धर्मार्थकामसंप्राप्तिर् मोक्षप्राप्तिश् च दुर्लभा सत्येन जायते पुंसां तस्मात् सत्यं न संत्यजेत्
The attainment of dharma, wealth, and pleasure, and the attainment of liberation, which is difficult, arises from truth in people; therefore, one should not abandon truth.
सत्यं ब्रह्म परं लोके सत्यं यज्ञेषु चोत्तमम् सत्यं स्वर्गसमायातं तस्मात् सत्यं न संत्यजेत्
Truth is the supreme Brahman in the world, truth is highest in sacrifices, truth leads to heaven; therefore, one should not abandon truth.
इत्य् उक्त्वा सो ऽथ मातङ्गस् तं प्रक्षिप्य नरोत्तमम् जगाम तत्र यत्रास्ते प्राणिहा ब्रह्मराक्षसः
Having said this, Mātaṅga then cast that best of men there and went to the place where the life-destroying Brahmarākṣasa was.
तम् आगतं समीक्ष्यासौ चाण्डालं ब्रह्मराक्षसः विस्मयोत्फुल्लनयनः शिरःकम्पं तम् अब्रवीत्
Seeing that outcaste approaching, the Brahmarākṣasa, his eyes wide with astonishment, nodded his head and spoke to him.
साधु साधु महाभाग सत्यवाक्यानुपालक न मातङ्गम् अहं मन्ये भवन्तं सत्यलक्षणम्
"Well done, well done, O highly fortunate one, upholder of truthful speech! I do not consider you a Mātaṅga; you bear the marks of truth."
कर्मणानेन मन्ये त्वां ब्राह्मणं शुचिम् अव्ययम् यत् किंचित् त्वां भद्रमुखं प्रवक्ष्ये धर्मसंश्रयम् किं तत्र भवता रात्रौ कृतं विष्णुगृहे वद
By this deed, I consider you a pure and imperishable brāhmaṇa. I will ask you, O auspicious-faced one, something rooted in dharma: what did you do at Viṣṇu’s temple during the night? Tell me.
तम् अभ्युवाच मातङ्गः शृणु विष्णुगृहे मया यत् कृतं रजनीभागे यथातथ्यं वदामि ते
Mātaṅga replied to him: "Listen, I will tell you exactly what I did at Viṣṇu’s temple during the night."
विष्णोर् देवकुलस्याधः स्थितेनानम्रमूर्तिना प्रजागरः कृतो रात्रौ गायता विष्णुगीतिकाम्
"I kept vigil through the night, standing humbly beneath Viṣṇu’s temple, singing hymns to Viṣṇu."
तं ब्रह्मराक्षसः प्राह कियन्तं कालम् उच्यताम् प्रजागरो विष्णुगृहे कृतं भक्तिमता वद
The Brahmarākṣasa said to him: "Tell me, for how long did you keep vigil with devotion at Viṣṇu’s temple?"
तम् अभ्युवाच प्रहसन् विंशत्य् अब्दानि राक्षस एकादश्यां मासि मासि कृतस् तत्र प्रजागरः मातङ्गवचनं श्रुत्वा प्रोवाच ब्रह्मराक्षसः
He replied, smiling: "For twenty years, on every Ekādaśī, I kept vigil there." Hearing Mātaṅga’s words, the Brahmarākṣasa spoke.
यद् अद्य त्वां प्रवक्ष्यामि तद् भवान् वक्तुम् अर्हति एकरात्रिकृतं साधो मम देहि प्रजागरम्
"What I now ask of you, you should grant me, O good one: give me the merit of a single night’s vigil."
एवं त्वां मोक्षयिष्यामि मोक्षयिष्यामि नान्यथा त्रिः सत्येन महाभाग इत्य् उक्त्वा विरराम ह
"In this way I will release you, I will release you, and not otherwise. By truth, three times I swear, O highly fortunate one." Having said this, he became silent.
मातङ्गस् तम् उवाचाथ मयात्मा ते निशाचर निवेदितः किम् उक्तेन खादस्व स्वेच्छयापि माम्
Then Mātaṅga said to him: "I have already offered myself to you, O night-wanderer. What is the use of words? Eat me as you wish."
तम् आह राक्षसो भूयो यामद्वयप्रजागरम् सगीतं मे प्रयच्छस्व कृपां कर्तुं त्वम् अर्हसि
The rākṣasa said to him again: "Grant me the vigil of two watches, with song. You ought to show me compassion."
