महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-186, verse-4

शौचमावश्यकं कृत्वा देवतानां च तर्पणम् ।
धर्ममाहुर्मनुष्याणामुपस्पृश्य नदीं तरेत् ॥४॥

4. śaucamāvaśyakaṁ kṛtvā devatānāṁ ca tarpaṇam ,
dharmamāhurmanuṣyāṇāmupaspṛśya nadīṁ taret.

4. śaucam āvaśyakam kṛtvā devatānām ca tarpaṇam |
dharmam āhuḥ manuṣyāṇām upaspṛśya nadīm taret

4. āvaśyakam śaucam kṛtvā ca devatānām tarpaṇam (kṛtvā)
nadīm upaspṛśya taret (iti) manuṣyāṇām dharmam āhuḥ

4. First, after performing the necessary purification and making offerings to the deities, one should cross a river only after touching its water. This is declared to be the natural law (dharma) for human beings.

Words meanings summery:

• शौचम् (śaucam) - the ritual act of purification (purity, cleanliness, purification)

• आवश्यकम् (āvaśyakam) - necessary, essential

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

• देवतानाम् (devatānām) - of the deities

• च (ca) - and, also

• तर्पणम् (tarpaṇam) - offering water/food to ancestors or deities (offering, satisfying)

• धर्मम् (dharmam) - the prescribed conduct or natural law for humans (natural law, duty, righteousness, constitution)

• आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

• मनुष्याणाम् (manuṣyāṇām) - of human beings, for human beings

• उपस्पृश्य (upaspṛśya) - having touched water for purification or sacred purposes (having touched)

• नदीम् (nadīm) - river

• तरेत् (taret) - one should cross

Words meanings and morphology

शौचम् (śaucam) - the ritual act of purification (purity, cleanliness, purification)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of śauca

śauca - purity, cleanliness, purification, ritual purity

Derived from 'śuci' (pure) + '-a' (nominal suffix)

आवश्यकम् (āvaśyakam) - necessary, essential

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of āvaśyaka

āvaśyaka - necessary, essential, indispensable

Gerundive

From root 'vaś' with 'ā' prefix and '-ya' suffix, forming a gerundive (ought to be wished for) which then acts as an adjective/noun.

Prefix: ā

Root: vaś (class 2)

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from root 'kṛ' with suffix '-tvā'

Root: kṛ (class 8)

देवतानाम् (devatānām) - of the deities

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, plural of devatā

devatā - deity, divinity

From 'deva' (god) + '-tā' (abstract suffix)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

तर्पणम् (tarpaṇam) - offering water/food to ancestors or deities (offering, satisfying)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tarpaṇa

tarpaṇa - satisfaction, offering (especially of water to deities or ancestors)

Agent noun / Action noun

From root 'tṛp' (to satisfy) + '-ana' (action/agent suffix)

Root: tṛp (class 4)

धर्मम् (dharmam) - the prescribed conduct or natural law for humans (natural law, duty, righteousness, constitution)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - natural law, duty, righteousness, virtue, constitution, intrinsic nature

From root 'dhṛ' (to uphold, support) + '-man' (nominal suffix)

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present indicative (laṭ) of āhuḥ

Present Active Indicative

Root 'brū' (or 'vac'), 3rd person plural present tense, parasmaipada.

Root: brū (class 2)

मनुष्याणाम् (manuṣyāṇām) - of human beings, for human beings

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of manuṣya

manuṣya - human being, man

From 'manus' (man) + '-ya' (suffix)

उपस्पृश्य (upaspṛśya) - having touched water for purification or sacred purposes (having touched)

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from root 'spṛś' (to touch) with upasarga 'upa' and suffix '-ya' (for absolutive with prefix)

Prefix: upa

Root: spṛś (class 6)

नदीम् (nadīm) - river

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of nadī

nadī - river, stream

तरेत् (taret) - one should cross

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of tṛ

Optative Active

3rd person singular optative active, parasmaipada

Root: tṛ (class 1)