महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-1, chapter-94, verse-21

स कदाचिन्मृगं विद्ध्वा गङ्गामनुसरन्नदीम् ।
भागीरथीमल्पजलां शंतनुर्दृष्टवान्नृपः ॥२१॥

21. sa kadācinmṛgaṁ viddhvā gaṅgāmanusarannadīm ,
bhāgīrathīmalpajalāṁ śaṁtanurdṛṣṭavānnṛpaḥ.

21. sa kadācit mṛgam viddhvā gaṅgām anusaran nadīm
| bhāgīrathīm alpajalām śaṃtanuḥ dṛṣṭavān nṛpaḥ

21. One day, King Shantanu, after striking a deer, followed the Gaṅgā river and saw the Bhāgīrathī, which had little water.

Words meanings summery:

• स (sa) - King Shantanu (he)

• कदाचित् (kadācit) - once, sometimes, at some time

• मृगम् (mṛgam) - deer, animal

• विद्ध्वा (viddhvā) - having pierced/struck

• गङ्गाम् (gaṅgām) - Ganga (river)

• अनुसरन् (anusaran) - following, pursuing

• नदीम् (nadīm) - river

• भागीरथीम् (bhāgīrathīm) - Bhāgīrathī (a name for the Gaṅgā)

• अल्पजलाम् (alpajalām) - with little water

• शंतनुः (śaṁtanuḥ) - Shantanu (proper name)

• दृष्टवान् (dṛṣṭavān) - saw, beheld

• नृपः (nṛpaḥ) - king

Words meanings and morphology

स (sa) - King Shantanu (he)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

कदाचित् (kadācit) - once, sometimes, at some time

(indeclinable)

मृगम् (mṛgam) - deer, animal

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of mṛga

mṛga - deer, wild animal, beast

विद्ध्वा (viddhvā) - having pierced/struck

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Derived from the root √vyadh (to pierce, strike). The absolutive form is 'viddhvā'.

Root: vyadh (class 4)

गङ्गाम् (gaṅgām) - Ganga (river)

(proper noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of gaṅgā

gaṅgā - the river Gaṅgā

अनुसरन् (anusaran) - following, pursuing

(participle)

Nominative, masculine, singular of anusarat

anusarat - following, going after

Present Active Participle

Derived from the root √sṛ (to go, flow) with upasarga 'anu' (after, along).

Prefix: anu

Root: sṛ (class 1)

नदीम् (nadīm) - river

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of nadī

nadī - river, stream

भागीरथीम् (bhāgīrathīm) - Bhāgīrathī (a name for the Gaṅgā)

(proper noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of bhāgīrathī

bhāgīrathī - the Gaṅgā (as brought by Bhagīratha), daughter of Bhagīratha

अल्पजलाम् (alpajalām) - with little water

(adjective)

Accusative, feminine, singular of alpajalā

alpajalā - having little water

Compound type : bahuvrihi (alpa+jala)

• alpa – little, small, few
  adjective (masculine/feminine/neuter)
• jala – water
  noun (neuter)

शंतनुः (śaṁtanuḥ) - Shantanu (proper name)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śaṃtanu

śaṁtanu - Shantanu (a king of the Lunar Dynasty)

दृष्टवान् (dṛṣṭavān) - saw, beheld

(participle)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dṛṣṭavat

dṛṣṭavat - having seen

Past Active Participle

Derived from the root √dṛś (to see) with the suffix -vat.

Root: dṛś (class 1)

नृपः (nṛpaḥ) - king

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nṛpa

nṛpa - king, ruler (lit. 'protector of men')