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.
कोकामुखात् समारभ्य यावद् वै स्कन्ददर्शनम् दृष्ट्वा स्कन्दं ययौ धाराचक्रे चापि प्रदक्षिणम्
Beginning from Kokamukha and up to the sight of Skanda, having seen Skanda, he went and circumambulated the Dhara wheel as well.
ततो ऽद्रिवरम् आगम्य विन्ध्यम् उच्चशिलोच्चयम् पापप्रमोचनं तीर्थम् आससाद स तु द्विजाः
Then, coming to the excellent mountain, the lofty Vindhya with its high peaks, he reached the sacred ford called Papapramocana.
स्नानं पापहरं चक्रे स तु चाण्डालवंशजः विमुक्तपापः सस्मार पूर्वजातीर् अनेकशः
There, the son of a Chandala performed a sin-removing bath; freed from sin, he remembered his many former births.
स पूर्वजन्मन्य् अभवद् भिक्षुः संयतवाङ्मनाः यतकायश् च मतिमान् वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः
In a previous birth, he had been a mendicant, restrained in speech and mind, disciplined in body, intelligent, and accomplished in the Vedas and Vedangas.
एकदा गोषु नगराद् ध्रियमाणासु तस्करैः भिक्षावधूता रजसा मुक्ता तेनाथ भिक्षुणा
Once, as cows were being driven from the city by thieves, the dust raised by the mendicant's begging freed him from it.
स तेनाधर्मदोषेण चाण्डालीं योनिम् आगतः पापप्रमोचने स्नातः स मृतो नर्मदातटे
Because of that fault of unrighteousness, he was born in a Chandala womb; having bathed at Papapramocana, he died on the bank of the Narmada.
मूर्खो ऽभूद् ब्राह्मणवरो वाराणस्यां च भो द्विजाः तत्रास्य वसतो ऽब्दैस् तु त्रिंशद्भिः सिद्धपूरुषः
He became a foolish but excellent Brahmin in Varanasi, O twice-born; living there for thirty years, he became a perfected being.
विरूपरूपी बभ्राम योगमालाबलान्वितः तं दृष्ट्वा सोपहासार्थम् अभिवाद्याभ्युवाच ह
He wandered about in various forms, endowed with the power of a garland of yoga; seeing him, someone approached, greeted him, and spoke mockingly.
कुशलं सिद्धपुरुषं कुतस् त्व् आगम्यते त्वया
"O accomplished one, from where have you come to this place?"
एवं संभाषितस् तेन ज्ञातो ऽहम् इति चिन्त्य तु प्रत्युवाचाथ वन्द्यस् तं स्वर्गलोकाद् उपागतः
Thus addressed by him, thinking, 'He knows me,' the venerable one replied, 'I have come from the world of the gods.'
तं सिद्धं प्राह मूर्खो ऽसौ किं त्वं वेत्सि त्रिविष्टपे नारायणोरुप्रभवाम् उर्वशीम् अप्सरोवराम्
That foolish one said to the accomplished one, 'Do you know Urvashi, the celestial nymph, born from the great power of Narayana in the threefold heaven?'
सिद्धस् तम् आह तां वेद्मि शक्रचामरधारिणीम् स्वर्गस्याभरणं मुख्यम् उर्वशीं साधुसंभवाम्
The accomplished one replied to him, 'I know her—Urvashi, who bears Indra's fan, the chief ornament of heaven, born of the virtuous.'
विप्रः सिद्धम् उवाचाथ ऋजुमार्गविवर्जितः तन् मित्र मत्कृते वार्त्ताम् उर्वश्या भवतादरात्
Then the Brahmin, devoid of straightforward conduct, said to the accomplished one, 'Friend, for my sake, please bring news of Urvashi.'
कथनीया यच् च सा ते ब्रूयाद् आख्यास्यते भवान् बाढम् इत्य् अब्रवीत् सिद्धः सो ऽपि विप्रो मुदान्वितः
"Whatever she might say to you, you must tell me," he said; the accomplished one agreed, and the Brahmin was filled with joy.
बभूव सिद्धो ऽपि ययौ मेरुपृष्ठं सुरालयम् समेत्य चोर्वशीं प्राह यद् उक्तो ऽसौ द्विजेन तु
Even as a perfected being, he went to the celestial abode atop Meru; meeting Urvashi, he conveyed what the Brahmin had said.
सा प्राह तं सिद्धवरं नाहं काशिपतिं द्विजम् जानामि सत्यम् उक्तं ते न चेतसि मम स्थितम्
She said to that accomplished one, 'I do not know the Brahmin, lord of Kashi; truly, what you say is correct, but he does not dwell in my mind.'
इत्य् उक्तः प्रययौ सो ऽपि कालेन बहुना पुनः वाराणसीं ययौ सिद्धो दृष्टो मूर्खेण वै पुनः
Thus addressed, he too departed, and after a long time, returned again to Varanasi; the accomplished one was seen once more by the fool.
दृष्टः पृष्टः किल भूयः किम् आहोरुभवा तव सिद्धो ऽब्रवीन् न जानामि माम् उवाचोर्वशी स्वयम्
Having seen him, he asked again, 'What did Urvashi say to you?' The accomplished one replied, 'I do not know; Urvashi herself spoke to me.'
सिद्धवाक्यं ततः श्रुत्वा स्मितभिन्नौष्ठसंपुटः पुनः प्राह कथं वेत्सीत्य् एवं वाच्या त्वयोर्वशी
Hearing the words of the accomplished one, with a smile breaking upon his lips, he spoke again, 'How do you know?'—this is what you should say to Urvashi.
बाढम् एवं करिष्यामीत्य् उक्त्वा सिद्धो दिवं गतः ददर्श शक्रभवनान् निष्क्रामन्तीम् अथोर्वशीम्
Saying, 'Very well, I shall do so,' the accomplished one went to heaven; there he saw Urvashi coming out from Indra's palace.