महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-14, verse-1

शौनक उवाच ।
सौते कथय तामेतां विस्तरेण कथां पुनः ।
आस्तीकस्य कवेः साधोः शुश्रूषा परमा हि नः ॥१॥

1. śaunaka uvāca ,
saute kathaya tāmetāṁ vistareṇa kathāṁ punaḥ ,
āstīkasya kaveḥ sādhoḥ śuśrūṣā paramā hi naḥ.

1. śaunaka uvāca saute kathaya tām etām vistareṇa kathām
punaḥ āstīkasya kaveḥ sādhoḥ śuśrūṣā paramā hi naḥ

1. Saunaka said: O Sauti, please recount that story of Astika again in detail. Indeed, our desire to hear more about the virtuous sage Astika is paramount.

Words meanings summery:

• शौनक (śaunaka) - Saunaka (Saunaka (name))

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

• सौते (saute) - O Sauti (O Sauti (son of Suta))

• कथय (kathaya) - recount (tell, narrate)

• ताम् (tām) - that (story) (that)

• एताम् (etām) - this (story) (this)

• विस्तरेण (vistareṇa) - in detail (by expansion, in detail)

• कथाम् (kathām) - story (story, tale)

• पुनः (punaḥ) - again (again, moreover, but)

• आस्तीकस्य (āstīkasya) - of Astika

• कवेः (kaveḥ) - of the sage (Astika) (of the poet, of the sage)

• साधोः (sādhoḥ) - of the virtuous one (Astika) (of the virtuous, of the good person)

• शुश्रूषा (śuśrūṣā) - desire to hear (desire to hear, service, obedience)

• परमा (paramā) - paramount, greatest (supreme, highest, excellent)

• हि (hi) - indeed (indeed, surely, because)

• नः (naḥ) - our (our, to us, by us)

Words meanings and morphology

शौनक (śaunaka) - Saunaka (Saunaka (name))

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śaunaka

śaunaka - name of a sage, descendant of śunaka

Note: Subject of 'uvāca'.

उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect (liṭ) of vac

Perfect tense form of 'vac'.

Root: vac (class 2)

सौते (saute) - O Sauti (O Sauti (son of Suta))

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of sauti

sauti - son of Suta, a bard, a charioteer

patronymic

Derived from Suta (name/profession).

Note: Refers to Ugraśravas, the narrator of the Mahabharata.

कथय (kathaya) - recount (tell, narrate)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of kath

Denominative root from 'kathā'.

Root: kath (class 10)

ताम् (tām) - that (story) (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, this, he, she, it

Note: Accusative singular feminine, agreeing with 'kathām'.

एताम् (etām) - this (story) (this)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of etad

etad - this, that

Note: Accusative singular feminine, agreeing with 'kathām'.

विस्तरेण (vistareṇa) - in detail (by expansion, in detail)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of vistara

vistara - expansion, detail, prolixity, extent

action noun

Derived from root 'stṛ' with prefix 'vi'.

Root: stṛ (class 5)

Note: Adverbial instrumental.

कथाम् (kathām) - story (story, tale)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of kathā

kathā - story, tale, narrative, speech

Root: kath (class 10)

Note: Object of 'kathaya'.

पुनः (punaḥ) - again (again, moreover, but)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverb.

आस्तीकस्य (āstīkasya) - of Astika

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of āstīka

āstīka - relating to Astika, name of a sage

Note: Genitive of relation, referring to the story.

कवेः (kaveḥ) - of the sage (Astika) (of the poet, of the sage)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of kavi

kavi - wise man, sage, poet, seer

Note: Genitive singular, agreeing with 'āstīkasya'.

साधोः (sādhoḥ) - of the virtuous one (Astika) (of the virtuous, of the good person)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of sādhu

sādhu - good, virtuous, upright, holy man, sage

Root: sādh (class 5)

Note: Genitive singular, agreeing with 'āstīkasya'.

शुश्रूषा (śuśrūṣā) - desire to hear (desire to hear, service, obedience)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śuśrūṣā

śuśrūṣā - desire to hear, obedience, service

desiderative action noun

Derived from desiderative stem of root 'śru'.

Root: śru (class 5)

Note: Subject of implied verb 'is'.

परमा (paramā) - paramount, greatest (supreme, highest, excellent)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of parama

parama - supreme, highest, best, ultimate, excellent

Superlative degree.

Note: Predicate adjective.

हि (hi) - indeed (indeed, surely, because)

(indeclinable)

Note: Particle.

नः (naḥ) - our (our, to us, by us)

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of asmad

asmad - we, us, our

Note: Genitive plural, possessive.