Shloka 23
एष पन्था विदर्भाणामसौ गच्छति कोसलान् | अतः परं च देशो<यं दक्षिणे दक्षिणापथ:,“यह महान् पर्वत विन्ध्य दिखायी दे रहा है और यह समुद्रगामिनी पयोष्णी नदी है। यहाँ महर्षियोंके बहुत-से आश्रम हैं, जहाँ प्रचुर मात्रामें फल-मूल उपलब्ध हो सकते हैं। यह विदर्भदेशका मार्ग है और वह कोसलदेशको जाता है। दक्षिण दिशामें इसके बादका देश दक्षिणापथ कहलाता है”
bṛhadaśva uvāca | eṣa panthā vidarbhāṇām asau gacchati kosalān | ataḥ paraṃ ca deśo 'yaṃ dakṣiṇe dakṣiṇāpathaḥ | vindhyo 'yaṃ mahān parvataḥ pradarśyate, iyaṃ ca samudragāminī payoṣṇī nadī | iha maharṣīṇāṃ bahavo 'śramāḥ santi, yatra pracurāṇi phala-mūlāni labhyante |
Bṛhadaśva said: “This is the road into Vidarbha; that other route goes on to Kosala. Beyond this, to the south, the country is known as the Dakṣiṇāpatha.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic way of moving through the wilderness: travel guided by knowledge of the land, and reliance on righteous, non-violent sustenance (fruits and roots) available near sages’ hermitages—spaces that embody restraint, learning, and ethical living.
Bṛhadaśva is giving geographical guidance during a journey: he points out the route leading to Vidarbha and the one to Kosala, identifies the southern region as Dakṣiṇāpatha, and indicates landmarks (Vindhya and the Payoṣṇī river) along with nearby r̥ṣi-āśramas where food can be obtained.