PIS'MENNYE
PAMYATNIKI
VOSTOKA

Vol. 14, No. 4 (31)
Winter 2017

Journal based in 2004
Issued quarterly

Selected Materials as a *.PDF file

PUBLICATIONS

Mahābhārata. The XIIth Book. Śāntiparva (“About Conciliation”). Chapters 1–7. Introduction, Translation from Sanskrit, Commentaries by Svetlana  . Neveleva — 5
This publication is a translation from Sanskrit of seven chapters (1–7) of Book XII of the ancient Indian Epic “Mahābhārata”, called “Śāntiparva” (“About Conciliation”). This Book contains the teaching of Bhishma, a warrior of the older generation, addressed to king Yudhishthira. Victory in the battle is not pleasing to the king: his elder brother Karna was killed. Despair of the king is the reason for his decision to break worldly ties and to live as a hermit in the forest. In contrast to the doctrine of asceticism, the text stands up for the idea of the necessity of the fulfillment by the king of his dharma (rājadharma), i.e. duty, requiring compliance with statutory duties.
Key words: ancient epic, the Mahābhārata, conversation, dharma, contents, plot, composition.

RESEARCH WORKS

Viacheslav M. Rybakov. The Legal Regulations of the Royal Family Maintenance Services in the T’ang China. Part 2 — 23
The security and comfort of the first persons of the state are one of the main elements of the legal system in all countries and in all times. It is clear that for the proper fulfillment of their duties these persons should be relieved of fears for their life and health, and of household chores. However, the notions of safety and comfort in a high degree are defined by the technological level of the era and cultural traditions of the country. A very interesting example of the general trend in specific conditions is the statutory framework for the care of the Emperor and his family, developed in traditional China. The already quite well-known legal rules designed to block the really anti-state crimes consisting in deliberate attempts to harm the monarch are not considered here. This essay analyzes the list of predictable unintentional missteps, which could cause this harm, along with a list of punitive measures designed to reduce the possibility of such missteps, and what household encroachment on the property of the royal family the T’ang China legislators considered possible and how they suggested to deal with them.
Key words: traditional China, the state and law, bureaucracy, administrative law, the safety of the first persons of the state

HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

Inna N. Medvedskaia, Magomed А.-K. Dandamaiev. Media and the Medes in Cuneiform Sources: Names and Events — 36
The article focuses on the main events in the history of the Median Kingdom that can be reconstructed based on Assyrian and Babylonian cuneiform texts dated to the 9th–5th centuries BC. Toponyms mentioned in these sources enable the location of Median territories right before the emergence of the Median Kingdom. Personal names from these texts sometimes clarify the Medes’ religious beliefs and the hierarchical structure of Median society.
Key words: cuneiform, Assyria, Babylonia, Media, Achaemenid Empire, the Medes, the Iranians

COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

Alexander V. Zorin. Some Tibetological Documents Found in B. I. Pankratov’s Fund at the Orientalists Archive of the IOM, RAS. Part 2. Galleys and Drafts of Some Works by A. I. Vostrikov and Th. I. Stcherbatsky — 48
This paper presents some documents found in the B.I. Pankratov archival collection that have a great significance for the history of Russian Tibetology and Buddhology. The second part introduces galley proofs of the famous monograph “Tibetan Historical Literature” by A. I. Vostrikov and the manuscript of “The Course of Literary Tibetan” by Th. I. Stcherbatsky, whose existence in the Archives of the Orientalists at the IOM, RAS, has not been registered so far.
Key words: archival documents, B. I. Pankratov, A. I. Vostrikov, Th. I. Stcherbatsky, history of Tibetology

Mikhail I. Tubyansky. The Buddhist Tantric Tradition in India. Preface, Publication, Commentary by Helena P. Ostrovskaya — 61
The work published here was written by M. I. Tubyansky (1893–1937), a scholar of the Russian Academic School of Buddhist Studies, in 1937. It is a fragment of his unfinished research which was dedicated to the history of Buddhist tantric tradition. Its handwritten text is housed in M.I. Tubyansky’s personal fund at the Archives of Orientalists of IOM, RAS. (F. 53. Inv. 1, Unit 34). In this work, the author, a specialist in the area of Sanskrit, Tibetan, Mongolian written heritage, considers philosophical and historico-cultural aspects of the Vajrayāna (the Buddhist tantric tradition in India). It represents great scientific interest as the first description of the Vajrayāna in the Russian language. The work hasn’t been published before. The preface contains biographical data and an outline of the fruitful and versatile research of M. I. Tubyansky whose life was broken tragically in the years of repressions.
Key words: Archives, manuscript, M. I. Tubyansky, Buddhism, Vajrayāna, tantra, the Buddhist tantric tradition

A Letter from Mongolia by A. M. Pozdneew. Preface, Publication and Commentaries by Tatiana V. Ermakova — 79
A. M. Pozdneev’s (1851–1920) letter from his expedition to Mongolia and China demonstrates a practically unknown aspect of his activity — analysis of the actual condition and prospects of the Russian diplomatic service during the late Qing dynasty, education of diplomatic staff. The handwritten draft copy of the letter is housed in the Arhives of the Orientalists at Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS (F. 44. Int. 2. Unit 13. Sh. 18b–21b). The letter is published for the first time.
Key words: Mongolia, the history of Oriental Studies, the Russian-Chinese relations

Vladimir V. Emelianov. Unpublished Works of W. G. Schileico — 89
The article consists of publications of three unpublished works by W. G. Schileico. The articles on the amulet against Lamashtu and on the letter of the Assyrians to the supporters of Shamash-shumukin were found in the archive of the Academy of Sciences. An article about Lu-Enna’s letter to Enentarzi was found at the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library. The publication of the texts is accompanied by scholarly comments and illustrated with photographs from the archives.
Key words: Assyriology, W. G. Schileico, P. V. Jernstedt, Lamashtu, Shamashshumukin, Lu-Enna, Enentarzi

ACADEMIC LIFE

Youli A. Ioannesyan. Annual Conference on Iranian Studies in memory of O. F. Akimushkin (St. Petersburg, February 17, 2017) — 111

Olga M. Chunakova. Seminar in memory of A. A. Freiman–2017 (St. Petersburg, May 24, 2017) — 117

Tatiana V. Ermakova. Conference “Current Topics of the Buddhist Studies–3” (St. Petersburg, June 14, 2017) — 122

Liubov I. Kriakina. The 7th International Seminar on “The Images of Memory. The Newest Technologies of Preservation and Restoration of Manuscript and Printed Heritage” (Armenia, Yerevan, M. Mashtots Matenadaran, September 26–29, 2017) — 125

REVIEWS

Zare Yusupova. The Kurdish Dialect Gorani. A Grammatical Description. Saarbrucken: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2017, 134 pp. (Youli A. Ioannesyan) — 131

Evgeny Steiner. Hokusai Manga: The Encyclopaedia of Old Japanese Life in Pictures. Full Publication with Introduction, Translation and Commentaries. St. Petersburg: Centre for Oriental Studies Publishers, 2016. 4 vols (Аlexander A. Dolin) — 134

INDEXES

Tatiana A. Pang. Indexes to the Journal “Pis’mennye pamiatniki Vostoka”. № 2 (issue 21), 2014 — Vol. 14, № 3 (issue 30), 2017 — 139

IN MEMORIAM

Dandamaiev, Magomed A.-K. (Inna N. Medvedskaia) — 150