महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-84, verse-20

अहो कष्टं क्षीणपुण्यो ययातिः पतत्यसौ पुण्यकृत्पुण्यकीर्तिः ।
तानब्रुवं पतमानस्ततोऽहं सतां मध्ये निपतेयं कथं नु ॥२०॥

20. aho kaṣṭaṁ kṣīṇapuṇyo yayātiḥ; patatyasau puṇyakṛtpuṇyakīrtiḥ ,
tānabruvaṁ patamānastato'haṁ; satāṁ madhye nipateyaṁ kathaṁ nu.

20. aho kaṣṭam kṣīṇapuṇyaḥ yayātiḥ
patati asau puṇyakṛt puṇyakīrtiḥ
tān abruvam patamānaḥ tataḥ aham
satām madhye nipateyam katham nu

20. Oh, what a pity! Yayati, whose merits are exhausted, this doer of good deeds and man of meritorious fame, is falling. As I was falling, I then said to them (the gods), 'How then might I fall among virtuous people?'

Words meanings summery:

• अहो (aho) - oh, alas, ah

• कष्टम् (kaṣṭam) - pain, suffering, difficulty, pity

• क्षीणपुण्यः (kṣīṇapuṇyaḥ) - one whose merits are exhausted, with depleted merit

• ययातिः (yayātiḥ) - Yayati (name of a king)

• पतति (patati) - falls, is falling

• असौ (asau) - that one, he

• पुण्यकृत् (puṇyakṛt) - one who performs good deeds, virtuous person

• पुण्यकीर्तिः (puṇyakīrtiḥ) - one whose fame is meritorious, of good reputation

• तान् (tān) - them (masculine plural)

• अब्रुवम् (abruvam) - I said, I spoke

• पतमानः (patamānaḥ) - falling

• ततः (tataḥ) - from there, thence, then

• अहम् (aham) - I

• सताम् (satām) - of the good, of the virtuous

• मध्ये (madhye) - in the midst of, among, in the middle

• निपतेयम् (nipateyam) - may I fall, I should fall

• कथम् (katham) - how?

• नु (nu) - now, indeed, then (interrogative or emphatic particle)

Words meanings and morphology

अहो (aho) - oh, alas, ah

(indeclinable)

कष्टम् (kaṣṭam) - pain, suffering, difficulty, pity

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kaṣṭa

kaṣṭa - pain, misery, difficulty, trouble, evil

Note: Used as an exclamation 'what a pity!'

क्षीणपुण्यः (kṣīṇapuṇyaḥ) - one whose merits are exhausted, with depleted merit

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kṣīṇapuṇya

kṣīṇapuṇya - one whose merits are exhausted

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (kṣīṇa+puṇya)

• kṣīṇa – exhausted, diminished, destroyed
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from root kṣi with -ta suffix
  Root: kṣi (class 5)
• puṇya – merit, virtue, good deed
  noun (neuter)

ययातिः (yayātiḥ) - Yayati (name of a king)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yayāti

yayāti - name of a legendary king

पतति (patati) - falls, is falling

(verb)

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

Root: pat (class 1)

असौ (asau) - that one, he

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of adas

adas - that, yonder, that one

पुण्यकृत् (puṇyakṛt) - one who performs good deeds, virtuous person

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puṇyakṛt

puṇyakṛt - doer of good deeds, virtuous

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (puṇya+kṛt)

• puṇya – merit, virtue, good deed
  noun (neuter)
• kṛt – doer, maker, performing
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from root kṛ 'to do'
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

पुण्यकीर्तिः (puṇyakīrtiḥ) - one whose fame is meritorious, of good reputation

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puṇyakīrti

puṇyakīrti - of good fame, whose fame is merit

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (puṇya+kīrti)

• puṇya – merit, virtue, good deed
  noun (neuter)
• kīrti – fame, renown, glory
  noun (feminine)

तान् (tān) - them (masculine plural)

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, those

अब्रुवम् (abruvam) - I said, I spoke

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, imperfect (laṅ) of brū

Root: brū (class 2)

पतमानः (patamānaḥ) - falling

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of patamāna

patamāna - falling, descending

Present Middle Participle

Derived from root pat with -māna suffix

Root: pat (class 1)

ततः (tataḥ) - from there, thence, then

(indeclinable)

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

सताम् (satām) - of the good, of the virtuous

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, plural of sat

sat - existent, good, virtuous, real

Present Active Participle

Derived from root as 'to be' with -at suffix

Root: as (class 2)

मध्ये (madhye) - in the midst of, among, in the middle

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of madhya

madhya - middle, center, midst

Note: Used adverbially

निपतेयम् (nipateyam) - may I fall, I should fall

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of nipateya

Prefix: ni

Root: pat (class 1)

कथम् (katham) - how?

(indeclinable)

नु (nu) - now, indeed, then (interrogative or emphatic particle)

(indeclinable)