Shloka 11

Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya

Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa

Devanagari script

इन्द्रतोयां समासाद्य गन्धमादनसंनिधौ

Transliteration

indratoyāṃ samāsādya gandhamādana-sannidhau | gandhamādana-parvate nikaṭa indratoyā-nadīṃ ca kuraṅga-kṣetra-antar-gatāṃ kartoyā-nadīṃ ca saṃyata-cittaḥ śuddha-bhāvena snātvā trīṇi rātrāṇy upavāsī manuṣyaḥ aśvamedha-yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti |

Translation

阿阇陀利耶说道：凡前往甘达摩陀那山（Gandhamādana）附近的因陀罗托耶河（Indratoyā），又前往库让伽地区（Kuraṅga）境内的迦罗托耶河（Karatoyā），以自制之心与清净之愿在彼处沐浴，继而三夜断食者——其人所得功德，等同于举行马祭阿湿婆梅陀（Aśvamedha）之果报。

Word by Word

• इन्द्रतोयाम्: the Indratoyā (river)
• इन्द्रतोयाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रतोया
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• समासाद्य: having reached/approached
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)

• गन्धमादन-संनिधौ: in the vicinity of Gandhamādana
• गन्धमादन-संनिधौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन-संनिधि
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

अजड्रिय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Ajadriya
• Indratoyā river
• Gandhamādana mountain
• Kartoyā river
• Kuranga region (Kuraṅga-kṣetra)
• Aśvamedha sacrifice

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that great religious merit is not only tied to costly royal rituals; disciplined conduct—purity of intention, mental restraint, sacred bathing, and a short but sincere fast—can yield merit comparable to the Aśvamedha.

What is happening in the narrative?

Ajadriya describes specific sacred rivers and locations (Indratoyā near Gandhamādana, and Kartoyā in the Kuranga region) and prescribes a tirtha-observance: bathe there with a purified mind and then fast for three nights to obtain the fruit of an Aśvamedha.