महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-221, verse-19

कथमग्निर्न नो दह्यात्कथमाखुर्न भक्षयेत् ।
कथं न स्यात्पिता मोघः कथं माता ध्रियेत नः ॥१९॥

19. kathamagnirna no dahyātkathamākhurna bhakṣayet ,
kathaṁ na syātpitā moghaḥ kathaṁ mātā dhriyeta naḥ.

19. katham agniḥ na naḥ dahyāt katham ākhuḥ na bhakṣayet
katham na syāt pitā moghaḥ katham mātā dhriyeta naḥ

19. How could the fire not burn us? How could a mouse not devour us? How could our father not become fruitless? And how could our mother be sustained?

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• अग्निः (agniḥ) - fire (the forest fire) (fire)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• नः (naḥ) - us (us, our, for us)

• दह्यात् (dahyāt) - may burn (may burn, should burn)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• आखुः (ākhuḥ) - mouse (referring to a predator mouse/rat) (mouse, rat)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• भक्षयेत् (bhakṣayet) - may devour (may eat, should eat, may devour)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• स्यात् (syāt) - may be, would be (may be, should be)

• पिता (pitā) - father (referring to their father, Dīrghatamas) (father)

• मोघः (moghaḥ) - fruitless, futile (without offspring) (useless, vain, fruitless, futile)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• माता (mātā) - mother (referring to Jaritā herself) (mother)

• ध्रियेत (dhriyeta) - may be sustained (in her purpose as a mother) (may be supported, may be sustained, may be maintained)

• नः (naḥ) - us (us, our, for us)

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

अग्निः (agniḥ) - fire (the forest fire) (fire)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of agni

agni - fire, god of fire

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

नः (naḥ) - us (us, our, for us)

(pronoun)

Accusative, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we

Note: Can also be dative or genitive plural

दह्यात् (dahyāt) - may burn (may burn, should burn)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of dah

root verb, 1st conjugation, Parasmaipada

Root: dah (class 1)

Note: Potential mood, meaning 'may burn' or 'should burn'.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

आखुः (ākhuḥ) - mouse (referring to a predator mouse/rat) (mouse, rat)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ākhu

ākhu - mouse, rat

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

भक्षयेत् (bhakṣayet) - may devour (may eat, should eat, may devour)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of bhakṣ

denominative from bhakṣa (food), 1st conjugation, Parasmaipada

Root: bhakṣ (class 10)

Note: Potential mood, meaning 'may eat' or 'should eat'.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

स्यात् (syāt) - may be, would be (may be, should be)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of as

root verb, 2nd conjugation, Parasmaipada

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Potential mood, meaning 'may be' or 'should be'.

पिता (pitā) - father (referring to their father, Dīrghatamas) (father)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pitṛ

pitṛ - father, ancestor

मोघः (moghaḥ) - fruitless, futile (without offspring) (useless, vain, fruitless, futile)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mogha

mogha - useless, vain, fruitless, futile, empty

Note: Agrees with 'pitā'.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

माता (mātā) - mother (referring to Jaritā herself) (mother)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of mātṛ

mātṛ - mother

ध्रियेत (dhriyeta) - may be sustained (in her purpose as a mother) (may be supported, may be sustained, may be maintained)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of dhṛ

root verb, 1st conjugation, Atmanepada

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Potential mood, passive voice.

नः (naḥ) - us (us, our, for us)

(pronoun)

Accusative, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we

Note: Can also be dative or genitive plural