महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-214, verse-3

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
यदिदं तप इत्याहुरुपवासं पृथग्जनाः ।
एतत्तपो महाराज उताहो किं तपो भवेत् ॥३॥

3. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
yadidaṁ tapa ityāhurupavāsaṁ pṛthagjanāḥ ,
etattapo mahārāja utāho kiṁ tapo bhavet.

3. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca yat idam tapaḥ iti āhuḥ upavāsam
pṛthagjanāḥ etat tapaḥ mahārāja uta āho kim tapaḥ bhavet

3. Yudhishthira said: What ordinary people (pṛthagjanāḥ) call austerity (tapas)—this fasting (upavāsa)—is that truly austerity (tapas), O great king? Or what indeed should austerity (tapas) be?

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhishthira

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• यत् (yat) - which, what, that which

• इदम् (idam) - this

• तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

• इति (iti) - Marks quotation, 'that which they call...' (thus, so, in this manner)

• आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they call

• उपवासम् (upavāsam) - fasting, abstaining from food

• पृथग्जनाः (pṛthagjanāḥ) - common people, ordinary folk

• एतत् (etat) - Refers to 'this fasting' (upavāsam). (this)

• तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

• महाराज (mahārāja) - Refers to Bhishma. (O great king)

• उत (uta) - or, indeed, moreover

• आहो (āho) - Emphasizes the preceding uta. (or, indeed)

• किम् (kim) - what, why

• तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - should be, may be

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhishthira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhishthira, steady in battle

Compound yudhi + sthira

Compound type : aluk-samāsa (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle, in war
  noun (feminine)
  Locative singular of yudh
• sthira – firm, steady, constant
  adjective (masculine)
  From root √sthā
  Root: √sthā (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect (liṭ) of √vac

perfect active indicative

Irregular perfect form of √vac

Root: √vac (class 2)

यत् (yat) - which, what, that which

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, what, that

Note: Sandhi form of yad.

इदम् (idam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, these

Demonstrative pronoun

तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - austerity, penance, spiritual heat, religious observance, self-discipline (tapas)

From root √tap (to heat, to perform austerities)

Root: √tap (class 1)

इति (iti) - Marks quotation, 'that which they call...' (thus, so, in this manner)

(indeclinable)

आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they call

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (imperfective) (liṭ) of √ah

perfect active indicative

Irregular form from the root √ah, functioning as a present tense

Root: √ah (class 2)

उपवासम् (upavāsam) - fasting, abstaining from food

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of upavāsa

upavāsa - fasting, abstaining from food, dwelling near

From upasarga upa- + root √vas (to dwell); in this context, commonly means fasting.

Prefix: upa

Root: √vas (class 1)

Note: Object of āhuḥ.

पृथग्जनाः (pṛthagjanāḥ) - common people, ordinary folk

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of pṛthagjana

pṛthagjana - common person, ordinary man, layman

From pṛthak (separate, distinct) + jana (person, folk)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (pṛthak+jana)

• pṛthak – separately, individually, apart
  indeclinable
• jana – person, man, people
  noun (masculine)
  From root √jan (to be born)
  Root: √jan (class 4)

Note: Subject of āhuḥ.

एतत् (etat) - Refers to 'this fasting' (upavāsam). (this)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this

Demonstrative pronoun

तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - austerity, penance, spiritual heat, religious observance, self-discipline (tapas)

From root √tap

Root: √tap (class 1)

Note: Predicate nominative for etat.

महाराज (mahārāja) - Refers to Bhishma. (O great king)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of mahārāja

mahārāja - great king, emperor

From mahā (great) + rājan (king)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+rājan)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
• rājan – king, ruler
  noun (masculine)

उत (uta) - or, indeed, moreover

(indeclinable)

Particle

आहो (āho) - Emphasizes the preceding uta. (or, indeed)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative/emphatic particle

किम् (kim) - what, why

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, why

Interrogative pronoun/particle

तपः (tapaḥ) - austerity, penance, spiritual heat (tapas)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - austerity, penance, spiritual heat, religious observance, self-discipline (tapas)

From root √tap

Root: √tap (class 1)

Note: Subject of bhavet.

भवेत् (bhavet) - should be, may be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of √bhū

optative active

From root √bhū

Root: √bhū (class 1)

Note: Expresses potentiality or obligation ('should be').