महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-88, verse-4

ययातिरुवाच ।
न मिथ्याहं विक्रयं वै स्मरामि वृथा गृहीतं शिशुकाच्छङ्कमानः ।
कुर्यां न चैवाकृतपूर्वमन्यैर्विवित्समानः किमु तत्र साधु ॥४॥

4. yayātiruvāca ,
na mithyāhaṁ vikrayaṁ vai smarāmi; vṛthā gṛhītaṁ śiśukācchaṅkamānaḥ ,
kuryāṁ na caivākṛtapūrvamanyai;rvivitsamānaḥ kimu tatra sādhu.

4. yayātiḥ uvāca | na mithyā aham vikrayam
vai smarāmi vṛthā gṛhītam śiśukāt
śaṅkamānaḥ | kuryām na ca eva akṛtapūrvam
anyaiḥ vivitsamānaḥ kimu tatra sādhu

4. Yayāti said: I would not consider such a transaction (a 'sale' for a blade of grass) to be truly valid. Rather, I would be suspicious of taking something valuable in vain from a child (my young descendant). I would not do, nor indeed would I do, what has not been done before by others, desiring to know what is truly proper (dharma) in that situation.

Words meanings summery:

• ययातिः (yayātiḥ) - King Yayāti (Yayāti)

• उवाच (uvāca) - spoke, said

• न (na) - not

• मिथ्या (mithyā) - improperly, as not genuine (falsely, improperly, in vain)

• अहम् (aham) - I

• विक्रयम् (vikrayam) - sale, selling

• वै (vai) - indeed, certainly

• स्मरामि (smarāmi) - I consider (I remember, I consider, I think of)

• वृथा (vṛthā) - in vain, uselessly, improperly

• गृहीतम् (gṛhītam) - something taken (as a gift or exchange) (taken, received, acquired)

• शिशुकात् (śiśukāt) - from a young descendant (from a child, from a young one)

• शङ्कमानः (śaṅkamānaḥ) - I would be suspicious (doubting, suspecting, fearing)

• कुर्याम् (kuryām) - I would do, I should do

• न (na) - not

• च (ca) - nor (and)

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly

• अकृतपूर्वम् (akṛtapūrvam) - what has not been done before (not done before, unprecedented)

• अन्यैः (anyaiḥ) - by others, by other people

• विवित्समानः (vivitsamānaḥ) - desiring to know, wishing to learn

• किमु (kimu) - what indeed, what then

• तत्र (tatra) - there, in that (situation)

• साधु (sādhu) - what is proper (dharma) (proper, right, good, righteous)

Words meanings and morphology

ययातिः (yayātiḥ) - King Yayāti (Yayāti)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yayāti

yayāti - a famous legendary king

उवाच (uvāca) - spoke, said

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

मिथ्या (mithyā) - improperly, as not genuine (falsely, improperly, in vain)

(indeclinable)

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me (pronoun)

विक्रयम् (vikrayam) - sale, selling

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of vikraya

vikraya - sale, selling, barter

Derived from root 'krī' with prefix 'vi'

Prefix: vi

Root: krī (class 9)

वै (vai) - indeed, certainly

(indeclinable)

स्मरामि (smarāmi) - I consider (I remember, I consider, I think of)

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (lat) of smṛ

Root: smṛ (class 1)

वृथा (vṛthā) - in vain, uselessly, improperly

(indeclinable)

गृहीतम् (gṛhītam) - something taken (as a gift or exchange) (taken, received, acquired)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of gṛhīta

gṛhīta - taken, seized, received, acquired

Past Passive Participle

Derived from the root 'grah'

Root: grah (class 9)

शिशुकात् (śiśukāt) - from a young descendant (from a child, from a young one)

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of śiśuka

śiśuka - a child, a young one, a baby

शङ्कमानः (śaṅkamānaḥ) - I would be suspicious (doubting, suspecting, fearing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śaṅkamāna

śaṅkamāna - doubting, suspecting, fearing

Present Middle Participle

Derived from the root 'śaṅk' (to doubt, fear)

Root: śaṅk (class 1)

Note: Agrees with implied 'aham'

कुर्याम् (kuryām) - I would do, I should do

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - nor (and)

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly

(indeclinable)

अकृतपूर्वम् (akṛtapūrvam) - what has not been done before (not done before, unprecedented)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of akṛtapūrva

akṛtapūrva - not done before, unprecedented

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+kṛtapūrva)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
  negation prefix
• kṛtapūrva – done before, previously done
  adjective (neuter)
  Compound of PPP + adverb
  Compound 'kṛta' (done) + 'pūrva' (before)
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

अन्यैः (anyaiḥ) - by others, by other people

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, plural of anya

anya - other, another, different

विवित्समानः (vivitsamānaḥ) - desiring to know, wishing to learn

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vivitsamāna

vivitsamāna - desiring to know, wishing to learn

Desiderative Present Middle Participle

Derived from desiderative stem of root 'vid' (to know)

Root: vid (class 2)

Note: Agrees with implied 'aham'

किमु (kimu) - what indeed, what then

(indeclinable)

तत्र (tatra) - there, in that (situation)

(indeclinable)

साधु (sādhu) - what is proper (dharma) (proper, right, good, righteous)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of sādhu

sādhu - good, right, proper, virtuous, righteous (dharma)