महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-254, verse-41

तानि जीवानि विक्रीय का मृतेषु विचारणा ।
का तैले का घृते ब्रह्मन्मधुन्यप्स्वौषधेषु वा ॥४१॥

41. tāni jīvāni vikrīya kā mṛteṣu vicāraṇā ,
kā taile kā ghṛte brahmanmadhunyapsvauṣadheṣu vā.

41. tāni jīvāni vikrīya kā mṛteṣu vicāraṇā kā taile
kā ghṛte brahman madhuni apsu auṣadheṣu vā

41. brahman,
tāni jīvāni vikrīya,
mṛteṣu kā vicāraṇā? taile kā,
ghṛte kā,
madhuni apsu auṣadheṣu vā (asti)?

41. Having traded away (or sacrificed) those living beings, what consideration remains for the dead (remains)? O Brahmin, what (value or sacredness) is there in oil, what in ghee, or in honey, in water, or in medicines?

Words meanings summery:

• तानि (tāni) - those

• जीवानि (jīvāni) - living beings, creatures

• विक्रीय (vikrīya) - having sold, having traded away, having sacrificed

• का (kā) - what, which

• मृतेषु (mṛteṣu) - among the dead, in the dead (things/beings)

• विचारणा (vicāraṇā) - consideration, reflection, investigation

• का (kā) - what, which

• तैले (taile) - in oil

• का (kā) - what, which

• घृते (ghṛte) - in ghee, in clarified butter

• ब्रह्मन् (brahman) - O Brahmin

• मधुनि (madhuni) - in honey

• अप्सु (apsu) - in water

• औषधेषु (auṣadheṣu) - in medicines, in herbs

• वा (vā) - or

Words meanings and morphology

तानि (tāni) - those

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of tad

tad - that, those

Note: Refers to 'jīvāni'.

जीवानि (jīvāni) - living beings, creatures

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of jīva

jīva - living being, life, soul, individual soul

From root 'jīv' (to live).

Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: Object of 'vikrīya'.

विक्रीय (vikrīya) - having sold, having traded away, having sacrificed

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (gerund)

Formed with prefix 'vi-' and root 'krī' (to buy, here used with 'vi-' to mean sell).

Prefix: vi

Root: krī (class 9)

का (kā) - what, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Feminine nominative singular form.

Note: Used as an interrogative adjective modifying 'vicāraṇā'.

मृतेषु (mṛteṣu) - among the dead, in the dead (things/beings)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, plural of mṛta

mṛta - dead, deceased, died

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root 'mṛ' (to die).

Root: mṛ (class 6)

विचारणा (vicāraṇā) - consideration, reflection, investigation

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of vicāraṇā

vicāraṇā - consideration, reflection, investigation, discussion, deliberation

From root 'car' with prefix 'vi-ā-' (to move, to go; hence, to examine thoroughly).

Prefixes: vi+ā

Root: car (class 1)

Note: Subject of the first interrogative clause.

का (kā) - what, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Feminine nominative singular form.

तैले (taile) - in oil

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of taila

taila - oil, sesame oil

का (kā) - what, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Feminine nominative singular form.

घृते (ghṛte) - in ghee, in clarified butter

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of ghṛta

ghṛta - ghee, clarified butter

Root: ghṛ

ब्रह्मन् (brahman) - O Brahmin

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of brahman

brahman - a Brahmin, a priest, the Absolute (brahman - neuter)

Masculine vocative singular form.

मधुनि (madhuni) - in honey

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of madhu

madhu - honey, sweet, mead, spring season

अप्सु (apsu) - in water

(noun)

Locative, feminine, plural of ap

ap - water, waters

Irregular feminine noun, only plural forms in classical Sanskrit.

औषधेषु (auṣadheṣu) - in medicines, in herbs

(noun)

Locative, neuter, plural of auṣadha

auṣadha - medicine, herb, drug

Derived from 'oṣadhi' (herb).

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Conjunction.