महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-86, verse-1

अष्टक उवाच ।
चरन्गृहस्थः कथमेति देवान्कथं भिक्षुः कथमाचार्यकर्मा ।
वानप्रस्थः सत्पथे संनिविष्टो बहून्यस्मिन्संप्रति वेदयन्ति ॥१॥

1. aṣṭaka uvāca ,
carangṛhasthaḥ kathameti devā;nkathaṁ bhikṣuḥ kathamācāryakarmā ,
vānaprasthaḥ satpathe saṁniviṣṭo; bahūnyasminsaṁprati vedayanti.

1. aṣṭakaḥ uvāca caran gṛhasthaḥ katham
eti devān katham bhikṣuḥ katham
ācāryakarmā vānaprasthaḥ satpathe
saṃniviṣṭaḥ bahūni asmin samprati vedayanti

1. Aṣṭaka said, "How does a householder, living his life, attain the gods? How does a mendicant attain them? How does a preceptor, whose activity is teaching, attain them? And how does a forest-dweller, firmly established on the noble path, attain them? Many now explain these matters."

Words meanings summery:

• अष्टकः (aṣṭakaḥ) - Aṣṭaka

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• चरन् (caran) - living (his life) (moving, wandering, living, performing)

• गृहस्थः (gṛhasthaḥ) - householder

• कथम् (katham) - how?

• एति (eti) - attains (goes, reaches, attains)

• देवान् (devān) - gods

• कथम् (katham) - how?

• भिक्षुः (bhikṣuḥ) - mendicant, beggar, renunciant

• कथम् (katham) - how?

• आचार्यकर्मा (ācāryakarmā) - one whose duty/activity is teaching, a preceptor

• वानप्रस्थः (vānaprasthaḥ) - forest-dweller, hermit

• सत्पथे (satpathe) - on the right path, on the noble path

• संनिविष्टः (saṁniviṣṭaḥ) - firmly established (entered, placed, settled, firmly established)

• बहूनि (bahūni) - many (people/views) (many)

• अस्मिन् (asmin) - in this (matter/topic) (in this, concerning this)

• सम्प्रति (samprati) - now, at present, currently

• वेदयन्ति (vedayanti) - they explain (they know, they make known, they explain)

Words meanings and morphology

अष्टकः (aṣṭakaḥ) - Aṣṭaka

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of aṣṭaka

aṣṭaka - name of a sage; a group of eight

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active Indicative

root vac, class 2, Perfect, 3rd person singular

Root: vac (class 2)

चरन् (caran) - living (his life) (moving, wandering, living, performing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of car

car - to move, to wander, to live, to perform

Present Active Participle

root car, class 1, present participle, masculine nominative singular

Root: car (class 1)

Note: Functions adjectivally with gṛhasthaḥ

गृहस्थः (gṛhasthaḥ) - householder

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of gṛhastha

gṛhastha - householder (one of the four āśramas)

कथम् (katham) - how?

(indeclinable)

एति (eti) - attains (goes, reaches, attains)

(verb)

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

Present Active Indicative

root i, class 2, Present, 3rd person singular

Root: i (class 2)

देवान् (devān) - gods

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of deva

deva - god, deity

कथम् (katham) - how?

(indeclinable)

भिक्षुः (bhikṣuḥ) - mendicant, beggar, renunciant

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhikṣu

bhikṣu - mendicant, beggar, renunciant (one of the four āśramas)

Root: bhikṣ (class 1)

कथम् (katham) - how?

(indeclinable)

आचार्यकर्मा (ācāryakarmā) - one whose duty/activity is teaching, a preceptor

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ācāryakarman

ācāryakarman - the work/duty of a preceptor; a preceptor

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (ācārya+karman)

• ācārya – teacher, preceptor, master
  noun (masculine)
• karman – action, deed, duty, work
  noun (neuter)
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Nominative singular of a bahuvrihi compound.

वानप्रस्थः (vānaprasthaḥ) - forest-dweller, hermit

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vānaprastha

vānaprastha - forest-dweller, hermit (one of the four āśramas)

सत्पथे (satpathe) - on the right path, on the noble path

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of satpatha

satpatha - right path, noble path, good way

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sat+patha)

• sat – good, true, existing, righteous
  adjective (masculine)
  Present Active Participle
  root as, present participle
  Root: as (class 2)
• patha – path, road, way
  noun (masculine)

संनिविष्टः (saṁniviṣṭaḥ) - firmly established (entered, placed, settled, firmly established)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of saṃniviṣṭa

saṁniviṣṭa - entered, placed, settled, firmly established

Past Passive Participle

root viś (to enter) with upasargas sam + ni

Prefixes: sam+ni

Root: viś (class 6)

Note: Qualifies vānaprasthaḥ

बहूनि (bahūni) - many (people/views) (many)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, plural of bahu

bahu - many, much

Note: It's nominative plural neuter, used here substantively to mean "many (things/views)" or "many (people)".

अस्मिन् (asmin) - in this (matter/topic) (in this, concerning this)

(pronoun)

Locative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, this matter

Note: Refers to the topic being discussed.

सम्प्रति (samprati) - now, at present, currently

(indeclinable)

वेदयन्ति (vedayanti) - they explain (they know, they make known, they explain)

(verb)

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

Present Active Indicative (causative stem)

root vid, class 10 (or causative of class 2), Present, 3rd person plural

Root: vid (class 10)

Note: Implies that many people are currently providing explanations on the subject.