महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-277, verse-20

स्वजनं हि यदा मृत्युर्हन्त्येव तव पश्यतः ।
कृतेऽपि यत्ने महति तत्र बोद्धव्यमात्मना ॥२०॥

20. svajanaṁ hi yadā mṛtyurhantyeva tava paśyataḥ ,
kṛte'pi yatne mahati tatra boddhavyamātmanā.

20. svajanaṃ hi yadā mṛtyuḥ hanti eva tava paśyataḥ
kṛte api yatne mahati tatra boddhavyaṃ ātmanā

20. hi yadā mṛtyuḥ tava paśyataḥ eva kṛte mahati yatne api svajanaṃ hanti,
tatra ātmanā boddhavyaṃ

20. Indeed, when death inevitably kills one's own people even as you watch, and despite great efforts, this truth should be understood by oneself (ātman).

Words meanings summery:

• स्वजनं (svajanaṁ) - one's own people, relatives

• हि (hi) - indeed, surely, because

• यदा (yadā) - when

• मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - death

• हन्ति (hanti) - kills, strikes

• एव (eva) - even, indeed, certainly

• तव (tava) - your, of you

• पश्यतः (paśyataḥ) - seeing, while seeing, of one who sees

• कृते (kṛte) - having been made, done, on account of

• अपि (api) - even, also, although

• यत्ने (yatne) - in effort, in exertion

• महति (mahati) - great, large, important

• तत्र (tatra) - there, in that matter

• बोद्धव्यं (boddhavyaṁ) - should be understood, is to be known

• आत्मना (ātmanā) - by oneself, by the self (ātman)

Words meanings and morphology

स्वजनं (svajanaṁ) - one's own people, relatives

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of svajana

svajana - one's own people, relatives, kinsfolk

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sva+jana)

• sva – one's own
  adjective
• jana – person, people, man
  noun (masculine)

हि (hi) - indeed, surely, because

(indeclinable)

Note: particle

यदा (yadā) - when

(indeclinable)

Note: temporal adverb

मृत्युः (mṛtyuḥ) - death

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mṛtyu

mṛtyu - death

Root: mṛ (class 1)

हन्ति (hanti) - kills, strikes

(verb)

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

Present Active Indicative

Root: han (class 2)

एव (eva) - even, indeed, certainly

(indeclinable)

Note: emphasizing particle

तव (tava) - your, of you

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: pronominal genitive

पश्यतः (paśyataḥ) - seeing, while seeing, of one who sees

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, singular of paśyat

paśyat - seeing, looking

Present Active Participle

derived from root 'dṛś' (to see), with 'paśya' stem

Root: dṛś (class 1)

Note: qualifies the implicit 'you' (tava)

कृते (kṛte) - having been made, done, on account of

(adjective)

Locative, neuter, singular of kṛta

kṛta - done, made, performed

Past Passive Participle

derived from root 'kṛ'

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: used here in a phrase 'kṛte api yatne' meaning 'even when effort is made'

अपि (api) - even, also, although

(indeclinable)

Note: particle

यत्ने (yatne) - in effort, in exertion

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of yatna

yatna - effort, exertion, attempt

महति (mahati) - great, large, important

(adjective)

Locative, neuter, singular of mahat

mahat - great, large, vast, important

Note: adjective of yatne

तत्र (tatra) - there, in that matter

(indeclinable)

Note: refers to the situation mentioned

बोद्धव्यं (boddhavyaṁ) - should be understood, is to be known

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of boddhavya

boddhavya - to be understood, to be known

Gerundive/Future Passive Participle

derived from root 'budh'

Root: budh (class 1)

Note: implied verb 'is'

आत्मना (ātmanā) - by oneself, by the self (ātman)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of ātman

ātman - self, soul, spirit, individual soul (ātman)

Note: agent of 'boddhavyaṃ'