महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-73, verse-30

देवयान्युवाच ।
निष्कृतिर्मेऽस्तु वा मास्तु शृणुष्वावहितो मम ।
शर्मिष्ठया यदुक्तास्मि दुहित्रा वृषपर्वणः ।
सत्यं किलैतत्सा प्राह दैत्यानामसि गायनः ॥३०॥

30. devayānyuvāca ,
niṣkṛtirme'stu vā māstu śṛṇuṣvāvahito mama ,
śarmiṣṭhayā yaduktāsmi duhitrā vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ ,
satyaṁ kilaitatsā prāha daityānāmasi gāyanaḥ.

30. devayānī uvāca niṣkṛtiḥ me astu vā mā
astu śṛṇuṣva avahitaḥ mama śarmiṣṭhayā
yat uktā asmi duhitrā vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ satyam
kila etad sā prāha daityānām asi gāyanaḥ

30. Devayani said: 'Let there be retribution for me or not, but listen to me attentively about what Sharmishtha, the daughter of Vrishaparvan, said to me. She truly declared this: "You are merely the preceptor (singer/praise-singer) of the Daityas!"'

Words meanings summery:

• देवयानी (devayānī) - Devayani (the daughter of Shukra) (Devayani (proper name))

• उवाच (uvāca) - Devayani said (he/she said, spoke)

• निष्कृतिः (niṣkṛtiḥ) - retribution (for my suffering) (expiation, atonement, retribution, consequence)

• मे (me) - for me (Devayani) (for me, my)

• अस्तु (astu) - let it be (retribution) (let it be, may it be)

• वा (vā) - or (expressing alternative) (or)

• मा (mā) - not (negating the imperative) (not, do not)

• अस्तु (astu) - let it not be (retribution) (let it be, may it be)

• शृणुष्व (śṛṇuṣva) - listen (to me) (listen, hear)

• अवहितः (avahitaḥ) - attentively (listen) (attentive, absorbed, concentrated)

• मम (mama) - to me (listen to what I say) (my, to me)

• शर्मिष्ठया (śarmiṣṭhayā) - by Sharmishtha

• यत् (yat) - what (she said) (which, what, that)

• उक्ता (uktā) - spoken (to me) (spoken, said)

• अस्मि (asmi) - I am (who was spoken to) (I am)

• दुहित्रा (duhitrā) - by the daughter (Sharmishtha, in apposition to Sharmishtha) (by the daughter)

• वृषपर्वणः (vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ) - of Vrishaparvan (the demon king, father of Sharmishtha) (of Vrishaparvan)

• सत्यम् (satyam) - truly, it is true (truth, truly, indeed)

• किल (kila) - indeed (emphasizing Sharmishtha's statement) (indeed, truly, it is said)

• एतद् (etad) - this (thing/statement) (this, this one)

• सा (sā) - she (Sharmishtha) (she)

• प्राह (prāha) - she (Sharmishtha) spoke (these words) (she said, spoke)

• दैत्यानाम् (daityānām) - of the Daityas (demons, for whom Shukra is preceptor) (of the Daityas, belonging to the Daityas)

• असि (asi) - you (Devayani's father, Shukra) are (you are)

• गायनः (gāyanaḥ) - the preceptor/praise-singer (implying a subservient role) (singer, chanter, preceptor)

Words meanings and morphology

देवयानी (devayānī) - Devayani (the daughter of Shukra) (Devayani (proper name))

(proper noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of devayānī

devayānī - Devayani (proper name)

Note: Subject of 'uvāca'.

उवाच (uvāca) - Devayani said (he/she said, spoke)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect past (liṭ) of vac

Perfect tense, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

Root vac (to speak). Perfect tense (liṭ), 3rd singular. Irregular formation.

Root: vac (class 2)

निष्कृतिः (niṣkṛtiḥ) - retribution (for my suffering) (expiation, atonement, retribution, consequence)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of niṣkṛti

niṣkṛti - expiation, atonement, retribution, reparation, escape, deliverance

From niṣ-kṛ (to atone, perform expiation).

Prefix: niṣ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Subject of 'astu'.

मे (me) - for me (Devayani) (for me, my)

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of aham

aham - I, my (pronoun)

अस्तु (astu) - let it be (retribution) (let it be, may it be)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of as

Imperative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

Root as (to be). Imperative (loṭ), 3rd singular.

