सुकर्मोवाच- एवमुक्त्वा द्विजश्रेष्ठ मौनवान्मातलिस्तदा । राजानं धर्मतत्त्वज्ञं ययातिं नहुषात्मजम्
Sukarman said: Having spoken thus, O best of twice-born, Mātali then became silent; and the king Yayāti, son of Nahusha, knower of the essence of dharma—
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने मातापितृतीर्थवर्णने ययातिचरित्रे एकसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the seventy-first chapter in the story of Yayāti, in the account of the holy places of mother and father, in the tale of Vena, in the Bhūmikhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
पिप्पल उवाच- मातलेश्च वचः श्रुत्वा स राजा नहुषात्मजः । किं चकार महाप्राज्ञस्तन्मे विस्तरतो वद
Pippala said: Having heard the words of Mātali, what did that wise king, the son of Nahusha, do? Tell me that in detail.
सर्वपुण्यमयी पुण्या कथेयं पापनाशिनी । श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं प्राज्ञ नैव तृप्यामि सर्वदा
This story is full of all merit and destroys sin; I wish to hear it, O wise one, for I am never satisfied.
सुकर्मोवाच- सर्वधर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठो ययातिर्नृपसत्तमः । तमुवाचागतं दूतं मातलिं शक्रसारथिम्
Sukarman said: Yayāti, the best among all upholders of dharma, O best of kings, spoke to the messenger who had arrived, Mātali, the charioteer of Shakra.
ययातिरुवाच- शरीरं नैव त्यक्ष्यामि गमिष्ये न दिवं पुनः । शरीरेण विना दूत पार्थिवेन न संशयः
Yayāti said: I will not abandon my body, nor will I go to heaven again without my body, O messenger; there is no doubt for a king.
यद्यप्येवं महादोषाः कायस्यैव प्रकीर्तिताः । पूर्वं चापि समाख्यातं त्वया सर्वं गुणागुणम्
Even though many great faults of the body have been described, and you have previously explained to me all its merits and demerits—
नाहं त्यक्ष्ये शरीरं वै नागमिष्ये दिवं पुनः । इत्याचक्ष्व इतो गत्वा देवदेवं पुरंदरम्
Still, I will not abandon my body, nor will I go to heaven again; go from here and tell this to the god of gods, Purandara.
एकाकिना हि जीवेन कायेनापि महामते । नैव सिद्धिं प्रयात्येवं सांसारिकमिहैव हि
For, O wise one, even with body alone, a living being does not attain success when alone; such is the way of worldly existence here.
नैव प्राणं विना कायो जीवः कायं विना नहि । उभयोश्चापि मित्रत्वं नयिष्ये नाशमिंद्र न
The body does not exist without life, nor does the soul exist without the body; and I will not cause the destruction of the friendship between the two, O Indra.
यस्य प्रसादभावाद्वै सुखमश्नाति केवलम् । शरीरस्याप्ययं प्राणो भोगानन्यान्मनोनुगान्
By whose favor alone one enjoys happiness, even the vital breath of the body experiences other enjoyments that follow the mind.
एवं ज्ञात्वा स्वर्गभोग्यं न भोज्यं देवदूतक । संभवंति महादुष्टा व्याधयो दुःखदायकाः
Knowing thus, O messenger of the gods, that heavenly pleasures are not to be enjoyed, great and wicked diseases arise, bringing suffering.
मातले किल्बिषाच्चैव जरादोषात्प्रजायते । पश्य मे पुण्यसंयुक्तं कायं षोडशवार्षिकम्
O Mātali, from sin and the fault of old age, one is born; behold my body, joined with merit, which is like that of a sixteen-year-old.
जन्मप्रभृति मे कायः शतार्धाब्दं प्रयाति च । तथापि नूतनो भावः कायस्यापि प्रजायते
From birth, my body endures for a hundred and fifty years, yet even so, a new condition of the body arises.
मम कालो गतो दूत अब्दा प्रनंत्यमनुत्तमम् । यथा षोडशवर्षस्य कायः पुंसः प्रशोभते
My time has passed, O messenger, the years have gone by in the highest way; just as the body of a sixteen-year-old man shines forth.
