Shloka 25

Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

केदारक्ष मतड्स्य महानाश्रम उत्तम: । कुण्डोद: पर्वतो रम्यो बहुमूलफलोदक:

Transliteration

kedārakṣa-maṭaḍsya mahān āśrama uttamaḥ | kuṇḍodaḥ parvato ramyo bahu-mūla-phalo-dakaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “There is the excellent great hermitage of Kedārakṣa (Kedāra), and the delightful mountain called Kuṇḍoda, rich in many roots and fruits and abundant in water.”

Word by Word

केदारःKedāra (name of a place/field)

क्षमतटस्यof Kṣama-taṭa (name of a bank/shore/place)

महान्great

आश्रमःhermitage

उत्तमःexcellent, best

कुण्डोदःKuṇḍoda (name of a mountain/place; lit. 'having a pool/water')

पर्वतःmountain

रम्यःbeautiful, delightful

बहुमूलफलोदकःhaving much (many) roots, fruits, and water

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kedārakṣa (Kedāra)

Maṭaḍa

Kuṇḍoda (mountain)

āśrama (hermitage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of āśrama-life: sacred places and disciplined hermitages are sustained by nature’s abundance (water, roots, fruits), suggesting that simplicity, restraint, and spiritual practice can flourish when one lives in harmony with the environment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing notable sacred locations in the forest context of the Vana Parva—pointing out an eminent hermitage at Kedāra and a beautiful mountain named Kuṇḍoda, characterized by plentiful natural resources.