Shloka 4

Devanagari script

वयं तु सत्पथथं तेषां यातुमिच्छामहे प्रभो । न तु शक्‍्यं तथा गन्तुं यथा तैर्नियतात्मभि:,प्रभो! हम भी उन्हींके उत्तम मार्गसे चलना चाहते हैं, परंतु उस प्रकार (सर्वथा) चल नहीं पाते; जैसे वे नियतात्मा महापुरुष चला करते थे

Transliteration

vayaṃ tu satpathaṃ teṣāṃ yātum icchāmahe prabho | na tu śakyaṃ tathā gantuṃ yathā tair niyatātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O lord, we too wish to follow the noble path that they followed; yet we are not able to walk in that same manner, as those great men of disciplined self once did.”

Word by Word

वयम्we

तुbut/indeed

सत्पथम्the good path

तेषाम्of them

यातुम्to go

इच्छामहेwe desire

प्रभोO lord

नnot

तुhowever

शक्यम्possible

तथाthus/in that manner

गन्तुम्to go

यथाas/just as

तैःby them

नियतात्मभिःby the self-controlled (ones)

प्रभोO lord

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 moral aspiration joined with humility: one may sincerely wish to follow the righteous path of exemplary, self-disciplined elders, yet recognize one’s present limitations. It implies that dharma is not merely admired but practiced through inner restraint (niyata-ātman), which is difficult and requires cultivation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a respected superior (“prabho”), expressing that he and his companions desire to walk the same noble course as earlier great, self-controlled men, but find themselves unable to match that standard in practice.