Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यावदेतदतीतं मे वय: पुत्रफलाश्रितम्‌ | तावदिच्छामि पाथेयमादातुं पारलौकिकम्‌

Transliteration

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

Translation

اب تک میری ساری عمر بیٹوں کے ‘ثمر’ کی امید پر گزری۔ اب میں آخرت کے سفر کے لیے زادِ راہ—یعنی دھرم سے بھرا ہوا سرمایہ—جمع کرنا چاہتا ہوں۔

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as; until
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• अतीतम्: passed; gone by
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतीत
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• मे: my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• वयः: age; lifetime
• वयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• पुत्रफलाश्रितम्: dependent on the fruit (benefit) of sons
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र-फल-आश्रित
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• तावत्: so long; till then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• इच्छामि: I desire; I wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: present, first, singular, parasmaipada

• पाथेयम्: provision for a journey; travel-supplies
• पाथेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाथेय
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• आदातुम्: to take; to acquire
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: infinitive (tumun)

• पारलौकिकम्: otherworldly; for the next world
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारलौकिक
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (a Brahmin speaker)
• पुत्र (sons, as an object of worldly aspiration)
• पाथेय (journey-provisions, metaphorical)
• परलोक (the other world/afterlife, implied by pāralaukika)

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.