महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-135, verse-18

आदौ न कुरुते श्रेयः कुशलोऽस्मीति यः पुमान् ।
स संशयमवाप्नोति यथा संप्रतिपत्तिमान् ॥१८॥

18. ādau na kurute śreyaḥ kuśalo'smīti yaḥ pumān ,
sa saṁśayamavāpnoti yathā saṁpratipattimān.

18. ādau na kurute śreyaḥ kuśalaḥ asmi iti yaḥ pumān
saḥ saṃśayam avāpnoti yathā saṃpratipattimān

18. yaḥ pumān ādau "kuśalaḥ asmi" iti (matvā) śreyaḥ na
kurute saḥ saṃpratipattimān yathā saṃśayam avāpnoti

18. The person who, at the outset, does not perform what is beneficial, thinking "I am competent," he certainly falls into doubt (saṃśaya) or difficulty, just like an overconfident person.

Words meanings summery:

• आदौ (ādau) - at the outset (at first, in the beginning, initially)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• कुरुते (kurute) - perform (does, performs, makes)

• श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - what is beneficial (good, welfare, prosperity, what is beneficial)

• कुशलः (kuśalaḥ) - competent (skillful, expert, competent, auspicious)

• अस्मि (asmi) - I am

• इति (iti) - thinking (introduces quoted speech) (thus, so, in this way, thinking)

• यः (yaḥ) - who, which

• पुमान् (pumān) - person (man, person, male being)

• सः (saḥ) - he (he, that (one))

• संशयम् (saṁśayam) - doubt or difficulty (doubt, uncertainty, danger, risk)

• अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - falls into, incurs (obtains, reaches, incurs, meets with)

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

• संप्रतिपत्तिमान् (saṁpratipattimān) - an overconfident person (in this context, implying one who acts based on conviction without due caution) (intelligent, judicious, understanding, assenting, one who has a clear understanding or conviction)

Words meanings and morphology

आदौ (ādau) - at the outset (at first, in the beginning, initially)

(indeclinable)

Locative singular of 'ādis'.

Note: Functions adverbially, indicating time.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

Particle of negation.

Note: Negates the verb 'kurute'.

कुरुते (kurute) - perform (does, performs, makes)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of kṛ

Present Tense, Middle Voice (ātmanepada)

From √kṛ (class 8, tanādi).

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Verb for 'yaḥ pumān'.

श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - what is beneficial (good, welfare, prosperity, what is beneficial)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of śreyas

śreyas - better, superior, more excellent, good, welfare, prosperity

Comparative form of 'śrī' or 'praśasya', often used as a neuter noun.

Note: Object of the verb.

कुशलः (kuśalaḥ) - competent (skillful, expert, competent, auspicious)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kuśala

kuśala - skillful, clever, expert, competent, well, healthy, auspicious

Note: Used in the direct speech "I am competent".

अस्मि (asmi) - I am

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of as

Present Tense, Active Voice (parasmaipada)

From √as (class 2).

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Part of the direct speech.

इति (iti) - thinking (introduces quoted speech) (thus, so, in this way, thinking)

(indeclinable)

Particle used to introduce or conclude direct speech or thought.

यः (yaḥ) - who, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, what (relative pronoun)

Note: Subject of the relative clause.

पुमान् (pumān) - person (man, person, male being)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pums

pums - man, male, person, spirit

Nominative singular of 'pums' (stem ending in -s).

सः (saḥ) - he (he, that (one))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it (demonstrative pronoun)

Correlative pronoun to 'yaḥ'.

Note: Subject of 'avāpnoti'.

संशयम् (saṁśayam) - doubt or difficulty (doubt, uncertainty, danger, risk)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of saṃśaya

saṁśaya - doubt, uncertainty, hesitation, risk, danger

From sam-√śī (to lie down, to be doubtful, to cling). Or sam-√śī (to doubt).

Prefix: sam

Root: śī (class 2)

अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - falls into, incurs (obtains, reaches, incurs, meets with)

(verb)

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

Present Tense, Active Voice (parasmaipada)

From ava-√āp (class 5).

Prefix: ava

Root: āp (class 5)

Note: Verb for the correlative clause.

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

संप्रतिपत्तिमान् (saṁpratipattimān) - an overconfident person (in this context, implying one who acts based on conviction without due caution) (intelligent, judicious, understanding, assenting, one who has a clear understanding or conviction)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of saṃpratipattimat

saṁpratipattimat - intelligent, judicious, understanding, one who assents or has clear understanding

Formed with suffix -mat from 'saṃpratipatti' (understanding, conviction, agreement).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sam+prati+pad)

• saṃpratipatti – agreement, understanding, conviction, assent, decision
  noun (feminine)
  From sam-prati-√pad (to agree, understand, attain)
  Prefixes: sam+prati
  Root: pad (class 4)

Note: Acts as the subject of the comparison.