THE OIRAT TRANSLATION OF 'THE SUTRA OF THE WISE AND THE FOOL' ('DZANGS BLUN MDO') CARRIED OUT BY THE KALMYK BUDDHIST MONK THOGS-MED BKA' -BCU (1887-1980) (Russian title - below)

(Title in Russian - 'Oiratskii perevod 'Sutry o mudrosti i gluposti' ('Dzangs blun mdo'), vypolnennnyi kalmytskim buddiiskim svyashchennosluzhitelem Tugmyud-gavdzhi (1887-1980)'). 'The Sutra of the Wise and the Fool' is one of the most popular Buddhist sources which were wide spreading in Central and South-West Asia. The first translation into the Oirat (Old-Kalmyk) language under the title 'Medetei mede ugei-yi ilyayaci kemeku sudur' was made by the outstanding Oirat enlightener of middle ages Zaya-pandita Nam-mkha' rgya - mtsho (1599-1662) in the 17th cent. The second Oirat translation in 'Todo Script' was made by the Kalmyk dge-slong Thog-med bka'-bcu (1887-1980). This translation of the Tibetan Sutra completed by the 1968th is of the great scholarly importance. The preliminary textological analysis of the Thog-med bka'-bcu's manuscript and the translation of Zaya-pandita (17th cent.) in comparison with Tibetan text made it clear that the work of the Kalmyk Buddhist monk of the 20th century was written independently.