महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-279, verse-2

किं कर्म पुरुषः कृत्वा शुभं पुरुषसत्तम ।
श्रेयः परमवाप्नोति प्रेत्य चेह च तद्वद ॥२॥

2. kiṁ karma puruṣaḥ kṛtvā śubhaṁ puruṣasattama ,
śreyaḥ paramavāpnoti pretya ceha ca tadvada.

2. kim karma puruṣaḥ kṛtvā śubham puruṣasattama
śreyaḥ param avāpnoti pretya ca iha ca tat vada

2. puruṣasattama kim śubham karma kṛtvā puruṣaḥ iha
ca pretya ca paramam śreyaḥ avāpnoti tat vada

2. O best among men, please tell me what auspicious action (karma) a person should perform to attain the supreme good (śreyas) both in this world and in the next.

Words meanings summery:

• किम् (kim) - what? (what?, which?, how?)

• कर्म (karma) - action (action, deed, work, ritual action, fate)

• पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - a person (man, person, human being, spirit)

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having performed (having done, having performed)

• शुभम् (śubham) - auspicious (auspicious, good, beautiful, propitious)

• पुरुषसत्तम (puruṣasattama) - O best among men (best among men)

• श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - the supreme good (good, welfare, prosperity, supreme good)

• परम् (param) - supreme (supreme, highest, excellent)

• अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - attains (attains, reaches, obtains)

• प्रेत्य (pretya) - after death (in the next world) (having died, in the next world, after death)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• इह (iha) - in this world (here, in this world)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• तत् (tat) - that (referring to the explanation) (that, therefore)

• वद (vada) - tell (tell, speak)

Words meanings and morphology

किम् (kim) - what? (what?, which?, how?)

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of kim

kim - what?, which?, how?

कर्म (karma) - action (action, deed, work, ritual action, fate)

(noun)

neuter, singular of karman

karman - action, deed, work, ritual action, fate

Root: kṛ (class 8)

पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - a person (man, person, human being, spirit)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puruṣa

puruṣa - man, person, human being, spirit, the cosmic person

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having performed (having done, having performed)

(indeclinable)

absolutive (gerund)

Derived from root kṛ with suffix -tvā

Root: kṛ (class 8)

शुभम् (śubham) - auspicious (auspicious, good, beautiful, propitious)

(adjective)

neuter, singular of śubha

śubha - auspicious, good, beautiful, propitious, splendid

Note: Qualifies 'karma'.

पुरुषसत्तम (puruṣasattama) - O best among men (best among men)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of puruṣasattama

puruṣasattama - best among men

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (puruṣa+sattama)

• puruṣa – man, person
  noun (masculine)
• sattama – best, excellent, most excellent
  adjective (masculine)
  Superlative suffix -tama

श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - the supreme good (good, welfare, prosperity, supreme good)

(noun)

neuter, singular of śreyas

śreyas - good, welfare, prosperity, supreme good, better

Comparative/superlative form derived from śrī/praśasya

Note: Often refers to ultimate spiritual welfare as opposed to merely pleasant (preyas).

परम् (param) - supreme (supreme, highest, excellent)

(adjective)

neuter, singular of para

para - supreme, highest, excellent, other, beyond

Note: Qualifies 'śreyaḥ'.

अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - attains (attains, reaches, obtains)

(verb)

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

present active indicative, 3rd person singular

Root āp (5th class) with prefix ava.

Prefix: ava

Root: āp (class 5)

प्रेत्य (pretya) - after death (in the next world) (having died, in the next world, after death)

(indeclinable)

absolutive (gerund)

Derived from root i (2nd class) with prefix pra, and suffix -ya.

Prefix: pra

Root: i (class 2)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

इह (iha) - in this world (here, in this world)

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

तत् (tat) - that (referring to the explanation) (that, therefore)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Accusative singular, refers to the subject of the request.

वद (vada) - tell (tell, speak)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of vad

imperative active, 2nd person singular

Root vad (1st class), imperative mood.

Root: vad (class 1)