Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यावदेतदतीतं मे वय: पुत्रफलाश्रितम्‌ | तावदिच्छामि पाथेयमादातुं पारलौकिकम्‌,अबतककी सारी आयु पुत्रसे फल पानेकी कामनामें ही बीत गयी। अब ऐसे धर्ममय धनका संग्रह करना चाहता हूँ, जो परलोकके मार्गमें पाथेय (राहखर्च) का काम दे सके

Transliteration

yāvad etad atītaṃ me vayaḥ putraphalāśritam | tāvad icchāmi pātheyam ādātuṃ pāralaukikam ||

Translation

“So long has my life passed, resting on the hope of gaining the ‘fruit’ of sons. Now I wish to acquire provisions for the other world—righteous wealth that will serve as travel-supplies on the path beyond.”

Word by Word

यावत्as long as; until

एतत्this

अतीतम्passed; gone by

मेmy

वयःage; lifetime

पुत्रफलाश्रितम्dependent on the fruit (benefit) of sons

तावत्so long; till then

इच्छामिI desire; I wish

पाथेयम्provision for a journey; travel-supplies

आदातुम्to take; to acquire

पारलौकिकम्otherworldly; for the next world

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (a Brahmin speaker)

प

पुत्र (sons, as an object of worldly aspiration)

प

पाथेय (journey-provisions, metaphorical)

प

परलोक (the other world/afterlife, implied by pāralaukika)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly life often gets spent in attachment to family outcomes (here, the expected ‘fruit’ from sons). The speaker turns toward dharma-oriented accumulation—merit and righteous means—as the true ‘provisions’ that accompany one beyond death.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin speaker reflects on his past: much of his life has been invested in hopes centered on sons. He now declares a shift in aim—seeking pāralaukika pātheya, i.e., spiritual and ethical ‘journey-supplies’ for the path to the next world.