अथ रात्र्यां व्यतीतायां राजा चण्डालतां गतः।
नीलवस्त्रधरो नीलः परुषो ध्वस्तमूर्धजः।
चित्यमाल्यानुलेपश्च आयसाभरणोऽभवत्॥
atha rātryāṁ vyatītāyāṁ rājā caṇḍālatāṁ gataḥ
nīla-vastradharo nīlaḥ paruṣo dhvasta-mūrdhajaḥ
citya-mālyānulepaś ca āyasābharaṇo ‘bhavat
atha rātryām = when the night; vyatītāyām = had gone by; rājā = the king; caṇḍālatām = a caṇḍāla; gataḥ = became; nīla-vastradharaḥ = wearing a blue dress; nīlaḥ = himself now blue; paruṣaḥ = and rough; dhvasta-mūrdhajaḥ = with short hair; citya-mālya-anulepaḥ ca = wearing a garland and ashes from a śmaśāna [a place where dead bodies are burnt]; āyasa-ābharaṇaḥ abhavat = he had iron ornaments on his body.
When the night had gone by, the king became a caṇḍāla. Wearing a blue dress, himself now blue and rough with short hair, wearing a garland and ashes from a śmaśāna [a place where dead bodies are burnt], he had iron ornaments on his body.1
1 This is how caṇḍālas looked like at Triśaṅku’s time. Now, of course, caṇḍālas, both by activity and birth, look quite different.
2 The commentary to the next chapter sharply distinguishes between a caṇḍāla by birth (jāti-caṇḍāla) and a caṇḍāla by activity (karma-caṇḍāla). Similarly, we can infer that a brāhmaṇa by birth can be called a jāti-brāhmaṇa while a brāhmaṇa by activity can be called a karma-brāhmaṇa. But we know from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the varṇas are to be distinguished by their symptoms and not by birth, so what is the logic behind this convention of referring to one who is merely born to brāhmaṇas by quality as “a brāhmaṇa” by birth? The answer is that this convention exists simply to encourage brāhmaṇas by birth (meaning those born to brāhmaṇas by activity) to become brāhmaṇas by activity themselves, just as we commonly refer to children born to practicing Vaiṣṇavas as Vaiṣṇavas, even though we know that one cannot become a Vaiṣṇava by birth, just to encourage them to become Vaiṣṇavas by activity.
Triśaṅku didn’t merely attain the resemblance of a caṇḍāla; he factually attained the status of one who is a caṇḍāla by birth. He lost the status of one who is a kṣatriya by birth and attained the status of of one who is a caṇḍāla by birth. Because one is born as a brāhmaṇa and so on because of his pious credits, when one loses them, he loses his status of one who is a brāhmaṇa by birth and so on. This is pointed out in this verse.
Now that Triśaṅku became a caṇḍāla, his sacred thread on his chest transformed into a sinew. His yellow dress worn from his waist down transformed into a blue dress fit to be worn by a caṇḍāla. His previous effulgence of a kṣatriya became blue. This should be understood in the case of the other changes [in his appearance].
NOTE. As it will be pointed out in the next chapter, there are two types of caṇḍālas—a caṇḍāla by activity and a caṇḍāla by birth. (A caṇḍāla by birth is one who is born to caṇḍālas by activity.) One attains the status of a caṇḍāla by birth only due to sinful activities or offenses. Similarly, it can be easily inferred that there are brāhmaṇas by activity and brāhmaṇas by birth, kṣatriyas by activity and kṣatriyas by birth, vaiśyas by activity and vaiśyas by birth, śūdras by activity and śūdras by birth.2
Viśvāmitra was a kṣatriya by birth, but he wanted to become a brāhmaṇa by activity—and succeeded with great difficulty. It is extremely difficult for one who is engaged in varṇāśrama-dharma (also known as karma) to elevate himself from one varṇa to a higher varṇa within the same lifetime. However, as confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one who engages exclusively in the spiritual activities of bhakti, gives up the activities of jñāna, karma, sinful activities as well as offenses, and has no desire for dharma, artha, kāma or mokṣa, very rapidly and without difficulty, becomes a brāhmaṇa by activity [and then a pure Vaiṣṇava by activity too]. But this is impossible without the guidance and mercy of perfect pure Vaiṣṇavas.