महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-175, verse-3

कथं सृष्टानि भूतानि कथं वर्णविभक्तयः ।
शौचाशौचं कथं तेषां धर्माधर्मावथो कथम् ॥३॥

3. kathaṁ sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni kathaṁ varṇavibhaktayaḥ ,
śaucāśaucaṁ kathaṁ teṣāṁ dharmādharmāvatho katham.

3. katham sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni katham varṇa-vibhaktayaḥ
śauca-aśaucam katham teṣām dharma-adharmau atho katham

3. katham bhūtāni sṛṣṭāni? katham
varṇa-vibhaktayaḥ (santi)?
teṣām śauca-aśaucam katham? atho
dharma-adharmau katham (santi)?

3. How were beings created? How are the divisions of social classes (varṇa)? How are purity and impurity for them? And what about right and wrong (dharma and adharma)?

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• सृष्टानि (sṛṣṭāni) - created (created, manifested, produced)

• भूतानि (bhūtāni) - beings (beings, creatures, elements)

• वर्ण-विभक्तयः (varṇa-vibhaktayaḥ) - divisions of social classes (varṇa) (divisions of classes, caste distinctions)

• शौच-अशौचम् (śauca-aśaucam) - purity and impurity

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

• तेषाम् (teṣām) - for them (of them, for them)

• धर्म-अधर्मौ (dharma-adharmau) - right and wrong (dharma and adharma) (dharma and adharma, right and wrong)

• अथो (atho) - and what about (and then, moreover, what about)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

सृष्टानि (sṛṣṭāni) - created (created, manifested, produced)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, plural of sṛṣṭa

sṛṣṭa - created, produced, manifested

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root sṛj (to create, emit) with suffix -ta.

Root: sṛj (class 6)

भूतानि (bhūtāni) - beings (beings, creatures, elements)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of bhūta

bhūta - being, creature, element; past, become

Past Passive Participle

From root bhū (to be, become) + suffix -ta. Used as a noun.

Root: bhū (class 1)

वर्ण-विभक्तयः (varṇa-vibhaktayaḥ) - divisions of social classes (varṇa) (divisions of classes, caste distinctions)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, plural of varṇa-vibhakti

varṇa-vibhakti - division of varṇas (social classes/castes)

Tatpurusha compound.

Compound type : Tatpurusha (varṇa+vibhakti)

• varṇa – color, outer appearance, social class, caste
  noun (masculine)
  Root: vṛ (class 5)
• vibhakti – division, distinction, separation, inflection
  noun (feminine)
  From vi + bhaj (to divide).
  Prefix: vi
  Root: bhaj (class 1)

शौच-अशौचम् (śauca-aśaucam) - purity and impurity

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śauca-aśauca

śauca-aśauca - purity and impurity

Dvandva compound.

Compound type : Dvandva (śauca+aśauca)

• śauca – purity, cleanliness, ritual purity
  noun (neuter)
  From śuci (pure).
• aśauca – impurity, uncleanness, ritual impurity
  noun (neuter)
  Negation of śauca with 'a-'.

Note: Used as a singular noun representing the pair.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

तेषाम् (teṣām) - for them (of them, for them)

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of tad

tad - that, those

Genitive plural, referring to the 'bhūtāni' (beings).

धर्म-अधर्मौ (dharma-adharmau) - right and wrong (dharma and adharma) (dharma and adharma, right and wrong)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, dual of dharma-adharma

dharma-adharma - dharma (righteousness, duty, constitution, natural law) and adharma (unrighteousness, unconstitutionality)

Dvandva compound.

Compound type : Dvandva (dharma+adharma)

• dharma – constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature, righteousness, duty, virtue, cosmic order
  noun (masculine)
  From root dhṛ (to uphold, support).
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)
• adharma – unrighteousness, injustice, unconstitutionality, vice
  noun (masculine)
  Negation of dharma with 'a-'.
  Prefix: a
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Refers to the pair of dharma and adharma.

अथो (atho) - and what about (and then, moreover, what about)

(indeclinable)

Particle used to introduce a new topic or question. 'atho' is 'atha' with sandhi.

Note: Often implies 'what then?' or 'how then?'.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner, why)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.