ධම්මපදට්ඨකථා (Dhammapada Commentary — Sri Lankan Palm-Leaf MS)

Two horizontal palm leaf (ola) manuscript strips with handwritten Sinhalese script. Each leaf features two circular binding holes through which a purple cord is threaded. The script is rounded and characteristic of historical Sri Lankan Buddhist manuscripts.

KaHail to the success of all! To provide the welfare and happiness of all beings, the Tathagata—the Teacher of the three worlds, the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha—having fulfilled the thirty perfections—the ten paramita perfections, the ten upa-paramita intermediate perfections, and the ten paramattha-paramita ultimate perfections—over the course of a hundred thousand aeons, and having defeated all Mara, attained the supreme all-knowing wisdom. Out of great compassion for the world, He taught the True Dhamma. From within the Tripitaka three baskets of scripture—the Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma—contained in the nine-fold teaching of the Teacher, this Dhamma has been written down for the benefit of all living beings...

[illegible — 3 lines of text containing religious Buddhist terminology]?

KaAmong the various parts of the True Dhamma preached by the Buddha, out of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Dhamma, this one Sutta was preached by the Buddha who is the possessor of all-knowing wisdom. Having heard that Dhamma, this book was written down with the compassionate wish that many beings might attain Nibbana. May there be success.

[illegible — 4 lines of text involving Pali phrases written in Sinhalese script, likely concluding verses or merit-sharing prayers]?