महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-137, verse-51

कस्माद्देवासुराः पूर्वमन्योन्यमभिजघ्निरे ।
यदि कालेन निर्याणं सुखदुःखे भवाभवौ ॥५१॥

51. kasmāddevāsurāḥ pūrvamanyonyamabhijaghnire ,
yadi kālena niryāṇaṁ sukhaduḥkhe bhavābhavau.

51. kasmāt devāsurāḥ pūrvam anyonyam abhijaghnire
yadi kālena niryāṇam sukhaduḥkhe bhavābhavau

51. kasmāt devāsurāḥ pūrvam anyonyam abhijaghnire
yadi kālena niryāṇam sukhaduḥkhe bhavābhavau

51. Why did the gods (deva) and demons (asura) formerly attack each other, if liberation (niryāṇa), pleasure and pain, and creation and dissolution (bhavābhavau) are all determined by time (kāla) alone?

Words meanings summery:

• कस्मात् (kasmāt) - introduces a rhetorical question: "why?" (why, from what, for what reason)

• देवासुराः (devāsurāḥ) - the divine and anti-divine beings (gods and demons)

• पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - in ancient times (before, formerly, previously, in the past)

• अन्योन्यम् (anyonyam) - mutually, reciprocally (each other, one another)

• अभिजघ्निरे (abhijaghnire) - they fought, they killed each other (they attacked, they struck, they killed)

• यदि (yadi) - introduces a conditional clause (if, in case)

• कालेन (kālena) - by the agency of time (by time, by destiny)

• निर्याणम् (niryāṇam) - death, final exit from existence, liberation (mokṣa) (departure, death, liberation, exit)

• सुखदुःखे (sukhaduḥkhe) - the dualities of happiness and suffering (pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow)

• भवाभवौ (bhavābhavau) - the cycles of coming into being and ceasing to be (existence and non-existence, birth and death, creation and dissolution)

Words meanings and morphology

कस्मात् (kasmāt) - introduces a rhetorical question: "why?" (why, from what, for what reason)

(indeclinable)

Ablative singular of kim, used adverbially.

Note: Adverbial use of ablative singular of 'kim'.

देवासुराः (devāsurāḥ) - the divine and anti-divine beings (gods and demons)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of devāsura

devāsura - gods and demons (duality of divine and anti-divine beings)

Dvandva compound of deva and asura.

Compound type : dvandva (deva+asura)

• deva – god, deity, divine being
  noun (masculine)
  Root: div
• asura – demon, evil spirit, anti-god
  noun (masculine)
  Root: as

पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - in ancient times (before, formerly, previously, in the past)

(indeclinable)

Used adverbially in the accusative neuter singular form.

अन्योन्यम् (anyonyam) - mutually, reciprocally (each other, one another)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of anyonya

anyonya - each other, one another, mutual

Compound of anya + anya.

Compound type : avyayībhāva (anya+anya)

• anya – other, another
  pronoun

Note: Acts as an object to `abhijaghnire`.

अभिजघ्निरे (abhijaghnire) - they fought, they killed each other (they attacked, they struck, they killed)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, perfect past (Lit) of han

perfect tense, middle voice

3rd person plural perfect middle of abhi- + √han

Prefix: abhi

Root: han (class 2)

यदि (yadi) - introduces a conditional clause (if, in case)

(indeclinable)

कालेन (kālena) - by the agency of time (by time, by destiny)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of kāla

kāla - time, period, season, duration, death, fate

निर्याणम् (niryāṇam) - death, final exit from existence, liberation (mokṣa) (departure, death, liberation, exit)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of niryāṇa

niryāṇa - going out, exit, departure, death, ultimate liberation (mokṣa)

From nis- + √yā (to go) + Lyuṭ suffix.

Prefix: nis

Root: yā (class 2)

सुखदुःखे (sukhaduḥkhe) - the dualities of happiness and suffering (pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, dual of sukhaduḥkha

sukhaduḥkha - pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow, joy and misery

Dvandva compound of sukha and duḥkha.

Compound type : dvandva (sukha+duḥkha)

• sukha – happiness, pleasure, ease, joy
  noun (neuter)
• duḥkha – pain, sorrow, suffering, misery
  noun (neuter)

भवाभवौ (bhavābhavau) - the cycles of coming into being and ceasing to be (existence and non-existence, birth and death, creation and dissolution)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, dual of bhavābhava

bhavābhava - existence and non-existence, birth and death, creation and destruction

Dvandva compound of bhava and abhava.

Compound type : dvandva (bhava+abhava)

• bhava – existence, being, birth, creation, world
  noun (masculine)
  From √bhū
  Root: bhū (class 1)
• abhava – non-existence, non-being, absence, dissolution, death
  noun (masculine)
  Negation of bhava
  Prefix: a
  Root: bhū (class 1)