Mahabharata · Chapter 13.5
evamukto mataṅgastu saṃśitātmā yatavrataḥ /
sahasramekapādena tato dhyāne vyatiṣṭhata //
taṃ sahasrāvare kāle śakro draṣṭumupāgamat /
tadeva ca punarvākyamuvāca balavṛtrahā //
mataṅga uvāca /
idaṃ varṣasahasraṃ vai brahmacārī samāhitaḥ /
atiṣṭhamekapādena brāhmaṇyaṃ nāpnuyāṃ katham //
śakra uvāca /
caṇḍālayono jātena nāvāpyaṃ vai kathañcana /
anyaṃ kāmaṃ vṛṇīṣva tvaṃ mā vṛthā te'stvayaṃ śramaḥ //
evamukto mataṅgastu bhṛśaṃ śokaparāyaṇaḥ /
adhyatiṣṭhadgayāṃ gatvā so'ṅguṣṭena śataṃ samāḥ //
sudurvahaṃ vahanyogaṃ kṛśo dhamanisantataḥ /
tvagasthibhūto dharmātmā sa tatāpeti naḥ śrutam //
taṃ tapantamabhidrutya pāṇiṃ jagrāha vāsavaḥ /
varāṇāmīśvaro dātā sarvabhūtahite rataḥ //
śakra uvāca /
mataṅga brāhmaṇatvaṃ te viruddhamiha dṛśyate /
brāhmaṇyaṃ durlabhataraṃ saṃvṛtaṃ paripanthibhiḥ //
pūjayansukhamāpnoti duḥkhamāpnotyapūjayan /
brāhmaṇe sarvabhūtānāṃ yogakṣemaḥ samāhitaḥ //
brāhmaṇebhyo'nutṛpyante pitaro devatāstathā /
brāhmaṇaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ mataṅga para ucyate //
brāhmaṇaḥ kurute taddhi yathā yadyacca vāñchati //
bahvīstu saṃsaranyonīrjāyamānaḥ panuḥpunaḥ /
paryāye tāta kasmiṃścidbrāhmaṇyamiha vindati //
tadutsṛjyeha duṣprāpaṃ brāhmaṇyamakṛtātmabhiḥ /
anyaṃ varaṃ vṛṇīṣva tvaṃ durlabho'yaṃ hi te varaḥ //
kiṃ māṃ tudasi duḥkhārtaṃ mṛtaṃ mārayase ca mām /
tvāṃ tu śocāmi yo labdhvā brāhmaṇyaṃ na bubhūṣase //
brāhmaṇyaṃ yadi duṣprāpaṃ tribhirvarṇairdurāsadam /
sudurlabhaṃ sadāvāpya nānutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ //
ye pāpebhyaḥ pāpatamāsteṣāmadhama eva saḥ /
brāhmaṇyaṃ yo'vajānīte dhanaṃ labdhveva durlabham //
duṣprāpaṃ khalu vipratvaṃ prāptaṃ duranupālanam /
duravāpamavāpyaitannānutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ //
ekārāmo hyahaṃ śakra nirndvadvo niṣparigrahaḥ /
ahiṃsādamamāsthāya kathaṃ nārhāmi vipratām //
daivaṃ tu kathametadvai yadahaṃ mātṛdoṣataḥ /
etāmavasthāṃ samprāpto dharmajñaḥ sanpurandaraṃ //
nūnaṃ daivaṃ na śakyaṃ hi pauruṣeṇātivartitum /
yadarthaṃ yatnavāneva na labhe vipratāṃ vibho //
evangate tu dharmajña dātumarhasi me varam /
yadi te'hamanugrāhyaḥ kicidvā sukṛtaṃ mama //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /
vṛṇīṣveti tadā prāha tatastaṃ balavṛtrahā /
coditastu mahendreṇa mataṅgaḥ prābravīdidam //
yathā kāmavihārī syāṃ kāmarūpī vihaṅgamaḥ /
brahmakṣatrāvirodhena pūjāṃ ca prāpnuyāmaham //
yathā mamākṣayā kīrtirbhaveccāpi purandara /
kartumarhasi taddeva śirasā tvāṃ prasādaye //
śakra uvāca /
mataṅga gamyatāṃ śīghramevametadbhaviṣyati /
striyaḥ sarvāstvayā loke yakṣyante bhūtikarmaṇi //
chandodeva iti khyātaḥ strīṇāṃ pūjyo bhaviṣyasi /
kīrtiśca te'tulā vatsa triṣu lokeṣu yāsyati //
evaṃ tasmai varaṃ dattvā vāsavo'ntaradhīyata /
prāṇāṃstyaktvā mataṅgopi prāpa tatsthānamuttamam //
evameva paraṃ sthānaṃ martyānāṃ bharatarṣabha /
brāhmaṇyaṃ nāma duṣprāpamindreṇoktaṃ mahātmanā //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0