महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-257, verse-8

यदि यज्ञांश्च वृक्षांश्च यूपांश्चोद्दिश्य मानवाः ।
वृथा मांसानि खादन्ति नैष धर्मः प्रशस्यते ॥८॥

8. yadi yajñāṁśca vṛkṣāṁśca yūpāṁścoddiśya mānavāḥ ,
vṛthā māṁsāni khādanti naiṣa dharmaḥ praśasyate.

8. yadi yajñān ca vṛkṣān ca yūpān ca uddiśya mānavāḥ
vṛthā māṃsāni khādanti na eṣaḥ dharmaḥ praśasyate

8. yadi mānavāḥ yajñān ca vṛkṣān ca yūpān ca uddiśya
vṛthā māṃsāni khādanti eṣaḥ dharmaḥ na praśasyate

8. If humans consume meat improperly, merely citing sacred rituals (yajña), trees, and sacrificial posts as their justification, then this kind of practice is not commendable righteousness (dharma).

Words meanings summery:

• यदि (yadi) - if, in case

• यज्ञान् (yajñān) - sacred rituals (yajña) (rituals, Vedic ceremonies)

• च (ca) - and

• वृक्षान् (vṛkṣān) - trees

• च (ca) - and

• यूपान् (yūpān) - sacrificial posts

• च (ca) - and

• उद्दिश्य (uddiśya) - merely citing as justification (having aimed at, referring to, with reference to, on account of)

• मानवाः (mānavāḥ) - humans, men

• वृथा (vṛthā) - improperly, wrongly (in vain, uselessly, wrongly, falsely)

• मांसानि (māṁsāni) - meats, flesh

• खादन्ति (khādanti) - they eat, they devour

• न (na) - not, no

• एषः (eṣaḥ) - this kind of practice (this (masculine))

• धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - righteousness, natural law, duty, constitution, intrinsic nature (dharma)

• प्रशस्यते (praśasyate) - is commendable (is praised, is commended)

Words meanings and morphology

यदि (yadi) - if, in case

(indeclinable)

यज्ञान् (yajñān) - sacred rituals (yajña) (rituals, Vedic ceremonies)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of yajña

yajña - ritual, Vedic/sacred ritual, ceremony, Vedic/sacred ceremony (yajña)

From root yaj (to worship, to sacrifice)

Root: yaj (class 1)

Note: Object of `uddiśya`.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

Note: Appears after each item in the list (yajñān, vṛkṣān, yūpān).

वृक्षान् (vṛkṣān) - trees

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of vṛkṣa

vṛkṣa - tree

From root vṛkṣ (to cut, to destroy) or vṛ (to cover).

Root: vṛkṣ (class 1)

Note: Object of `uddiśya`.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

यूपान् (yūpān) - sacrificial posts

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of yūpa

yūpa - sacrificial post, stake

From root yū (to join, to bind)

Root: yū

Note: Object of `uddiśya`.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

उद्दिश्य (uddiśya) - merely citing as justification (having aimed at, referring to, with reference to, on account of)

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

From ud- (prefix) + root diś (to point out, to show) + -ya suffix

Prefix: ud

Root: diś (class 6)

मानवाः (mānavāḥ) - humans, men

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mānava

mānava - human, man, descendant of Manu

Derived from `manu`.

Root: man (class 4)

Note: Subject of `khādanti`.

वृथा (vṛthā) - improperly, wrongly (in vain, uselessly, wrongly, falsely)

(indeclinable)

Root: vṛt

मांसानि (māṁsāni) - meats, flesh

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of māṃsa

māṁsa - meat, flesh

Note: Object of `khādanti`.

खादन्ति (khādanti) - they eat, they devour

(verb)

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

From root khād (to eat)

Root: khād (class 1)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

एषः (eṣaḥ) - this kind of practice (this (masculine))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

Note: Refers to `dharmaḥ`.

धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - righteousness, natural law, duty, constitution, intrinsic nature (dharma)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - righteousness, natural law, constitution, intrinsic nature (dharma)

From root dhṛ (to uphold, to sustain)

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Subject of `praśasyate`.

प्रशस्यते (praśasyate) - is commendable (is praised, is commended)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of praśas

From pra- (prefix) + root śaṃs (to praise)

Prefix: pra

Root: śaṃs (class 1)