महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-10, verse-11

यथा महान्तमध्वानमाशया पुरुषः पतन् ।
स निराशो निवर्तेत कर्मेदं नस्तथोपमम् ॥११॥

11. yathā mahāntamadhvānamāśayā puruṣaḥ patan ,
sa nirāśo nivarteta karmedaṁ nastathopamam.

11. yathā mahāntam adhvānam āśayā puruṣaḥ patan saḥ
nirāśaḥ nivarteta karma idam naḥ tathā upamam

11. yathā āśayā mahāntam adhvānam patan puruṣaḥ saḥ
nirāśaḥ nivarteta tathā naḥ idam karma upamam

11. Just as a person, having set out on a great journey with much hope, might turn back in despair after encountering obstacles, so too is this action (karma) of ours comparable.

Words meanings summery:

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, according to

• महान्तम् (mahāntam) - a great (journey) (great, large, mighty)

• अध्वानम् (adhvānam) - path, road, journey, course

• आशया (āśayā) - with hope, by means of desire, with expectation

• पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - person, man, human being, the cosmic person (puruṣa)

• पतन् (patan) - falling (on the journey, or encountering obstacles) (falling, collapsing, dropping)

• सः (saḥ) - he, that

• निराशः (nirāśaḥ) - hopeless, despondent, without expectation

• निवर्तेत (nivarteta) - might turn back, may desist, should return

• कर्म (karma) - this action (karma) of ours (action, deed, ritual, fate (karma))

• इदम् (idam) - this

• नः (naḥ) - our, to us, of us

• तथा (tathā) - thus, so, in that manner

• उपमम् (upamam) - comparable, similar, an analogy

Words meanings and morphology

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, according to

(indeclinable)

महान्तम् (mahāntam) - a great (journey) (great, large, mighty)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of mahat

mahat - great, large, mighty, considerable

अध्वानम् (adhvānam) - path, road, journey, course

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of adhvāna

adhvāna - path, road, way, journey, course

आशया (āśayā) - with hope, by means of desire, with expectation

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of āśā

āśā - hope, expectation, desire, wish

पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - person, man, human being, the cosmic person (puruṣa)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puruṣa

puruṣa - man, person, human being, the Supreme Being, the cosmic person (puruṣa)

पतन् (patan) - falling (on the journey, or encountering obstacles) (falling, collapsing, dropping)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of patat

patat - falling, flying, present active participle of pat

Present Active Participle

From root pat (to fall).

Root: pat (class 1)

सः (saḥ) - he, that

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

निराशः (nirāśaḥ) - hopeless, despondent, without expectation

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nirāśa

nirāśa - hopeless, despondent, despairing

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (nis+āśā)

• nis – out, forth, without, negation
  indeclinable
• āśā – hope, expectation, desire
  noun (feminine)

निवर्तेत (nivarteta) - might turn back, may desist, should return

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, optative (vidhiliṅ) of nivart

Optative mood, middle voice

From root vṛt (class 1, ātmanepada) with prefix ni.

Prefix: ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

कर्म (karma) - this action (karma) of ours (action, deed, ritual, fate (karma))

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of karman

karman - action, deed, work, ritual, fate, effect of actions (karma)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

इदम् (idam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, this one, here

नः (naḥ) - our, to us, of us

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we

तथा (tathā) - thus, so, in that manner

(indeclinable)

उपमम् (upamam) - comparable, similar, an analogy

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of upama

upama - comparable, similar, like, resemblance, analogy

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