Shloka 23
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
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. Here you can see the great Vindhya mountain, and this is the Payoṣṇī river flowing toward the sea. In this region there are many hermitages of great seers, where fruits and roots may be obtained in abundance.”
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.