śrī-śuka uvāca
ekadā deva-yātrāyāḿ
gopālā jāta-kautukāḥ
anobhir anaḍud-yuktaiḥ
prayayus te 'mbikā-vanam
sri-sukah uvaca -- Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; ekada -- once; deva -- (to worship) the demigod, Lord Siva; yatrayam -- on a trip; gopalah -- the cowherd men; jata-kautukah -- eager; anobhih -- with wagons; anadut -- to oxen; yuktaih -- yoked; prayayuh -- went forth; te -- they; ambika-vanam -- to the Ambika forest.
Sukadeva Gosvami said: One day the cowherd men, eager to take a trip to worship Lord Siva, traveled by bullock carts to the Ambika forest.
According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the word ekada here indicates the occasion of Siva-ratri. He further mentions that Ambikavana is in Gujarat province, near the city of Siddhapura. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura adds that the departure of the cowherd men specifically took place on the fourteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti also quotes authorities who claim that Ambikavana lies on the bank of the Sarasvati River, northwest of Mathura. Ambikavana is notable because within it are deities of Sri Siva and his wife, goddess Uma.
