महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-85, verse-3

अष्टक उवाच ।
कथं तस्मिन्क्षीणपुण्या भवन्ति संमुह्यते मेऽत्र मनोऽतिमात्रम् ।
किंविशिष्टाः कस्य धामोपयान्ति तद्वै ब्रूहि क्षेत्रवित्त्वं मतो मे ॥३॥

3. aṣṭaka uvāca ,
kathaṁ tasminkṣīṇapuṇyā bhavanti; saṁmuhyate me'tra mano'timātram ,
kiṁviśiṣṭāḥ kasya dhāmopayānti; tadvai brūhi kṣetravittvaṁ mato me.

3. aṣṭaka uvāca katham tasmin kṣīṇapuṇyā
bhavanti sammuhyate me atra manaḥ
atimātram kimviśiṣṭāḥ kasya dhāma upayanti
tat vai brūhi kṣetravit tvam mataḥ me

3. Aṣṭaka asked: 'How do people's merits (puṇya) become exhausted there (in heaven)? My mind is greatly bewildered by this matter. What kind of specific characteristics do they possess, and whose abode do they then reach? Please tell me that, for I consider you a knower of the true nature of realms (kṣetravit).'

Words meanings summery:

• अष्टक (aṣṭaka) - Aṣṭaka, the son of Viśvāmitra and Madhavī, who is asking Yayāti (Aṣṭaka)

• उवाच (uvāca) - (Aṣṭaka) said (said, spoke)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner)

• तस्मिन् (tasmin) - in that (realm, i.e., heaven) (in that, in him)

• क्षीणपुण्या (kṣīṇapuṇyā) - those whose merit (puṇya) is exhausted (whose merit is exhausted, having exhausted merit (puṇya))

• भवन्ति (bhavanti) - they become (exhausted of merit) (they become, they exist)

• सम्मुह्यते (sammuhyate) - is greatly bewildered (is bewildered, is confused)

• मे (me) - my (mind) (by me, to me, my)

• अत्र (atra) - here (in this matter) (here, in this matter)

• मनः (manaḥ) - my mind (mind, thought)

• अतिमात्रम् (atimātram) - greatly (exceedingly, greatly, too much)

• किम्विशिष्टाः (kimviśiṣṭāḥ) - what kind of specific characteristics (what kind of, possessing what qualities)

• कस्य (kasya) - whose (whose, of whom)

• धाम (dhāma) - abode (abode, dwelling, realm, light)

• उपयन्ति (upayanti) - do they attain/reach (they approach, they attain, they reach)

• तत् (tat) - that (matter) (that)

• वै (vai) - please (emphatic particle) (indeed, certainly)

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - please tell (me) (tell, speak)

• क्षेत्रवित् (kṣetravit) - knower of the true nature of realms (knower of the field/body/truth)

• त्वम् (tvam) - you (referring to Yayāti) (you)

• मतः (mataḥ) - (you are) considered (considered, regarded, thought)

• मे (me) - by me (by me, to me, my)

Words meanings and morphology

अष्टक (aṣṭaka) - Aṣṭaka, the son of Viśvāmitra and Madhavī, who is asking Yayāti (Aṣṭaka)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of aṣṭaka

aṣṭaka - Aṣṭaka (proper name)

उवाच (uvāca) - (Aṣṭaka) said (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

3rd person singular Perfect active, from √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner)

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

तस्मिन् (tasmin) - in that (realm, i.e., heaven) (in that, in him)

(pronoun)

Locative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to Nandana or Svarga.

क्षीणपुण्या (kṣīṇapuṇyā) - those whose merit (puṇya) is exhausted (whose merit is exhausted, having exhausted merit (puṇya))

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kṣīṇapuṇya

kṣīṇapuṇya - whose merit is exhausted, having exhausted merit

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (kṣīṇa+puṇya)

• kṣīṇa – diminished, exhausted
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Past Passive Participle from √kṣi
  Root: kṣi (class 1)
• puṇya – merit, virtue, good deed
  noun (neuter)

Note: Refers to 'they' (implied people).

