महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-182, verse-5

कथं मया नानृतमुक्तमद्य भवेत्कुरूणामृषभ ब्रवीहि ।
पाञ्चालराजस्य सुतामधर्मो न चोपवर्तेत नभूतपूर्वः ॥५॥

5. kathaṁ mayā nānṛtamuktamadya; bhavetkurūṇāmṛṣabha bravīhi ,
pāñcālarājasya sutāmadharmo; na copavarteta nabhūtapūrvaḥ.

5. kathaṃ mayā na anṛtaṃ uktaṃ adya
bhavet kurūṇām ṛṣabha bravīhi
pāñcālarājasya sutām adharmaḥ
na ca upavarteta na bhūtapūrvaḥ

5. O best among the Kurus (Kuru), tell me, how can I avoid having spoken an untruth today? And let no unprecedented act of unrighteousness (adharma) befall the daughter of the Pañcāla king.

Words meanings summery:

• कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

• मया (mayā) - by me

• न (na) - not, no

• अनृतं (anṛtaṁ) - untruth, falsehood

• उक्तं (uktaṁ) - spoken, said

• अद्य (adya) - today, now

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may be, should be, would be

• कुरूणाम् (kurūṇām) - of the Kurus

• ऋषभ (ṛṣabha) - O best! O bull!

• ब्रवीहि (bravīhi) - tell, speak

• पाञ्चालराजस्य (pāñcālarājasya) - of the Pañcāla king

• सुताम् (sutām) - daughter

• अधर्मः (adharmaḥ) - unrighteousness, impropriety

• न (na) - not, no

• च (ca) - and, also

• उपवर्तेत (upavarteta) - may befall, should occur, may happen

• न (na) - not, no

• भूतपूर्वः (bhūtapūrvaḥ) - unprecedented, not having existed before

Words meanings and morphology

कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

(indeclinable)

मया (mayā) - by me

(pronoun)

Instrumental, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

अनृतं (anṛtaṁ) - untruth, falsehood

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of anṛta

anṛta - untruth, falsehood, lie, unrighteousness

उक्तं (uktaṁ) - spoken, said

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of ukta

ukta - said, spoken, declared

Past Passive Participle

Formed from the root 'vac' ('to speak').

Root: vac (class 2)

अद्य (adya) - today, now

(indeclinable)

भवेत् (bhavet) - may be, should be, would be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of bhū

Optative mood

3rd person singular, optative, active voice, parasmaipada.

Root: bhū (class 1)

कुरूणाम् (kurūṇām) - of the Kurus

(proper noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of kuru

kuru - a member of the Kuru dynasty, name of an ancient kingdom and people

ऋषभ (ṛṣabha) - O best! O bull!

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of ṛṣabha

ṛṣabha - bull, chief, best, pre-eminent

ब्रवीहि (bravīhi) - tell, speak

(verb)

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

Imperative mood

2nd person singular, imperative, active voice, parasmaipada.

Root: brū (class 2)

पाञ्चालराजस्य (pāñcālarājasya) - of the Pañcāla king

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of pāñcālarāja

pāñcālarāja - king of Pañcāla

सुताम् (sutām) - daughter

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of sutā

sutā - daughter

अधर्मः (adharmaḥ) - unrighteousness, impropriety

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of adharma

adharma - unrighteousness, impropriety, wrong, demerit, sin, vice

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

उपवर्तेत (upavarteta) - may befall, should occur, may happen

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, optative (vidhiliṅ) of upavṛt

Optative mood

3rd person singular, optative, middle voice, atmanepada.

Prefix: upa

Root: vṛt (class 1)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

भूतपूर्वः (bhūtapūrvaḥ) - unprecedented, not having existed before

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhūtapūrva

bhūtapūrva - that which has existed before, formerly existing