महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-19, verse-23

भवन्ति सुदुरावर्ता हेतुमन्तोऽपि पण्डिताः ।
दृढपूर्वश्रुता मूढा नैतदस्तीति वादिनः ॥२३॥

23. bhavanti sudurāvartā hetumanto'pi paṇḍitāḥ ,
dṛḍhapūrvaśrutā mūḍhā naitadastīti vādinaḥ.

23. bhavanti sudurāvartāḥ hetumantaḥ api paṇḍitāḥ |
dṛḍhapūrvaśrutāḥ mūḍhāḥ na etat asti iti vādinaḥ

23. hetumantaḥ api paṇḍitāḥ sudurāvartāḥ bhavanti
dṛḍhapūrvaśrutāḥ mūḍhāḥ etat na asti iti vādinaḥ

23. Even learned individuals (paṇḍitāḥ) who possess reasoning become very difficult to turn back (from their convictions). The foolish, firmly clinging to what they have heard before, are speakers who say, "This (truth) does not exist."

Words meanings summery:

• भवन्ति (bhavanti) - they become (they are, they become)

• सुदुरावर्ताः (sudurāvartāḥ) - very difficult to be turned back (from their convictions) (very difficult to turn back, very hard to regain)

• हेतुमन्तः (hetumantaḥ) - possessed of reasoning (possessed of reason, having causes, rational)

• अपि (api) - even (also, even, too)

• पण्डिताः (paṇḍitāḥ) - learned individuals (learned men, scholars, wise men)

• दृढपूर्वश्रुताः (dṛḍhapūrvaśrutāḥ) - those firmly clinging to what they have heard before (those who have firmly heard previously, firmly rooted in past teachings)

• मूढाः (mūḍhāḥ) - the foolish (fools, ignorant persons)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• एतत् (etat) - this (truth) (this, this one (neuter))

• अस्ति (asti) - exists (is, exists)

• इति (iti) - (indicating direct speech) (thus, so, in this way (introduces direct speech or thought))

• वादिनः (vādinaḥ) - speakers, proclaimers (of 'this does not exist') (speakers, proclaimers, disputants)

Words meanings and morphology

भवन्ति (bhavanti) - they become (they are, they become)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of bhavati

Present tense

From √bhū (to be, to become)

Root: bhū (class 1)

सुदुरावर्ताः (sudurāvartāḥ) - very difficult to be turned back (from their convictions) (very difficult to turn back, very hard to regain)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sudurāvarta

sudurāvarta - very difficult to turn back, very hard to regain, very unmanageable

Compound: su- (very) + dur- (difficult) + āvarta (turning back, returning, from ā-√vṛt)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (su+dur+āvarta)

• su – good, well, very
  indeclinable
  Prefix indicating excellence or ease.
• dur – bad, ill, difficult
  indeclinable
  Prefix indicating difficulty or badness.
• āvarta – turning back, return, whirlpool
  noun (masculine)
  From ā-√vṛt (to turn, return)
  Prefix: ā
  Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Agrees with 'paṇḍitāḥ'.

हेतुमन्तः (hetumantaḥ) - possessed of reasoning (possessed of reason, having causes, rational)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of hetumat

hetumat - endowed with reason, having a cause, logical

From hetu (reason, cause) + -mat (possessive suffix)

Note: Agrees with 'paṇḍitāḥ'.

अपि (api) - even (also, even, too)

(indeclinable)

पण्डिताः (paṇḍitāḥ) - learned individuals (learned men, scholars, wise men)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of paṇḍita

paṇḍita - learned, wise, scholar, pundit

Note: Subject of 'bhavanti'.

दृढपूर्वश्रुताः (dṛḍhapūrvaśrutāḥ) - those firmly clinging to what they have heard before (those who have firmly heard previously, firmly rooted in past teachings)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of dṛḍhapūrvaśruta

dṛḍhapūrvaśruta - firmly heard before, firmly rooted in previous teaching

Compound: dṛḍha (firm) + pūrvaśruta (heard before)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (dṛḍha+pūrvaśruta)

• dṛḍha – firm, strong, fixed
  adjective
• pūrvaśruta – heard before, previously heard
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Compound: pūrva (previous) + śruta (heard, from √śru)
  Root: śru (class 5)

Note: Agrees with 'mūḍhāḥ'.

मूढाः (mūḍhāḥ) - the foolish (fools, ignorant persons)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mūḍha

mūḍha - foolish, ignorant, deluded, a fool

Past Passive Participle

From √muh (to be deluded, to err)

Root: muh (class 4)

Note: Subject of implied 'santi' and modifying 'vādinaḥ'.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

एतत् (etat) - this (truth) (this, this one (neuter))

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this one, here

Demonstrative pronoun.

Note: Refers to 'the truth' or 'this reality'.

अस्ति (asti) - exists (is, exists)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of asti

Present tense

From √as (to be)

Root: as (class 2)

इति (iti) - (indicating direct speech) (thus, so, in this way (introduces direct speech or thought))

(indeclinable)

particle marking quotation or a conclusion.

वादिनः (vādinaḥ) - speakers, proclaimers (of 'this does not exist') (speakers, proclaimers, disputants)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of vādin

vādin - speaker, proposer, disputant, adherent of a doctrine

From √vad (to speak) + -in suffix

Root: vad (class 1)

Note: Agrees with 'mūḍhāḥ'.