महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-280, verse-7

पापानुबन्धं यत्कर्म यद्यपि स्यान्महाफलम् ।
न तत्सेवेत मेधावी शुचिः कुसलिलं यथा ॥७॥

7. pāpānubandhaṁ yatkarma yadyapi syānmahāphalam ,
na tatseveta medhāvī śuciḥ kusalilaṁ yathā.

7. pāpānubandham yat karma yadyapi syāt mahāphalam
| na tat seveta medhāvī śuciḥ kusalilam yathā

7. yat karma pāpānubandham yadyapi mahāphalam syāt
medhāvī śuciḥ tat na seveta yathā kusalilam

7. An intelligent and pure person should not engage in an action (karma) that is linked to sin, even if it were to yield great rewards, just as one would avoid polluted water.

Words meanings summery:

• पापानुबन्धम् (pāpānubandham) - connected with sin, linked to evil

• यत् (yat) - which, that (relative pronoun)

• कर्म (karma) - action, deed

• यद्यपि (yadyapi) - even if, although

• स्यात् (syāt) - would yield (implied) (may be, might be, should be, would be)

• महाफलम् (mahāphalam) - great fruit, great reward, highly fruitful

• न (na) - not, no

• तत् (tat) - that (action, karma) (that)

• सेवेत (seveta) - one should engage in (actions) (one should engage in, one should resort to, one should serve)

• मेधावी (medhāvī) - intelligent, wise, discerning

• शुचिः (śuciḥ) - pure, clean, virtuous

• कुसलिलम् (kusalilam) - bad water, polluted water, dirty water

• यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

Words meanings and morphology

पापानुबन्धम् (pāpānubandham) - connected with sin, linked to evil

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of pāpānubandha

pāpānubandha - connection with sin, entanglement in evil

Compound 'pāpa' (sin) + 'anubandha' (connection, adherence).

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (pāpa+anubandha)

• pāpa – sin, evil, wickedness; sinful, evil
  noun (neuter)
• anubandha – connection, link, attachment, consequence
  noun (masculine)
  From anu-bandh (to tie after)
  Prefix: anu
  Root: bandh (class 1)

Note: Modifies karma.

यत् (yat) - which, that (relative pronoun)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, that, who

Relative pronoun.

Note: Refers to karma.

कर्म (karma) - action, deed

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of karma

karma - action, deed, work, fate, ritual

From root kṛ (to do, make)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

यद्यपि (yadyapi) - even if, although

(indeclinable)

Compound of 'yadi' (if) + 'api' (also, even).

स्यात् (syāt) - would yield (implied) (may be, might be, should be, would be)

(verb)

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

optative mood

From root as.

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Expresses possibility or potentiality.

महाफलम् (mahāphalam) - great fruit, great reward, highly fruitful

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of mahāphala

mahāphala - great fruit, great reward, highly fruitful

Compound of 'mahā' (great) + 'phala' (fruit, result).

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+phala)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
• phala – fruit, result, consequence, reward
  noun (neuter)
  Root: phal (class 1)

Note: Predicate adjective for karma.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Negation particle.

Note: Negates the verb seveta.

तत् (tat) - that (action, karma) (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Demonstrative pronoun.

Note: Object of seveta.

सेवेत (seveta) - one should engage in (actions) (one should engage in, one should resort to, one should serve)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, optative (liṅ) of sev

optative mood

From root sev.

Root: sev (class 1)

Note: Expresses recommendation or prohibition (with na).

मेधावी (medhāvī) - intelligent, wise, discerning

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of medhāvin

medhāvin - intelligent, wise, endowed with intellect/medhā

From 'medhā' (intellect) + possessive suffix '-vin'.

Note: Qualifies the implied agent of seveta.

शुचिः (śuciḥ) - pure, clean, virtuous

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śuci

śuci - pure, clean, holy, virtuous

Root: śuc (class 1)

Note: Qualifies the implied agent of seveta.

कुसलिलम् (kusalilam) - bad water, polluted water, dirty water

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kusalila

kusalila - bad water, dirty water

Compound of 'ku' (bad) + 'salila' (water).

Compound type : ku-tatpuruṣa (ku+salila)

• ku – bad, evil, contemptible (prefix)
  indeclinable
  Prefix indicating badness.
• salila – water
  noun (neuter)

Note: Object of implicit verb, understood from context of 'avoidance'.

यथा (yathā) - just as, as, like

(indeclinable)

Adverb indicating comparison.