Shloka 183

Devanagari script

उत्तमां गतिमास्थाय पृष्ठतोडनुससार ह । उन्हें इस प्रकार सिद्धिके लिये उत्क्रण करते जान उनके पिता वेदव्यासजी भी स्नेहवश उत्तम गतिका आश्रय ले उनके पीछे-पीछे जाने लगे

Transliteration

uttamāṁ gatim āsthāya pṛṣṭhato 'nusasāra ha |

Translation

ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ເມື່ອໄດ້ອາໄສຢູ່ໃນວິຖີອັນສູງສຸດ (ສະພາວະອັນສູງສຸດ) ແລ້ວ ທ່ານນັ້ນກໍໄດ້ຕາມໄປຂ້າງຫຼັງ. ເມື່ອເຫັນວ່າທ່ານກໍາລັງອອກເດີນທາງຂຶ້ນເທິງເພື່ອບັນລຸສິດທິ ບິດາຂອງທ່ານ ຄື ລະສີ ເວດະວະຍາສະ ກໍຖືກກະຕຸ້ນໂດຍຄວາມຮັກໃຄ່ ໄດ້ອາໄສວິຖີອັນສູງສຸດນັ້ນ ແລະເລີ່ມຕົ້ນຕາມຫຼັງໄປ.

Word by Word

उत्तमाम्the best (f.)

गतिम्course/way; goal

आस्थायhaving resorted to / having taken refuge in

पृष्ठतःfrom behind; behind

तौthose two (them both)

अनुससारfollowed; ran after

हindeed (emphatic particle)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma (speaker)

Vedavyasa (father, as per the accompanying narrative gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ‘uttamā gati’—the supreme spiritual course or destination—and shows how even great sages are drawn by both dharmic aspiration and human affection. It frames liberation not merely as doctrine but as a lived movement toward the highest good, witnessed and affirmed by elders.

What is happening in the narrative?

A figure is described as adopting the ‘highest path’ and proceeding onward; another follows from behind. In the received contextual gloss, the follower is identified as Vedavyasa, who, seeing his son depart for spiritual accomplishment, follows him out of affection while also taking up that same supreme course.