तथा मे शोभते देहो बलवीर्यसमन्वितः । नैव ग्लानिर्न मे हानिर्न श्रमो व्याधयो जरा
So does my body shine, endowed with strength and vigor; there is no fatigue, no loss, no exhaustion, no diseases, nor old age for me.
मातले मम कायेपि धर्मोत्साहेन वर्द्धते । सर्वामृतमयं दिव्यमौषधं परमौषधम्
O Mātali, even my body grows by enthusiasm for righteousness; all is made of nectar, divine medicine, the supreme remedy.
पापव्याधिप्रणाशार्थं धर्माख्यं हि कृतम्पुरा । तेन मे शोधितः कायो गतदोषस्तु जायते
For the destruction of sin and disease, the practice called dharma was established in ancient times; by that my body is purified and becomes free of faults.
हृषीकेशस्य संध्यानं नामोच्चारणमुत्तमम् । एतद्रसायनं दूत नित्यमेवं करोम्यहम्
The meditation on Hṛṣīkeśa and the utterance of his supreme name—this is the elixir, O messenger, which I always practice.
तेन मे व्याधयो दोषाः पापाद्याः प्रलयं गताः । विद्यमाने हि संसारे कृष्णनाम्नि महौषधे
By that, my diseases, faults, and sins have perished; for in this world, the great medicine is the name of Kṛṣṇa.
मानवा मरणं यांति पापव्याधि प्रपीडिताः । न पिबंति महामूढाः कृष्ण नाम रसायनम्
Humans afflicted by sin and disease go to death; the greatly deluded do not drink the elixir of Kṛṣṇa's name.
तेन ध्यानेन ज्ञानेन पूजाभावेन मातले । सत्येन दानपुण्येन मम कायो निरामयः
By that meditation, by that knowledge, by the feeling of worship, O Mātali, and by truth and the merit of giving, my body is free from illness.
पापर्द्धेरामयाः पीडाः प्रभवंति शरीरिणः । पीडाभ्यो जायते मृत्युः प्राणिनां नात्र संशयः
From the increase of sin, painful diseases arise in embodied beings; from those pains, death is born for living creatures—of this there is no doubt.
तस्माद्धर्मः प्रकर्तव्यः पुण्यसत्याश्रयैर्नरैः । पंचभूतात्मकः कायः शिरासंधिविजर्जरः
Therefore, righteousness should be practiced by men relying on merit and truth; the body, composed of the five elements, is worn out by joints and connections.
एवं संधीकृतो मर्त्यो हेमकारीव टंकणैः । तत्र भाति महानग्निर्द्धातुरेव चरः सदा
Thus, a mortal joined together like a goldsmith with his tools, there shines a great fire, always moving within the metal.
शतखंडमये विप्र यः संधत्ते सबुद्धिमान् । हरेर्नाम्ना च दिव्येन सौभाग्येनापि पिप्पल
O wise one, just as one who joins together a hundred pieces of metal, so too, O Pippala, by the divine name of Hari and by good fortune.
पंचात्मका हि ये खंडाः शतसंधिविजर्जराः । तेन संधारिताः सर्वे कायो धातुसमो भवेत्
For the pieces, indeed, are fivefold, worn out by a hundred joints; when all are joined together by that, the body becomes like the essence of metal.
हरेः पूजोपचारेण ध्यानेन नियमेन च । सत्यभावेन दानेन नूत्नः कायो विजायते
By worship and service to Hari, by meditation and discipline, by truthfulness and giving, a new body is produced.
दोषा नश्यंति कायस्य व्याधयः शृणु मातले । बाह्याभ्यंतरशौचं हि दुर्गंधिर्नैव जायते
Listen, Matali: when the faults of the body are destroyed, diseases vanish; for one who maintains both external and internal purity, foul odors never arise.
शुचिस्ततो भवेत्सूत प्रसादात्तस्य चक्रिणः । नाहं स्वर्गं गमिष्यामि स्वर्गमत्र करोम्यहम्
Thus, O charioteer, by the grace of the Discus-wielder, one becomes pure; I will not go to heaven—I will make heaven here itself.