न नास्तिकानां वचनं ब्रवीम्यहं न नास्तिकोऽहं न च नास्ति किंचन।
समीक्ष्य कालं पुनरास्तिकोऽभवं भवेय काले पुनरेव नास्तिकः॥
na nāstikānāṁ vacanaṁ bravīmy ahaṁ
na nāstiko ’haṁ na ca nāsti kiñcana
samīkṣya kālaṁ punar āstiko ’bhavaṁ
bhaveya kāle punar eva nāstikaḥ
na = do not; nāstikānām = of those who disbelieve in the soul; vacanam = the statements; bravīmi = propound; aham = I; na = not; nāstikaḥ = a disbeliever in the existence of the soul; aham = I am; na = it is not that; ca = and; na asti kiñcana = there is nothing beyond death; samīkṣya = having analysed [the instructions of great souls]; kālam = over time; punaḥ = again; āstikaḥ = a believer in the existence of the soul; abhavam = I have become; bhaveya = I can speak; kāle = [but] at the [right] time; punaḥ eva = again; nāstikaḥ = the ideology of the non-existence of the soul.
I do not propound the statements of those who disbelieve in the soul. I am not a disbeliever in the existence of the soul and it is not that there is nothing beyond death. Having analyzed [the instructions of great souls] over time, I have again become a believer in the existence of the soul. [But] at the [right] time, I can again speak the ideology of the non-existence of the soul.1
1. “At the [right] time” indicates that to get Rāma back to Ayodhyā, Jābāli could even argue a philosophy that he never believed in. Technical note: iti kālaṁ mahātmopadeśāṁ punaḥ punaḥ samīkṣya vicārya āstiko ’bhavam. etena mayi nāstikatva-prāpti-śaṅkā na kartavyeti sūcitam. nanu kim-arthaṁ nāstika-vacanam uccāritavān ity ata āha: kāle ayodhyā-karmaka-bhavad-gamanārthaṁ nāstikaḥ nāstika-vacana-vaktā bhaveya.