मातङ्गो राक्षसं प्राह किम् असंबद्धम् उच्यते खादस्व स्वेच्छया मां त्वं न प्रदास्ये प्रजागरम् मातङ्गवचनं श्रुत्वा प्राह तं ब्रह्मराक्षसः
Mātaṅga said to the rākṣasa: "Why do you speak irrelevantly? Eat me as you wish; I will not give you the vigil." Hearing Mātaṅga’s words, the Brahmarākṣasa spoke to him.
को हि दुष्टमतिर् मन्दो भवन्तं द्रष्टुम् उत्सहेत् धर्षयितुं पीडयितुं रक्षितं धर्मकर्मणा
"Who, with evil intent or foolishness, would dare to harm or oppress you, protected as you are by righteous acts?"
दीनस्य पापग्रस्तस्य विषयैर् मोहितस्य च नरकार्तस्य मूढस्य साधवः स्युर् दयान्विताः
"The good are compassionate to the wretched, those seized by sin, deluded by sense-objects, bound for hell, and lost in ignorance."
तन् मम त्वं महाभाग कृपां कृत्वा प्रजागरम् यामस्यैकस्य मे देहि गच्छ वा निलयं स्वकम्
"Therefore, O highly fortunate one, show me compassion and grant me the vigil of a single watch of the night, or else go to your own dwelling."
तं पुनः प्राह चाण्डालो न यास्यामि निजं गृहम् न चापि तव दास्यामि कथंचिद् यामजागरम् तं प्रहस्याथ चाण्डालं प्रोवाच ब्रह्मराक्षसः
Again the outcaste said to him: "I will not go to my home, nor will I give you the vigil of a watch in any way." Then, laughing, the Brahmarākṣasa spoke to the outcaste.
रात्र्यवसाने या गीता गीतिका कौतुकाश्रया तस्याः फलं प्रयच्छस्व त्राहि पापात् समुद्धर
"Give me the fruit of the song sung at the end of the night, which was filled with delight. Save me, lift me from sin."
एवम् उच्चारिते तेन मातङ्गस् तम् उवाच ह
When those words were spoken, Mātaṅga addressed him.
किं पूर्वं भवता कर्म विकृतं कृतम् अञ्जसा येन त्वं दोषजातेन संभूतो ब्रह्मराक्षसः
What wrongful deed did you previously commit, by which you have become a Brahma-rākṣasa, born from the result of sin?
तस्य तद् वाक्यम् आकर्ण्य मातङ्गं ब्रह्मराक्षसः प्रोवाच दुःखसंतप्तः संस्मृत्य स्वकृतं कृतम्
Hearing those words, the Brahma-rākṣasa spoke to Mātaṅga, tormented by suffering, recalling what he himself had done.
श्रूयतां यो ऽहम् आसं वै पूर्वं यच् च मया कृतम् यस्मिन् कृते पापयोनिं गतवान् अस्मि राक्षसीम्
Listen: who I was before, and what I did, for which I entered a sinful birth and became a rākṣasa.
सोमशर्म इति ख्यातः पूर्वम् आसम् अहं द्विजः पुत्रो ऽध्ययनशीलस्य देवशर्मस्य यज्वनः
I was formerly known as Somaśarma, a twice-born, the son of Devaśarma, a devoted student and sacrificer.
कस्यचिद् यजमानस्य सूत्रमन्त्रबहिष्कृतः नृपस्य कर्मसक्तेन यूपकर्मसुनिष्ठितः
For a certain sacrificer, I was excluded from the ritual mantras and formulas, and, attached to the king's rites, I performed the yūpa ritual with improper completion.
आग्नीध्रं चाकरोद् यज्ञे लोभमोहप्रपीडितः तस्मिन् परिसमाप्ते तु मौर्ख्याद् दम्भम् अनुष्ठितः
Driven by greed and delusion, I acted as the fire-attendant in the sacrifice; when it was completed, out of foolishness, I performed deceit.
यष्टुम् आरब्धवान् अस्मि द्वादशाहं महाक्रतुम् प्रवर्तमाने तस्मिंस् तु कुक्षिशूलो ऽभवन् मम
I began to perform a twelve-day great sacrifice; while it was underway, I was afflicted with pain in my abdomen.
संपूर्णे दशरात्रे तु न समाप्ते तथा क्रतौ विरूपाक्षस्य दीयन्त्याम् आहुत्यां राक्षसे क्षणे
When ten nights had passed, but the rite was not yet finished, at the moment when an offering was made to Virūpākṣa, a rākṣasa, I died.
मृतो ऽहं तेन दोषेण संभूतो ब्रह्मराक्षसः मूर्खेण मन्त्रहीनेन सूत्रस्वरविवर्जितम्
Because of that fault, I became a Brahma-rākṣasa, having died as a fool, lacking mantras, and omitting the proper recitation of formulas.