महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-3, verse-172

तेनैवमुक्त उपाध्यायः प्रत्युवाच ।
ये ते स्त्रियौ धाता विधाता च ।
ये च ते कृष्णाः सिताश्च तन्तवस्ते रात्र्यहनी ॥१७२॥

172. tenaivamukta upādhyāyaḥ pratyuvāca ,
ye te striyau dhātā vidhātā ca ,
ye ca te kṛṣṇāḥ sitāśca tantavaste rātryahanī.

172. tena eva uktaḥ upādhyāyaḥ pratyuvāca | ye te striyau dhātā
vidhātā ca | ye ca te kṛṣṇāḥ sitāḥ ca tantavaḥ te rātryahanī

172. Thus addressed by him, the preceptor replied: 'Those two women, Dhātā and Vidhātā, are yours. And those black and white threads of yours are night and day.'

Words meanings summery:

• तेन (tena) - by Uttanka (by him, by that)

• एव (eva) - emphasizes 'thus spoken' (indeed, just, only)

• उक्तः (uktaḥ) - having been addressed (by Uttanka) (spoken, addressed, told)

• उपाध्यायः (upādhyāyaḥ) - the teacher who is replying to Uttanka (the preceptor, teacher)

• प्रत्युवाच (pratyuvāca) - replied, answered

• ये (ye) - those (two women) (which (dual feminine))

• ते (te) - belonging to you (Uttanka) (yours, to you (dual or plural))

• स्त्रियौ (striyau) - the two female deities Dhātā and Vidhātā (two women)

• धाता (dhātā) - one of the two women identified by the preceptor (Dhātā (name of a deity, creator))

• विधाता (vidhātā) - the second of the two women identified by the preceptor (Vidhātā (name of a deity, dispenser, ordainer))

• च (ca) - and

• ये (ye) - those (threads) (which (plural masculine))

• च (ca) - and

• ते (te) - belonging to you (Uttanka) (yours, to you (plural))

• कृष्णाः (kṛṣṇāḥ) - black (threads) (black)

• सिताः (sitāḥ) - white (threads) (white; bound)

• च (ca) - and

• तन्तवः (tantavaḥ) - the threads (metaphorically representing day and night) (threads)

• ते (te) - they (the threads) are (those; they are)

• रात्र्यहनी (rātryahanī) - the pair of night and day (night and day)

Words meanings and morphology

तेन (tena) - by Uttanka (by him, by that)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

एव (eva) - emphasizes 'thus spoken' (indeed, just, only)

(indeclinable)

उक्तः (uktaḥ) - having been addressed (by Uttanka) (spoken, addressed, told)

(nominal form)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ukta

ukta - said, spoken; expressed, declared

past passive participle

From root vac- 'to speak'.

Root: vac (class 2)

उपाध्यायः (upādhyāyaḥ) - the teacher who is replying to Uttanka (the preceptor, teacher)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of upādhyāya

upādhyāya - preceptor, teacher; especially a spiritual guide or one who teaches the Veda

प्रत्युवाच (pratyuvāca) - replied, answered

(verb)

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

Prefix: prati

Root: vac (class 2)

ये (ye) - those (two women) (which (dual feminine))

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, dual of yad

yad - who, which, what

ते (te) - belonging to you (Uttanka) (yours, to you (dual or plural))

(pronoun)

Genitive, dual of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you (second person pronoun)

स्त्रियौ (striyau) - the two female deities Dhātā and Vidhātā (two women)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, dual of strī

strī - woman, female

धाता (dhātā) - one of the two women identified by the preceptor (Dhātā (name of a deity, creator))

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dhātṛ

dhātṛ - creator, establisher, supporter; a name of Brahmā or Viṣṇu; often associated with Vidhātṛ

agent noun

From root dhā- 'to place, put, create'.

Root: dhā (class 3)

विधाता (vidhātā) - the second of the two women identified by the preceptor (Vidhātā (name of a deity, dispenser, ordainer))

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vidhātṛ

vidhātṛ - ordainer, dispenser, arranger, creator; a name of Brahmā or Viṣṇu; often associated with Dhātṛ

agent noun

From root dhā- 'to place, put, create' with prefix vi-.

Prefix: vi

Root: dhā (class 3)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

ये (ye) - those (threads) (which (plural masculine))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of yad

yad - who, which, what

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

ते (te) - belonging to you (Uttanka) (yours, to you (plural))

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you (second person pronoun)

कृष्णाः (kṛṣṇāḥ) - black (threads) (black)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kṛṣṇa

kṛṣṇa - black, dark, dark-blue; Krishna (a name)

सिताः (sitāḥ) - white (threads) (white; bound)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sita

sita - white, fair; bound, tied (from root si/sī 'to bind')

past passive participle

From root śvit 'to be white' or sī 'to bind'. Here 'white'.

Root: śvit (class 1)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

तन्तवः (tantavaḥ) - the threads (metaphorically representing day and night) (threads)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tantu

tantu - thread, fiber; cord, string; offspring, lineage

ते (te) - they (the threads) are (those; they are)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Here functioning as a copula 'they are'.

रात्र्यहनी (rātryahanī) - the pair of night and day (night and day)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, dual of rātryahanī

rātryahanī - night and day (dvandva compound of rātri and ahan)

Compound type : dvandva (rātri+ahan)

• rātri – night
  noun (feminine)
• ahan – day
  noun (neuter)