a monastery, holds an assembly and gives.
This city was set looking down on the north bank of the great river Sindhu (辛頭大河). Three days' journey west of this city there is a great monastery, and it is the monastery where the bodhisattva Vasubandhu (天親菩薩) and the bodhisattva Asanga (無着菩薩) lived. The monastery is named Gallakga (葛諾歌). There is one great stupa there, and it always sends out light. This monastery and this stupa were built long ago by King Gallakga, and the monastery was named after the king.
Again, □ li southeast of this city is the place where the Buddha in a former life was King Shibi (尸毘王) and saved the dove; there is a monastery there now, and there are monks. And the places where the Buddha in former lives gave away his head and gave away his eyes to feed five yakshas (夜叉) are all within this country, in the mountains southeast of this city, and each of them has a monastery and has monks, and offerings are made there to this day. In this country both the Great Vehicle and the Lesser Vehicle are practised.
Interlinear notes 2
⿺毛皮
A character written with 皮 joined to the 毛 radical.
辛頭大河 — this means the Indus. ― translator