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.

4. יַיָאטִי אמר: איני זוכר שמכרתי אי פעם בשקר, וגם לא לקחתי דבר לשווא, אפילו מילד, מתוך חשש לאשמה. ולא אעשה דבר שאחרים לא עשו לפני, רק מתוך רצון לדעת. מה טוב בכך?

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)

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