महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-177, verse-2

यदासृजत्सहस्राणि भूतानां स महामतिः ।
पञ्चानामेव भूतत्वं कथं समुपपद्यते ॥२॥

2. yadāsṛjatsahasrāṇi bhūtānāṁ sa mahāmatiḥ ,
pañcānāmeva bhūtatvaṁ kathaṁ samupapadyate.

2. yadā asṛjat sahasrāṇi bhūtānām saḥ mahāmatiḥ
pañcānām eva bhūtatvam katham samupapadyate

2. yadā saḥ mahāmatiḥ bhūtānām sahasrāṇi asṛjat,
(tadā) katham pañcānām eva bhūtatvam samupapadyate?

2. When that great-minded one (referring to brahmā) created thousands of beings, how is it that the state of being a fundamental element (bhūtatva) is established for only five?

Words meanings summery:

• यदा (yadā) - at the time when (when)

• असृजत् (asṛjat) - created, brought forth (created, released, let go)

• सहस्राणि (sahasrāṇi) - thousands (of various entities or categories) (thousands (neuter plural))

• भूतानाम् (bhūtānām) - of various kinds of created beings or entities (of beings, of elements, of creatures, of existing things)

• सः (saḥ) - that (brahmā, implied from the previous verse) (he, that)

• महामतिः (mahāmatiḥ) - that great-minded one (epithet for brahmā) (great-minded, highly intelligent, of great intellect)

• पञ्चानाम् (pañcānām) - of the (aforementioned) five (elements) (of the five)

• एव (eva) - precisely, exclusively (only, just, indeed, precisely)

• भूतत्वम् (bhūtatvam) - the nature or state of being a fundamental element (state of being an element, elemental nature, state of existence)

• कथम् (katham) - how (is this possible or logical) (how, why)

• समुपपद्यते (samupapadyate) - is established, becomes valid, is explained (comes to pass, is established, is appropriate, is brought about, becomes logical)

Words meanings and morphology

यदा (yadā) - at the time when (when)

(indeclinable)

Temporal adverb.

Note: Introduces a temporal clause.

असृजत् (asṛjat) - created, brought forth (created, released, let go)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, past imperfect (laṅ) of √sṛj

Imperfect Active Indicative

3rd person singular, root √sṛj, class 6.

Root: sṛj (class 6)

Note: Verb for the act of creation.

सहस्राणि (sahasrāṇi) - thousands (of various entities or categories) (thousands (neuter plural))

(numeral)

Note: Object of `asṛjat`.

भूतानाम् (bhūtānām) - of various kinds of created beings or entities (of beings, of elements, of creatures, of existing things)

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, plural of bhūta

bhūta - being, creature, element, existing, past

Past Passive Participle (substantivized)

Derived from root √bhū (to be, become).

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Governed by `sahasrāṇi`.

सः (saḥ) - that (brahmā, implied from the previous verse) (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Subject of `asṛjat`.

महामतिः (mahāmatiḥ) - that great-minded one (epithet for brahmā) (great-minded, highly intelligent, of great intellect)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mahāmati

mahāmati - great-minded, highly intelligent

Compound: mahā (great) + mati (mind, intellect).

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (mahā+mati)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
• mati – mind, intellect, thought, intention
  noun (feminine)
  From √man (to think).
  Root: man (class 4)

Note: Qualifies `saḥ`.

पञ्चानाम् (pañcānām) - of the (aforementioned) five (elements) (of the five)

(numeral)

Note: Governed by `bhūtatvam`.

एव (eva) - precisely, exclusively (only, just, indeed, precisely)

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphasizes that it's *only* five.

भूतत्वम् (bhūtatvam) - the nature or state of being a fundamental element (state of being an element, elemental nature, state of existence)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of bhūtatva

bhūtatva - state of being an element, elemental nature, state of existence

Derived from bhūta (element/being) + -tva (suffix for 'state of being').

Compound type : tatpurusha (bhūta+tva)

• bhūta – element, being, creature
  noun (neuter)
  From root √bhū (to be, become).
  Root: bhū (class 1)
• tva – suffix denoting 'state of being', '-ness'
  indeclinable (neuter)
  Nominal suffix.

Note: Subject of `samupapadyate`.

कथम् (katham) - how (is this possible or logical) (how, why)

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

समुपपद्यते (samupapadyate) - is established, becomes valid, is explained (comes to pass, is established, is appropriate, is brought about, becomes logical)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of √pad

Present Middle Indicative

3rd person singular, root √pad, class 4, with prefixes sam- and upa-.

Prefixes: sam+upa

Root: pad (class 4)

Note: Main verb of the question.