महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-202, verse-3

तिर्यग्योनिगतं रूपं कथं धारितवान्हरिः ।
केन कार्यविसर्गेण तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥३॥

3. tiryagyonigataṁ rūpaṁ kathaṁ dhāritavānhariḥ ,
kena kāryavisargeṇa tanme brūhi pitāmaha.

3. tiryagyoni-gatam rūpam katham dhāritavān hariḥ
kena kāryavisargeṇa tat me brūhi pitāmaha

3. pitāmaha hariḥ tiryagyoni-gatam rūpam katham
dhāritavān kena kāryavisargeṇa tat me brūhi

3. O Grandfather, tell me how Hari assumed a form born from an animal species (yoni). For what purpose or mission did he do so?

Words meanings summery:

• तिर्यग्योनि-गतम् (tiryagyoni-gatam) - having entered an animal womb/species, having taken an animal form

• रूपम् (rūpam) - form, shape, appearance

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

• धारितवान् (dhāritavān) - assumed, borne, held, maintained

• हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari (a name of Vishnu)

• केन (kena) - by what, by whom

• कार्यविसर्गेण (kāryavisargeṇa) - by what purpose/mission/creation

• तत् (tat) - that which refers to the inquiry (that)

• मे (me) - to me, for me

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, say

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - O Grandfather Bhishma! (O Grandfather!)

Words meanings and morphology

तिर्यग्योनि-गतम् (tiryagyoni-gatam) - having entered an animal womb/species, having taken an animal form

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tiryagyonigata

tiryagyonigata - gone into an animal womb, born as an animal, having assumed an animal form

Compound type : tatpurusha (tiryak+yoni+gata)

• tiryak – animal, beast, crosswise, horizontally
  noun/indeclinable
• yoni – womb, origin, source, species
  noun (feminine)
• gata – gone, arrived at, obtained
  adjective (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle
  Formed from √gam (to go) with suffix -ta.
  Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Adjective modifying 'rūpam'.

रूपम् (rūpam) - form, shape, appearance

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of rūpa

rūpa - form, shape, beauty, image, nature

Note: Object of 'dhāritavān'.

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

धारितवान् (dhāritavān) - assumed, borne, held, maintained

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dhṛ

dhṛ - to hold, bear, maintain, assume

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Past Active Participle, functions like a verb, referring to 'Hariḥ'.

हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari (a name of Vishnu)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of hari

hari - Hari (a name of Viṣṇu), lion, horse, sun, yellow-green color

Note: Subject of 'dhāritavān'.

केन (kena) - by what, by whom

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of kim

kim - what, who, which (interrogative pronoun)

Note: Interrogative pronoun, qualifying 'kāryavisargeṇa'.

कार्यविसर्गेण (kāryavisargeṇa) - by what purpose/mission/creation

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of kāryavisarga

kāryavisarga - purpose of creation, mission of emanation

Compound type : tatpurusha (kārya+visarga)

• kārya – to be done, duty, purpose, action
  noun (neuter)
  Gerundive
  Derived from √kṛ (to do) with '-ya' suffix.
  Root: kṛ (class 8)
• visarga – emission, creation, letting loose, abandonment
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from √sṛj (to emit, create) with 'vi' prefix.
  Prefix: vi
  Root: sṛj (class 6)

तत् (tat) - that which refers to the inquiry (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, this (demonstrative pronoun)

Note: Object of 'brūhi'.

मे (me) - to me, for me

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

Note: Enclitic form of the first person pronoun.

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, say

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of brū

Root: brū (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - O Grandfather Bhishma! (O Grandfather!)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - paternal grandfather, Brahma (as the great father)

Compound type : tatpurusha (pitṛ+mahā)

• pitṛ – father
  noun (masculine)
• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective (masculine)