भवन्ति (bhavanti) - they become (exhausted of merit) (they become, they exist)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of bhū

Present Active

3rd person plural Present active, from √bhū (class 1)

Root: bhū (class 1)

सम्मुह्यते (sammuhyate) - is greatly bewildered (is bewildered, is confused)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of sam-muh

Present Passive

3rd person singular Present passive, from √muh (class 4) with prefix sam

Prefix: sam

Root: muh (class 4)

Note: Subject is 'manaḥ'.

मे (me) - my (mind) (by me, to me, my)

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of aham

aham - I

Note: Enclitic form of the 1st person pronoun.

अत्र (atra) - here (in this matter) (here, in this matter)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverb.

मनः (manaḥ) - my mind (mind, thought)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of manas

manas - mind, intellect, thought, heart

Note: Subject of 'sammuhyate'.

अतिमात्रम् (atimātram) - greatly (exceedingly, greatly, too much)

(indeclinable)

Compound type : avyayībhāva (ati+mātra)

• ati – over, beyond, excessively
  indeclinable
• mātra – measure, quantity, only, mere
  noun (neuter)
  Root: mā (class 2)

Note: Adverbial accusative.

किम्विशिष्टाः (kimviśiṣṭāḥ) - what kind of specific characteristics (what kind of, possessing what qualities)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kimviśiṣṭa

kimviśiṣṭa - what kind of, distinguished by what

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (kim+viśiṣṭa)

• kim – what, which
  pronoun (neuter)
• viśiṣṭa – distinguished, peculiar, specific
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Past Passive Participle from √śiṣ with prefix vi
  Prefix: vi
  Root: śiṣ (class 7)

Note: Interrogative adjective, modifying implied 'they'.

कस्य (kasya) - whose (whose, of whom)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Interrogative pronoun.

धाम (dhāma) - abode (abode, dwelling, realm, light)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of dhāman

dhāman - abode, dwelling, realm, home, light, glory

Root: dhā (class 3)

Note: Object of 'upayanti'.

उपयन्ति (upayanti) - do they attain/reach (they approach, they attain, they reach)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of upa-i

Present Active

3rd person plural Present active, from √i (class 2) with prefix upa

Prefix: upa

Root: i (class 2)

Note: Subject is implied 'they'.

तत् (tat) - that (matter) (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Object of 'brūhi'.

वै (vai) - please (emphatic particle) (indeed, certainly)

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphatic particle.

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - please tell (me) (tell, speak)

(verb)

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

Imperative Active

2nd person singular Imperative active, from √brū (class 2)

Root: brū (class 2)

क्षेत्रवित् (kṣetravit) - knower of the true nature of realms (knower of the field/body/truth)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kṣetravid

kṣetravid - knower of the field (kṣetra), knower of truth/reality

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (kṣetra+vid)

• kṣetra – field, land, sacred space, body
  noun (neuter)
• vid – knower, one who knows
  noun (masculine)
  Agent noun from √vid (to know)
  Root: vid (class 2)

त्वम् (tvam) - you (referring to Yayāti) (you)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Subject of 'mataḥ' (with implied 'asi' - 'you are'). The original Devanagari `क्षेत्रवित्त्वं` appears to combine `kṣetravit` and `tvam` into a single word `kṣetravittvam` with sandhi. However, for clear grammatical and semantic interpretation consistent with the translation and known texts, `kṣetravit` and `tvam` are separated here in `roman_words_no_sandhi` and analyzed as distinct words.

मतः (mataḥ) - (you are) considered (considered, regarded, thought)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mata

mata - considered, regarded, thought, opinion

Past Passive Participle

Past Passive Participle from √man (to think, consider)

Root: man (class 4)

Note: Agrees with 'tvam'.

मे (me) - by me (by me, to me, my)

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of aham

aham - I

Note: Agent in this construction.