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.
अजानता यज्ञविद्यां यद् इष्टं याजितं च यत् तेन कर्मविपाकेन संभूतो ब्रह्मराक्षसः
Unknowing the science of sacrifice, whatever was performed or caused to be performed by me, by the result of those actions, I became a Brahma-rākṣasa.
तन् मां पापमहाम्भोधौ निमग्नं त्वं समुद्धर प्रजागरे गीतिकैकां पश्चिमां दातुम् अर्हसि
Therefore, lift me up from this great ocean of sin; you ought to grant me a final song during your vigil.
तम् उवाचाथ चाण्डालो यदि प्राणिवधाद् भवान् निवृत्तिं कुरुते दद्यां ततः पश्चिमगीतिकाम्
Then the cāṇḍāla said to him: If you abstain from killing living beings, I will grant you the final song.
बाढम् इत्य् अवदत् सो ऽपि मातङ्गो ऽपि ददौ तदा गीतिकाफलम् आमन्त्र्य मुहूर्तार्धप्रजागरम्
He replied, 'Agreed,' and Mātaṅga then gave him, invoking the fruit of the song, a half-moment's vigil.
तस्मिन् गीतिफले दत्ते मातङ्गं ब्रह्मराक्षसः प्रणम्य प्रययौ हृष्टस् तीर्थवर्यं पृथूदकम्
When the fruit of the song was given, the Brahma-rākṣasa bowed to Mātaṅga and joyfully departed for the excellent holy place, Pṛthūdaka.
तत्रानशनसंकल्पं कृत्वा प्राणाञ् जहौ द्विजाः राक्षसत्वाद् विनिर्मुक्तो गीतिकाफलबृंहितः
There, having resolved to fast, the twice-born relinquished his life; freed from the state of rākṣasa, strengthened by the fruit of the song.
पृथूदकप्रभावाच् च ब्रह्मलोकं च दुर्लभम् दश वर्षसहस्राणि निरातङ्को ऽवसत् ततः
By the power of Pṛthūdaka, he attained Brahma's world, which is difficult to reach, and dwelt there without trouble for ten thousand years.
तस्यान्ते ब्राह्मणो जातो बभूव स्मृतिमान् वशी तस्याहं चरितं भूयः कथयिष्यामि भो द्विजाः
At the end of that, he was born as a brāhmaṇa, endowed with memory and self-control; I will again recount his story, O twice-born ones.
मातङ्गस्य कथाशेषं शृणुध्वं गदतो मम राक्षसे तु गते धीमान् गृहम् एत्य यतात्मवान्
Hear now the remainder of the tale of Matanga as I recount it: when the Rakshasa departed, the wise one, self-controlled, returned home.
तद्विप्रचरितं स्मृत्वा निर्विण्णः शुचिर् अप्य् असौ पुत्रेषु भार्यां निक्षिप्य ददौ भूम्याः प्रदक्षिणाम्
Remembering the actions of that Brahmin, he became despondent, though pure; entrusting his wife to his sons, he circumambulated the earth.