महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-306, verse-56

विश्वावसुरुवाच ।
पञ्चविंशं यदेतत्ते प्रोक्तं ब्राह्मणसत्तम ।
तथा तन्न तथा वेति तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥५६॥

56. viśvāvasuruvāca ,
pañcaviṁśaṁ yadetatte proktaṁ brāhmaṇasattama ,
tathā tanna tathā veti tadbhavānvaktumarhati.

56. viśvāvasuḥ uvāca pañcaviṃśam yat etat te proktam brāhmaṇa-sattama
tathā tat na tathā vā iti tat bhavān vaktum arhati

56. brāhmaṇa-sattama,
viśvāvasuḥ uvāca: yat etat te pañcaviṃśam proktam,
tat tathā vā na tathā iti,
tat bhavān vaktum arhati.

56. Viśvāvasu spoke: O best among Brahmins, you should explain whether what you have stated as the twenty-fifth principle is indeed so, or not so.

Words meanings summery:

• विश्वावसुः (viśvāvasuḥ) - The Gandharva Viśvāvasu (Viśvāvasu)

• उवाच (uvāca) - (Viśvāvasu) spoke (spoke, said)

• पञ्चविंशम् (pañcaviṁśam) - the twenty-fifth (principle) (twenty-fifth)

• यत् (yat) - that which (which, what, that which)

• एतत् (etat) - this (principle) (this, that)

• ते (te) - by you (referring to the speaker of the 'proktam') (by you, to you, your)

• प्रोक्तम् (proktam) - was declared / stated (by you) (declared, stated, said)

• ब्राह्मण-सत्तम (brāhmaṇa-sattama) - O best of Brahmins

• तथा (tathā) - so (is it so?) (thus, so, in that way)

• तत् (tat) - that (principle) (that)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• तथा (tathā) - not so (is it not so?) (thus, so, in that way)

• वा (vā) - or

• इति (iti) - (marks end of quoted thought/question) (thus, so, as)

• तत् (tat) - that (question) (that)

• भवान् (bhavān) - you (addressing the Brahmin) (your honor, you)

• वक्तुम् (vaktum) - to explain (to speak, to explain)

• अर्हति (arhati) - you ought (to explain) (deserves, ought, is able)

Words meanings and morphology

विश्वावसुः (viśvāvasuḥ) - The Gandharva Viśvāvasu (Viśvāvasu)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of viśvāvasu

viśvāvasu - name of a Gandharva; a mythical being

उवाच (uvāca) - (Viśvāvasu) spoke (spoke, said)

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

Irregular perfect form of 'vac' (root)

Root: vac (class 2)

पञ्चविंशम् (pañcaviṁśam) - the twenty-fifth (principle) (twenty-fifth)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of pañcaviṃśa

pañcaviṁśa - twenty-fifth

Compound type : dvigu (pañcan+viṃśati)

• pañcan – five
  numeral
• viṃśati – twenty
  numeral (feminine)

Note: Refers to a 'principle' (tattva), which is neuter.

यत् (yat) - that which (which, what, that which)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, what, that which

एतत् (etat) - this (principle) (this, that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, that

ते (te) - by you (referring to the speaker of the 'proktam') (by you, to you, your)

(pronoun)

singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Used here in the sense of 'by you' (agent of passive verb 'proktam').

प्रोक्तम् (proktam) - was declared / stated (by you) (declared, stated, said)

(participle)

Nominative, neuter, singular of prokta

prokta - declared, stated, said

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root 'vac' with prefix 'pra'.

Prefix: pra

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Acts as a predicate.

ब्राह्मण-सत्तम (brāhmaṇa-sattama) - O best of Brahmins

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of brāhmaṇasattama

brāhmaṇasattama - best among Brahmins

Compound type : tatpurusha (brāhmaṇa+sattama)

• brāhmaṇa – Brahmin, one belonging to the priestly class
  noun (masculine)
• sattama – best, excellent
  adjective
  Superlative suffix -tama

तथा (tathā) - so (is it so?) (thus, so, in that way)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used interrogatively here in conjunction with 'na' and 'vā'.

तत् (tat) - that (principle) (that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, this

Note: Refers back to the 'twenty-fifth principle'.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

तथा (tathā) - not so (is it not so?) (thus, so, in that way)

(indeclinable)

Note: Paired with 'na' and 'vā' to form an interrogative phrase 'is it so or not so?'.

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

इति (iti) - (marks end of quoted thought/question) (thus, so, as)

(indeclinable)

तत् (tat) - that (question) (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, this

Note: Object of 'vaktum arhati'.

भवान् (bhavān) - you (addressing the Brahmin) (your honor, you)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhavat

bhavat - your honor, you (polite address)

Root: bhū (class 1)

वक्तुम् (vaktum) - to explain (to speak, to explain)

(verb)

active, infinitive (tumun) of vaktum

Infinitive

Infinitive form of 'vac' (root)

Root: vac (class 2)

अर्हति (arhati) - you ought (to explain) (deserves, ought, is able)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of arh

Present Active

Root: arh (class 1)

Note: The subject 'bhavān' is grammatically 3rd person.