महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-23, verse-8

स विचिन्त्याब्रवीत्पक्षी मातरं विनतां तदा ।
किं कारणं मया मातः कर्तव्यं सर्पभाषितम् ॥८॥

8. sa vicintyābravītpakṣī mātaraṁ vinatāṁ tadā ,
kiṁ kāraṇaṁ mayā mātaḥ kartavyaṁ sarpabhāṣitam.

8. saḥ vicintya abravīt pakṣī mātaram vinatām tadā
kim kāraṇam mayā mātaḥ kartavyam sarpabhāṣitam

8. Then that bird (Garuḍa), having pondered, spoke to his mother Vinatā: 'O Mother, what is the reason that I must obey the words of the serpents?'

Words meanings summery:

• सः (saḥ) - he (Garuḍa) (he, that)

• विचिन्त्य (vicintya) - having pondered (having thought, having pondered)

• अब्रवीत् (abravīt) - he spoke (he spoke, he said)

• पक्षी (pakṣī) - the bird (Garuḍa) (bird)

• मातरम् (mātaram) - to mother (mother)

• विनताम् (vinatām) - to Vinatā (Garuḍa's mother) (Vinatā (a name))

• तदा (tadā) - then (then, at that time)

• किम् (kim) - what (reason)? (what? why?)

• कारणम् (kāraṇam) - the reason (reason, cause, motive)

• मया (mayā) - by me

• मातः (mātaḥ) - O Mother!

• कर्तव्यम् (kartavyam) - ought to be done (by me) (to be done, ought to be done, suitable to be done)

• सर्पभाषितम् (sarpabhāṣitam) - the command/words of the serpents (the speech of the serpents, what was spoken by serpents)

Words meanings and morphology

सः (saḥ) - he (Garuḍa) (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, this, it, he, she

Demonstrative pronoun.

विचिन्त्य (vicintya) - having pondered (having thought, having pondered)

(indeclinable)

gerund/absolutive

From root cint (to think) with prefix vi.

Prefix: vi

Root: cint (class 10)

अब्रवीत् (abravīt) - he spoke (he spoke, he said)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, past imperfect (laṅ) of abravīt

imperfect tense

From root bru (to speak).

Root: bru (class 2)

Note: Main verb.

पक्षी (pakṣī) - the bird (Garuḍa) (bird)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pakṣin

pakṣin - bird, winged creature

From root pakṣ (to adorn) + in suffix (denoting possession).

Note: Subject.

मातरम् (mātaram) - to mother (mother)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of mātṛ

mātṛ - mother, creatrix

R-stem noun.

विनताम् (vinatām) - to Vinatā (Garuḍa's mother) (Vinatā (a name))

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of vinatā

vinatā - Vinatā (name of a daughter of Dakṣa, wife of Kaśyapa, and mother of Garuḍa and Aruṇa); modest, bowed, humble

Feminine form of 'vinata' (bowed).

Note: Proper noun.

तदा (tadā) - then (then, at that time)

(indeclinable)

Temporal adverb from 'tad'.

किम् (kim) - what (reason)? (what? why?)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what?, which?, why?, how?

Interrogative pronoun.

कारणम् (kāraṇam) - the reason (reason, cause, motive)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kāraṇa

kāraṇa - cause, reason, motive, instrument, means

action noun

From root kṛ (to do, make).

Root: kṛ (class 8)

मया (mayā) - by me

(pronoun)

Instrumental, singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

First person pronoun.

मातः (mātaḥ) - O Mother!

(noun)

Vocative, feminine, singular of mātṛ

mātṛ - mother, creatrix

R-stem noun.

कर्तव्यम् (kartavyam) - ought to be done (by me) (to be done, ought to be done, suitable to be done)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kartavya

kartavya - to be done, ought to be done, proper to be done, practicable

gerundive (potential passive participle)

From root kṛ (to do, make).

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Expresses obligation or propriety.

सर्पभाषितम् (sarpabhāṣitam) - the command/words of the serpents (the speech of the serpents, what was spoken by serpents)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of sarpabhāṣita

sarpabhāṣita - words spoken by serpents, speech of serpents

Compound 'sarpa-bhāṣita'.

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sarpa+bhāṣita)

• sarpa – serpent, snake
  noun (masculine)
• bhāṣita – spoken, said; speech, word
  verbal_derivation (neuter)
  past passive participle (used as noun)
  From root bhāṣ (to speak).
  Root: bhāṣ (class 1)

Note: Grammatical subject of 'kartavyam'.