महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-32, verse-22

सूत उवाच ।
तथेति कृत्वा विवरं प्रविश्य स प्रभुर्भुवो भुजगवराग्रजः स्थितः ।
बिभर्ति देवीं शिरसा महीमिमां समुद्रनेमिं परिगृह्य सर्वतः ॥२२॥

22. sūta uvāca ,
tatheti kṛtvā vivaraṁ praviśya sa; prabhurbhuvo bhujagavarāgrajaḥ sthitaḥ ,
bibharti devīṁ śirasā mahīmimāṁ; samudranemiṁ parigṛhya sarvataḥ.

22. sūtaḥ uvāca | tathā iti kṛtvā vivaram
praviśya saḥ prabhuḥ bhuvaḥ bhujaṅgavara-agrajaḥ
sthitaḥ | bibharti devīm śirasā
mahīm imām samudra-nemim parigṛhya sarvataḥ

22. Suta said: 'Saying 'So be it,' and having entered the cavity, that lord of the earth, the foremost of the best serpents, remained there. He supports this divine earth, which is bordered by the ocean, on his head, grasping it from all sides.'

Words meanings summery:

• सूतः (sūtaḥ) - The narrator of the story (Suta (a class of charioteers/bards))

• उवाच (uvāca) - stated (said, spoke)

• तथा (tathā) - 'So be it' (so, thus)

• इति (iti) - indicator of direct speech or thought (thus)

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having said (i.e. 'tathā') (having done, having made)

• विवरम् (vivaram) - the subterranean space prepared for him (cavity, hole, opening)

• प्रविश्य (praviśya) - after entering (having entered)

• सः (saḥ) - that (Shesha) (that, he)

• प्रभुः (prabhuḥ) - the lord, a powerful being (lord, master)

• भुवः (bhuvaḥ) - lord of the earth (of the earth)

• भुजङ्गवर-अग्रजः (bhujaṅgavara-agrajaḥ) - the chief among excellent serpents (eldest/foremost of the best serpents)

• स्थितः (sthitaḥ) - remained in position (stood, remained, situated)

• बिभर्ति (bibharti) - sustains (holds, bears, supports)

• देवीम् (devīm) - the divine (earth) (divine, glorious; goddess)

• शिरसा (śirasā) - on his head (by the head, with the head)

• महीम् (mahīm) - the planet Earth (earth, ground)

• इमाम् (imām) - this (earth) (this, her)

• समुद्र-नेमिम् (samudra-nemim) - the earth, which has the ocean as its boundary (bordered by the ocean, ocean-rimmed)

• परिगृह्य (parigṛhya) - encompassing it fully (having grasped, having encompassed)

• सर्वतः (sarvataḥ) - completely, fully (from all sides, everywhere)

Words meanings and morphology

सूतः (sūtaḥ) - The narrator of the story (Suta (a class of charioteers/bards))

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sūta

sūta - charioteer, bard, narrator

उवाच (uvāca) - stated (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

तथा (tathā) - 'So be it' (so, thus)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used here as part of a direct quote, meaning 'So be it' or 'Yes'.

इति (iti) - indicator of direct speech or thought (thus)

(indeclinable)

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having said (i.e. 'tathā') (having done, having made)

(verb)

active, past (ktvā) of kṛ

gerund

Indeclinable participle (gerund) of root kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Modifies the main verb 'sthitaḥ'.

विवरम् (vivaram) - the subterranean space prepared for him (cavity, hole, opening)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of vivara

vivara - cavity, hole, opening, fissure

Note: Object of 'praviśya'.

प्रविश्य (praviśya) - after entering (having entered)

(verb)

active, past (lyap) of viś

gerund

Indeclinable participle (gerund) of root viś with prefix pra

Prefix: pra

Root: viś (class 6)

Note: Modifies the main verb 'sthitaḥ'.

सः (saḥ) - that (Shesha) (that, he)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to Shesha.

प्रभुः (prabhuḥ) - the lord, a powerful being (lord, master)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prabhu

prabhu - master, lord, owner, mighty

Derived from pra + bhū (to be, become)

Prefix: pra

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Refers to Shesha.

भुवः (bhuvaḥ) - lord of the earth (of the earth)

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of bhū

bhū - earth, ground, place

Note: Possessive case modifying 'prabhuḥ'.

भुजङ्गवर-अग्रजः (bhujaṅgavara-agrajaḥ) - the chief among excellent serpents (eldest/foremost of the best serpents)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhujaṅgavara-agraja

bhujaṅgavara-agraja - eldest/foremost of the best serpents

Compound of bhujaṅgavara (best of serpents) and agraja (eldest/foremost)

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (bhujaṅgavara+agraja)

• bhujaṅgama – serpent, snake
  noun (masculine)
• vara – best, excellent
  adjective (masculine)
• agraja – born first, elder, foremost
  noun (masculine)
  agent noun
  Compound of agra (front) + ja (born)
  Root: jan (class 4)

Note: Refers to Shesha.

स्थितः (sthitaḥ) - remained in position (stood, remained, situated)

(nominal form)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sthā

sthā - to stand, remain, be, stay

past passive participle

Past passive participle of root sthā

Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: Used here with an active sense of 'remained'.

बिभर्ति (bibharti) - sustains (holds, bears, supports)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of bhṛ

Root: bhṛ (class 3)

देवीम् (devīm) - the divine (earth) (divine, glorious; goddess)

(adjective)

Accusative, feminine, singular of devī

devī - goddess, divine female; divine, glorious

Note: Qualifies 'mahīm'.

शिरसा (śirasā) - on his head (by the head, with the head)

(noun)

Instrumental, neuter, singular of śiras

śiras - head, top

महीम् (mahīm) - the planet Earth (earth, ground)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of mahī

mahī - earth, ground, land

Note: Object of 'bibharti'.

इमाम् (imām) - this (earth) (this, her)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of idam

idam - this, he, she, it

Note: Refers to 'mahīm'.

समुद्र-नेमिम् (samudra-nemim) - the earth, which has the ocean as its boundary (bordered by the ocean, ocean-rimmed)

(adjective)

Accusative, feminine, singular of samudra-nemi

samudra-nemi - bordered by the ocean, ocean-rimmed

Bahuvrīhi compound: 'whose rim is the ocean'

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (samudra+nemi)

• samudra – ocean, sea
  noun (masculine)
• nemi – rim, circumference, border
  noun (feminine)

Note: Qualifies 'mahīm'.

परिगृह्य (parigṛhya) - encompassing it fully (having grasped, having encompassed)

(verb)

active, past (lyap) of grah

gerund

Indeclinable participle (gerund) of root grah with prefix pari

Prefix: pari

Root: grah (class 9)

Note: Modifies the main verb 'bibharti'.

सर्वतः (sarvataḥ) - completely, fully (from all sides, everywhere)

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphasizes the completeness of his grasp.