महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-270, verse-32

कस्माद्भूतानि जीवन्ति प्रवर्तन्तेऽथ वा पुनः ।
किं वा फलं परं प्राप्य जीवस्तिष्ठति शाश्वतः ॥३२॥

32. kasmādbhūtāni jīvanti pravartante'tha vā punaḥ ,
kiṁ vā phalaṁ paraṁ prāpya jīvastiṣṭhati śāśvataḥ.

32. kasmāt bhūtāni jīvanti pravartante atha vā punaḥ
kim vā phalam param prāpya jīvaḥ tiṣṭhati śāśvataḥ

32. bhūtāni kasmāt jīvanti atha vā punaḥ pravartante
kim vā param phalam prāpya jīvaḥ śāśvataḥ tiṣṭhati

32. Why do beings live, and by what are they driven to act? Or, having attained what ultimate result, does the individual soul (jīva) remain eternal?

Words meanings summery:

• कस्मात् (kasmāt) - from what, why

• भूतानि (bhūtāni) - beings, creatures, living entities

• जीवन्ति (jīvanti) - they live, exist

• प्रवर्तन्ते (pravartante) - they proceed, they act, they are engaged

• अथ (atha) - then, now, or, moreover

• वा (vā) - or

• पुनः (punaḥ) - again, further, moreover

• किम् (kim) - what, which

• वा (vā) - or

• फलम् (phalam) - result, fruit, consequence

• परम् (param) - supreme, ultimate, highest

• प्राप्य (prāpya) - having attained, having reached

• जीवः (jīvaḥ) - the living being, the individual soul (jīva)

• तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati) - he/she/it stands, remains, abides

• शाश्वतः (śāśvataḥ) - eternal, perpetual, everlasting

Words meanings and morphology

कस्मात् (kasmāt) - from what, why

(pronoun)

Ablative, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

भूतानि (bhūtāni) - beings, creatures, living entities

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of bhūta

bhūta - being, creature, element, ghost, past

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root 'bhū' (to be, exist)

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Can also be accusative plural

जीवन्ति (jīvanti) - they live, exist

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present indicative (laṭ) of jīv

Root: jīv (class 1)

प्रवर्तन्ते (pravartante) - they proceed, they act, they are engaged

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, present indicative (laṭ) of vṛt

Prefix: pra

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: The root 'vṛt' is Atmanepadi (middle voice) in the present tense

अथ (atha) - then, now, or, moreover

(indeclinable)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

पुनः (punaḥ) - again, further, moreover

(indeclinable)

किम् (kim) - what, which

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

Note: Used here in an interrogative sense

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

फलम् (phalam) - result, fruit, consequence

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of phala

phala - fruit, result, consequence, reward

परम् (param) - supreme, ultimate, highest

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of para

para - other, subsequent, supreme, ultimate, hostile

प्राप्य (prāpya) - having attained, having reached

(indeclinable)

Gerund (absolutive)

Formed with prefix 'pra' and root 'āp' + suffix '-ya'

Prefix: pra

Root: āp (class 5)

Note: Gerund is indeclinable

जीवः (jīvaḥ) - the living being, the individual soul (jīva)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jīva

jīva - living, alive, existing; an individual soul, life

From root 'jīv' (to live)

Root: jīv (class 1)

तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati) - he/she/it stands, remains, abides

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present indicative (laṭ) of sthā

Root 'sthā' takes a reduplicated present stem 'tiṣṭha'

Root: sthā (class 1)

शाश्वतः (śāśvataḥ) - eternal, perpetual, everlasting

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śāśvata

śāśvata - eternal, perpetual, constant, permanent