महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-253, verse-21

स तौ दयावान्विप्रर्षिरुपप्रैक्षत दम्पती ।
कुर्वाणं नीडकं तत्र जटासु तृणतन्तुभिः ॥२१॥

21. sa tau dayāvānviprarṣirupapraikṣata dampatī ,
kurvāṇaṁ nīḍakaṁ tatra jaṭāsu tṛṇatantubhiḥ.

21. saḥ tau dayāvān viprarṣiḥ upapraikṣata dampatī
kurvāṇam nīḍakam tatra jaṭāsu tṛṇatantubhiḥ

21. saḥ dayāvān viprarṣiḥ tau dampatī kurvāṇam
nīḍakam tatra jaṭāsu tṛṇatantubhiḥ upapraikṣata

21. That compassionate Brahmin sage (viprarṣi) observed the pair of birds and the small nest being built there in his matted hair with strands of grass.

Words meanings summery:

• सः (saḥ) - the ascetic (he, that)

• तौ (tau) - the pair of birds (those two, them (dual))

• दयावान् (dayāvān) - compassionate, merciful

• विप्रर्षिः (viprarṣiḥ) - Brahmin sage

• उपप्रैक्षत (upapraikṣata) - he looked on, he observed

• दम्पती (dampatī) - the pair of birds (male and female) (husband and wife, a pair)

• कुर्वाणम् (kurvāṇam) - being built (referring to the nest) (making, doing, building)

• नीडकम् (nīḍakam) - a small nest

• तत्र (tatra) - on his head/matted hair (there)

• जटासु (jaṭāsu) - in the sage's matted hair (in matted hair)

• तृणतन्तुभिः (tṛṇatantubhiḥ) - with grass fibers/strands

Words meanings and morphology

सः (saḥ) - the ascetic (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

तौ (tau) - the pair of birds (those two, them (dual))

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, dual of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

दयावान् (dayāvān) - compassionate, merciful

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dayāvat

dayāvat - compassionate, merciful, kind

suffix -vat

विप्रर्षिः (viprarṣiḥ) - Brahmin sage

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of viprarṣi

viprarṣi - a brahmin sage, a holy sage

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (vipra+ṛṣi)

• vipra – Brahmin, inspired, wise
  noun (masculine)
• ṛṣi – sage, seer
  noun (masculine)

उपप्रैक्षत (upapraikṣata) - he looked on, he observed

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, imperfect (laṅ) of īkṣ

Prefixes: upa+pra

Root: īkṣ (class 1)

Note: Root `īkṣ` with prefixes `upa` and `pra`.

दम्पती (dampatī) - the pair of birds (male and female) (husband and wife, a pair)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, dual of dampati

dampati - a pair, husband and wife, master of the house

कुर्वाणम् (kurvāṇam) - being built (referring to the nest) (making, doing, building)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kṛ

kṛ - to do, to make, to build

Present Participle (Ātmanepada)

Śānac suffix, neuter singular accusative

Root: kṛ (class 8)

नीडकम् (nīḍakam) - a small nest

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of nīḍaka

nīḍaka - a small nest, a little nest

diminutive of nīḍa

तत्र (tatra) - on his head/matted hair (there)

(indeclinable)

जटासु (jaṭāsu) - in the sage's matted hair (in matted hair)

(noun)

Locative, feminine, plural of jaṭā

jaṭā - matted hair, tangled hair, roots of a tree

तृणतन्तुभिः (tṛṇatantubhiḥ) - with grass fibers/strands

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, plural of tṛṇatantu

tṛṇatantu - a blade of grass, a fiber of grass

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (tṛṇa+tantu)

• tṛṇa – grass, straw
  noun (neuter)
• tantu – thread, fiber, string
  noun (masculine)