महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-277, verse-3

सगर उवाच ।
किं श्रेयः परमं ब्रह्मन्कृत्वेह सुखमश्नुते ।
कथं न शोचेन्न क्षुभ्येदेतदिच्छामि वेदितुम् ॥३॥

3. sagara uvāca ,
kiṁ śreyaḥ paramaṁ brahmankṛtveha sukhamaśnute ,
kathaṁ na śocenna kṣubhyedetadicchāmi veditum.

3. sagaraḥ uvāca | kim śreyaḥ paramam brahman kṛtvā iha sukham
aśnute | katham na śocet na kṣubhyet etat icchāmi veditum

3. sagaraḥ uvāca brahman kim paramam śreyaḥ kṛtvā iha sukham
aśnute katham na śocet na kṣubhyet etat veditum icchāmi

3. Sagara said: "O Brahmana, what is the ultimate good, by performing which one attains happiness in this world? How can one avoid grieving and becoming agitated? I wish to understand this."

Words meanings summery:

• सगरः (sagaraḥ) - Sagara

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• किम् (kim) - what?, which?

• श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - the good, benefit, welfare, superior

• परमम् (paramam) - supreme, highest, ultimate

• ब्रह्मन् (brahman) - O Brahmana, O knower of Brahman

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, by doing

• इह (iha) - here, in this world

• सुखम् (sukham) - happiness, ease, pleasure

• अश्नुते (aśnute) - attains, enjoys, experiences

• कथम् (katham) - how?

• न (na) - not, no

• शोचेत् (śocet) - should grieve, might grieve

• न (na) - not, no

• क्षुभ्येत् (kṣubhyet) - should be agitated, might be disturbed

• एतत् (etat) - this, that

• इच्छामि (icchāmi) - I wish, I desire

• वेदितुम् (veditum) - to know, to understand

Words meanings and morphology

सगरः (sagaraḥ) - Sagara

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sagara

sagara - a proper name, name of a king

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

perfect active

root vac, perfect 3rd person singular

Root: vac (class 2)

किम् (kim) - what?, which?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - who?, what?, which?

Note: Also accusative singular neuter. Here it functions as subject.

श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - the good, benefit, welfare, superior

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śreyas

śreyas - good, better, best, welfare, prosperity, ultimate good

Note: Comparative/superlative of śrī/praśasya, often substantivized as 'the good'.

परमम् (paramam) - supreme, highest, ultimate

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of parama

parama - highest, ultimate, supreme, best

ब्रह्मन् (brahman) - O Brahmana, O knower of Brahman

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of brahman

brahman - Brahmin (priestly class), a knower of Brahman, a member of the highest caste

Note: Used here in vocative addressing an individual.

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, by doing

(indeclinable)

absolutive (gerund)

root kṛ, suffix -tvā

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Expresses prior action.

इह (iha) - here, in this world

(indeclinable)

सुखम् (sukham) - happiness, ease, pleasure

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of sukha

sukha - happiness, joy, comfort, pleasure, ease

Note: Object of 'aśnute'.

अश्नुते (aśnute) - attains, enjoys, experiences

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of aś

present middle

root aś, present 3rd person singular, middle voice (ātmanepada)

Root: aś (class 5)

Note: Implies "one" or "a person" as the subject.

कथम् (katham) - how?

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negation particle.

शोचेत् (śocet) - should grieve, might grieve

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of śuc

optative active

root śuc, optative 3rd person singular, active voice (parasmaipada)

Root: śuc (class 1)

Note: Expresses potential or desire, "how should one not...".

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negation particle.

क्षुभ्येत् (kṣubhyet) - should be agitated, might be disturbed

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of kṣubh

optative active

root kṣubh, optative 3rd person singular, active voice (parasmaipada)

Root: kṣubh (class 4)

Note: Expresses potential or desire.

एतत् (etat) - this, that

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, that

Note: Object of 'veditum'.

इच्छामि (icchāmi) - I wish, I desire

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of iṣ

present active

root iṣ, present 1st person singular, active voice (parasmaipada)

Root: iṣ (class 6)

Note: Subject is "I" (Sagara).

वेदितुम् (veditum) - to know, to understand

(indeclinable)

infinitive

root vid, suffix -tum

Root: vid (class 2)

Note: Complements 'icchāmi'.