SAUNDARANANDA 17.1: Walking the Walk to the Forest

ath'aivam aadeshita-tattva-maargo
Nandas tadaa praapta-vimokSha-maargaH
sarveNa bhaavena gurau praNamya
klesha-prahaaNaaya vanaM jagaama

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17.1
Thus was the path to reality pointed out.

Then Nanda, a path of release receiving him in,

Bowed with his whole being before the guru

And, for the letting go of afflictions,
he made for the forest.

COMMENT:
For the past five cantos, the best of talkers has been talking the best of talks. Now Ashvaghosha resumes his narrative of how Nanda walked the best of walks.


EH Johnston:
So Nanda was thus instructed in the path to reality and then, entering the Path of Salvation, he did reverence to the Guru with all his heart and departed to the forest to eliminate the vices.

Linda Covill:
So, having had the path to reality pointed out to him, Nanda arrived at liberation's path; with his whole heart he paid homage to the guru and set out for the forest in order to abandon the defilements.

VOCABULARY:
atha: ind. inceptive particle
evam: ind. thus
aadeshitaH = nom. sg. m. past. part. causitive aa-√ diz: to aim at , have in view ; to hit ; to assign ; to point out , indicate ; teach
tattva: n. true or real state , truth , reality
maargaH (nom. sg.): m. m. (in most meanings fr. mRga , of which it is also the vRddhi form in comp.) seeking , search , tracing out , hunting ; the track of a wild animal , any track , road , path

NandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
tadaa: ind. then, at that time
praapta: mfn. attained to , reached , arrived at , met with , found
praap: to attain to, reach, find; to obtain, receive ; to be present
vimokSha: m. the being loosened or undone ; release , deliverance
maargaH (nom. sg.): m. path

sarveNa = inst. sarva: all
bhaavena = inst. bhaava: being ; the seat of the feelings or affections , heart , soul , mind
gurau (loc.): to the guru
praNamya = abs. praNam (fr. √nam): to bend or bow down before

klesha: m. pain , affliction , distress
prahaaNaaya = dat. prahaaNa: n. relinquishing, abandoning
vanam (acc. sg.): n. forest
jagaama: he went