महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-179, verse-1

भरद्वाज उवाच ।
यदि प्राणायते वायुर्वायुरेव विचेष्टते ।
श्वसित्याभाषते चैव तस्माज्जीवो निरर्थकः ॥१॥

1. bharadvāja uvāca ,
yadi prāṇāyate vāyurvāyureva viceṣṭate ,
śvasityābhāṣate caiva tasmājjīvo nirarthakaḥ.

1. bharadvājaḥ uvāca yadi prāṇāyate vāyuḥ vāyuḥ eva
viceṣṭate śvasiti ābhāṣate ca eva tasmāt jīvaḥ nirarthakaḥ

1. bharadvājaḥ uvāca yadi vāyuḥ prāṇāyate vāyuḥ eva
viceṣṭate ca eva śvasiti ābhāṣate tasmāt jīvaḥ nirarthakaḥ

1. Bharadvaja said: If the vital air (vāyu) alone animates and acts, and the wind itself performs all movements, and it breathes and speaks as well, then the individual soul (jīva) becomes meaningless.

Words meanings summery:

• भरद्वाजः (bharadvājaḥ) - Bharadvaja (a sage's name)

• उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

• यदि (yadi) - if

• प्राणायते (prāṇāyate) - (it) acts as prana, (it) breathes, (it) animates

• वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind, vital air (vāyu)

• वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind, vital air (vāyu)

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

• विचेष्टते (viceṣṭate) - (it) moves, (it) acts, (it) endeavors

• श्वसिति (śvasiti) - (it) breathes, (it) gasps

• आभाषते (ābhāṣate) - (it) speaks, (it) addresses

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - also, too, indeed

• तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore, from that

• जीवः (jīvaḥ) - individual soul, living being (jīva)

• निरर्थकः (nirarthakaḥ) - meaningless, useless, purposeless

Words meanings and morphology

भरद्वाजः (bharadvājaḥ) - Bharadvaja (a sage's name)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bharadvāja

bharadvāja - Bharadvaja (name of an ancient Vedic sage)

उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect (lit) of vac

Root: vac (class 2)

यदि (yadi) - if

(indeclinable)

प्राणायते (prāṇāyate) - (it) acts as prana, (it) breathes, (it) animates

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present indicative (laṭ) of prāṇāy

Denominative verb

Derived from the noun `prāṇa` (life-breath) with a denominative suffix (e.g., kyak or ṇic in some analyses) and conjugated in the middle voice.

वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind, vital air (vāyu)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vāyu

vāyu - wind, air, vital air (vāyu), one of the five elements

Root: vā (class 2)

वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind, vital air (vāyu)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vāyu

vāyu - wind, air, vital air (vāyu), one of the five elements

Root: vā (class 2)

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

(indeclinable)

विचेष्टते (viceṣṭate) - (it) moves, (it) acts, (it) endeavors

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present indicative (laṭ) of vi-ceṣṭ

Prefix: vi

Root: ceṣṭ (class 1)

श्वसिति (śvasiti) - (it) breathes, (it) gasps

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present indicative (laṭ) of śvas

Root: śvas (class 2)

आभाषते (ābhāṣate) - (it) speaks, (it) addresses

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present indicative (laṭ) of ā-bhāṣ

Prefix: ā

Root: bhāṣ (class 1)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - also, too, indeed

(indeclinable)

तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore, from that

(pronoun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, that one

जीवः (jīvaḥ) - individual soul, living being (jīva)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jīva

jīva - living, alive; individual soul (jīva), living being, life principle

Root: jīv (class 1)

निरर्थकः (nirarthakaḥ) - meaningless, useless, purposeless

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nir-artha-ka

nir-artha-ka - meaningless, useless, vain, purposeless

Derived from 'artha' (meaning, purpose) with the negative prefix 'nis-' and suffix '-ka'.

Compound type : Prādisamāsa (nis+artha+ka)

• nis – without, out of, lacking
  indeclinable
• artha – meaning, purpose, object, wealth
  noun (masculine)
• ka – suffix forming adjectives or nouns (often diminutive or emphasizing)
  suffix