Root: as (class 2)

वा (vā) - or (expressing alternative) (or)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction.

मा (mā) - not (negating the imperative) (not, do not)

(indeclinable)

Used with imperative/subjunctive to express prohibition.

अस्तु (astu) - let it not be (retribution) (let it be, may it be)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of as

Imperative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

Root as (to be). Imperative (loṭ), 3rd singular.

Root: as (class 2)

शृणुष्व (śṛṇuṣva) - listen (to me) (listen, hear)

(verb)

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

Imperative, Ātmanepada, 2nd person singular

Root śru (to hear). Imperative (loṭ), ātmanepada, 2nd singular.

Root: śru (class 5)

अवहितः (avahitaḥ) - attentively (listen) (attentive, absorbed, concentrated)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of avahita

avahita - attentive, absorbed, careful, concentrated

Past Passive Participle (substantivized)

From ava-dhā (to fix attention on).

Prefix: ava

Root: dhā (class 3)

Note: Functions adverbially here.

मम (mama) - to me (listen to what I say) (my, to me)

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of aham

aham - I (pronoun)

Note: With 'śṛṇuṣva' (listen to me).

शर्मिष्ठया (śarmiṣṭhayā) - by Sharmishtha

(proper noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of śarmiṣṭhā

śarmiṣṭhā - Sharmishtha (proper name)

Note: Agent of the passive participle 'uktā'.

यत् (yat) - what (she said) (which, what, that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, what, that (relative pronoun)

Note: Object of 'uktā asmi'.

उक्ता (uktā) - spoken (to me) (spoken, said)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of ukta

ukta - spoken, said, told

Past Passive Participle

From root vac (to speak). Irregular formation.

Root: vac (class 2)

अस्मि (asmi) - I am (who was spoken to) (I am)

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of as

Present tense, Parasmaipada, 1st person singular

Root as (to be). Present tense (laṭ), 1st singular.

Root: as (class 2)

दुहित्रा (duhitrā) - by the daughter (Sharmishtha, in apposition to Sharmishtha) (by the daughter)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of duhity

duhity - daughter

Root: duh (class 2)

Note: Agrees with 'śarmiṣṭhayā'.

वृषपर्वणः (vṛṣaparvaṇaḥ) - of Vrishaparvan (the demon king, father of Sharmishtha) (of Vrishaparvan)

(proper noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of vṛṣaparvan

vṛṣaparvan - Vrishaparvan (proper name)

Note: Possessive, 'daughter of Vrishaparvan'.

सत्यम् (satyam) - truly, it is true (truth, truly, indeed)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of satya

satya - true, real, truth, reality

From sat (being).

Root: as (class 2)

किल (kila) - indeed (emphasizing Sharmishtha's statement) (indeed, truly, it is said)

(indeclinable)

Particle for emphasis or hearsay.

एतद् (etad) - this (thing/statement) (this, this one)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this one (demonstrative pronoun)

Root pronoun.

Note: Refers to the following statement by Sharmishtha.

सा (sā) - she (Sharmishtha) (she)

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, she, he, it (demonstrative pronoun)

Root pronoun.

Note: Subject of 'prāha'.

प्राह (prāha) - she (Sharmishtha) spoke (these words) (she said, spoke)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect past (liṭ) of pra-ah

Perfect tense, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular (from root ah, to say, with pra)

Root ah (to say, speak) with upasarga pra. Perfect tense (liṭ), 3rd singular. Irregular.

Prefix: pra

Root: ah (class 2)

दैत्यानाम् (daityānām) - of the Daityas (demons, for whom Shukra is preceptor) (of the Daityas, belonging to the Daityas)

(proper noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of daitya

daitya - a Daitya, a demon (descendant of Diti)

Note: Possessive with 'gāyanaḥ'.

असि (asi) - you (Devayani's father, Shukra) are (you are)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of as

Present tense, Parasmaipada, 2nd person singular

Root as (to be). Present tense (laṭ), 2nd singular.

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Refers to Devayani's father.

गायनः (gāyanaḥ) - the preceptor/praise-singer (implying a subservient role) (singer, chanter, preceptor)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of gāyana

gāyana - singer, chanter, panegyrist, preceptor (especially of rituals)

Agent Noun

From root gai (to sing).

Root: gai (class 1)

Note: Predicate nominative for 'asi'.