一切經音義 11.181

11.181

荷字為後（亦梵字也不切當荷音何亦宜書賀字賀即近經云阿字為初荷字為後者此字最居字母之未佛意叩其兩端標其首尾引為法喻次卷末有真言一道可三四紙字音非切當應須再翻）。

The letter Ha as the last (This is also a Sanskrit letter. It is not rendered with precise phonetic accuracy: 荷 is pronounced he, but it would also be proper to write it as he [賀]; he [賀] is closer. The sūtra says: 'The letter A as the first, and the letter Ha as the last.' This letter stands at the very end of the alphabet (mātṛkā). The Buddha's intention was to strike both ends and mark the beginning and conclusion, citing them as a doctrinal metaphor. Following this, at the end of the fascicle, there is a dhāraṇī of three or four sheets; its character pronunciations are not accurate and ought to be retranslated.)