महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-267, verse-4

असित उवाच ।
येभ्यः सृजति भूतानि कालो भावप्रचोदितः ।
महाभूतानि पञ्चेति तान्याहुर्भूतचिन्तकाः ॥४॥

4. asita uvāca ,
yebhyaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kālo bhāvapracoditaḥ ,
mahābhūtāni pañceti tānyāhurbhūtacintakāḥ.

4. asitaḥ uvāca yebhyaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni kālaḥ bhāva-pracoditaḥ
mahābhūtāni pañca iti tāni āhuḥ bhūta-cintakāḥ

4. asitaḥ uvāca bhūta-cintakāḥ tāni pañca mahābhūtāni iti āhuḥ,
yebhyaḥ kālaḥ bhāva-pracoditaḥ bhūtāni sṛjati.

4. Asita said: Those from whom Time, impelled by its inherent nature (bhāva), creates all beings—these five great elements (mahābhūtāni)—are what the thinkers on elements (bhūtacintakāḥ) refer to.

Words meanings summery:

• असितः (asitaḥ) - Asita

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• येभ्यः (yebhyaḥ) - from which (elements) (from which, to which)

• सृजति (sṛjati) - creates, releases, emits

• भूतानि (bhūtāni) - all beings (beings, creatures, elements)

• कालः (kālaḥ) - Time

• भाव-प्रचोदितः (bhāva-pracoditaḥ) - impelled by its inherent nature (bhāva) (impelled by nature, urged by disposition)

• महाभूतानि (mahābhūtāni) - the five great elements (mahābhūtāni) (great elements)

• पञ्च (pañca) - five

• इति (iti) - thus, so

• तानि (tāni) - those, them

• आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

• भूत-चिन्तकाः (bhūta-cintakāḥ) - the thinkers on elements (bhūtacintakāḥ) (thinkers on elements/beings, philosophers of nature)

Words meanings and morphology

असितः (asitaḥ) - Asita

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of asita

asita - Asita (name of a sage)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect tense (liṭ), 3rd person singular, active voice (irregular root)

Root: vac (class 2)

येभ्यः (yebhyaḥ) - from which (elements) (from which, to which)

(pronoun)

masculine/neuter, plural of yad

yad - which, who, what

Note: Refers to the five great elements (mahābhūtāni).

सृजति (sṛjati) - creates, releases, emits

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of sṛj

Present tense, 3rd person singular, active voice, parasmaipada

Root: sṛj (class 6)

भूतानि (bhūtāni) - all beings (beings, creatures, elements)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of bhūta

bhūta - being, creature, element, existing, past (as PPP)

Past Passive Participle

Derived from √bhū (to be)

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Object of 'sṛjati'.

कालः (kālaḥ) - Time

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kāla

kāla - time, period, season, death

Note: Subject of 'sṛjati'.

भाव-प्रचोदितः (bhāva-pracoditaḥ) - impelled by its inherent nature (bhāva) (impelled by nature, urged by disposition)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhāvapracodita

bhāvapracodita - impelled by (one's) nature, urged by disposition

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bhāva+pracodita)

• bhāva – being, state of being, nature, inherent disposition, sentiment (bhāva)
  noun (masculine)
  From √bhū (to be)
  Root: bhū (class 1)
• pracodita – impelled, urged, prompted, incited
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From pra-√cud (to urge, impel); pra (prefix) + √cud (root)
  Prefix: pra
  Root: cud (class 10)

महाभूतानि (mahābhūtāni) - the five great elements (mahābhūtāni) (great elements)

(noun)

neuter, plural of mahābhūta

mahābhūta - great element (referring to the five primordial elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+bhūta)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
  Stem form of 'mahat'
• bhūta – element, being, creature
  noun (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from √bhū (to be)
  Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Here in nominative plural, functioning as the subject of an implied verb 'are'.

पञ्च (pañca) - five

(numeral)

Note: Agrees with 'mahābhūtāni'.

इति (iti) - thus, so

(indeclinable)

तानि (tāni) - those, them

(pronoun)

neuter, plural of tad

tad - that, those

Note: Refers to 'mahābhūtāni'.

आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, perfect (liṭ) of ah

Perfect tense (liṭ), 3rd person plural, active voice (irregular root)

Root: ah (class 2)

भूत-चिन्तकाः (bhūta-cintakāḥ) - the thinkers on elements (bhūtacintakāḥ) (thinkers on elements/beings, philosophers of nature)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bhūtacintaka

bhūtacintaka - one who contemplates elements or beings, philosopher of nature

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bhūta+cintaka)

• bhūta – element, being, creature
  noun (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from √bhū (to be)
  Root: bhū (class 1)
• cintaka – thinker, contemplator, one who reflects
  noun (masculine)
  From √cint (to think, consider), suffix -aka
  Root: cint (class 10)

Note: Subject of 'āhuḥ'.