महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-310, verse-6

भीष्म उवाच ।
न हायनैर्न पलितैर्न वित्तेन न बन्धुभिः ।
ऋषयश्चक्रिरे धर्मं योऽनूचानः स नो महान् ॥६॥

6. bhīṣma uvāca ,
na hāyanairna palitairna vittena na bandhubhiḥ ,
ṛṣayaścakrire dharmaṁ yo'nūcānaḥ sa no mahān.

6. bhīṣma uvāca na hāyanaiḥ na palitaiḥ na vittena na
bandhubhiḥ ṛṣayaḥ cakrire dharmam yaḥ anūcānaḥ saḥ naḥ mahān

6. bhīṣma uvāca ṛṣayaḥ na hāyanaiḥ na palitaiḥ na vittena
na bandhubhiḥ dharmam cakrire yaḥ anūcānaḥ saḥ naḥ mahān

6. Bhishma said: The sages did not establish (the criterion for) our natural law (dharma) based on years, nor on grey hair, nor on wealth, nor on relatives. Whoever is learned in the Vedic tradition, he alone is great to us.

Words meanings summery:

• भीष्म (bhīṣma) - Bhishma (speaker) (Bhishma (proper name))

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• हायनैः (hāyanaiḥ) - by years (of age) (by years, by age)

• न (na) - nor (not, no)

• पलितैः (palitaiḥ) - by (having) grey hair (by grey hair, by signs of old age)

• न (na) - nor (not, no)

• वित्तेन (vittena) - by wealth (by wealth, by property)

• न (na) - nor (not, no)

• बन्धुभिः (bandhubhiḥ) - by relatives (by relatives, by kinsmen)

• ऋषयः (ṛṣayaḥ) - the sages (sages, seers)

• चक्रिरे (cakrire) - they established, they made (the criteria for) (they made, they did, they established)

• धर्मम् (dharmam) - the natural law (dharma), the criterion of righteousness (constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature (dharma), righteousness)

• यः (yaḥ) - Whoever (who, whoever)

• अनूचानः (anūcānaḥ) - learned in the Vedic tradition (learned in the Vedas, expert in sacred tradition)

• सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

• नः (naḥ) - to us (to us, our, for us)

• महान् (mahān) - great (great, large, important)

Words meanings and morphology

भीष्म (bhīṣma) - Bhishma (speaker) (Bhishma (proper name))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhīṣma

bhīṣma - Bhishma (proper name), terrible, formidable

Root: bhī (class 3)

Note: Subject of 'uvāca'.

उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

Perfect Active, Parasmaipada

3rd person singular perfect of root vac. Reduplicated perfect.

Root: vac (class 2)

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

हायनैः (hāyanaiḥ) - by years (of age) (by years, by age)

(noun)

Instrumental, neuter, plural of hāyana

hāyana - year, age

From root hā (to abandon, to go), often related to the passing of time.

Root: hā (class 3)

न (na) - nor (not, no)

(indeclinable)

पलितैः (palitaiḥ) - by (having) grey hair (by grey hair, by signs of old age)

(adjective)

Instrumental, neuter, plural of palita

palita - grey-haired, grey

Past Passive Participle

From root pal (to be grey/old). Used as a noun referring to grey hairs. Instrumental plural.

Root: pal (class 1)

न (na) - nor (not, no)

(indeclinable)

वित्तेन (vittena) - by wealth (by wealth, by property)

(noun)

Instrumental, neuter, singular of vitta

vitta - wealth, property, acquired

Past Passive Participle

From root vid (to find, to obtain). Instrumental singular neuter.

Root: vid (class 6)

न (na) - nor (not, no)

(indeclinable)

बन्धुभिः (bandhubhiḥ) - by relatives (by relatives, by kinsmen)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, plural of bandhu

bandhu - relative, kinsman, friend

From root bandh (to bind).

Root: bandh (class 1)

ऋषयः (ṛṣayaḥ) - the sages (sages, seers)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of ṛṣi

ṛṣi - sage, seer, inspired poet

Root: ṛṣ (class 1)

Note: Subject of 'cakrire'.

चक्रिरे (cakrire) - they established, they made (the criteria for) (they made, they did, they established)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, perfect (liṭ) of kṛ

Perfect Middle, Atmanepada

3rd person plural perfect of root kṛ (class 8). Reduplicated perfect. Atmanepada form.

Root: kṛ (class 8)

धर्मम् (dharmam) - the natural law (dharma), the criterion of righteousness (constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature (dharma), righteousness)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature, righteousness, duty, cosmic order

From root dhṛ (to uphold, to sustain).

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Object of 'cakrire'.

यः (yaḥ) - Whoever (who, whoever)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, what

Note: Subject of implied 'is'.

अनूचानः (anūcānaḥ) - learned in the Vedic tradition (learned in the Vedas, expert in sacred tradition)

(participle)

Nominative, masculine, singular of anūcāna

anūcāna - learned in the Vedas, expert in sacred tradition

Perfect Passive Participle / adjectival noun

From anu- + vac (to speak, to recite). Refers to one who has mastered the Vedas.

Prefix: anu

Root: vac (class 2)

सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Correlative pronoun for 'yaḥ'.

नः (naḥ) - to us (to us, our, for us)

(pronoun)

Dative, plural of asmad

asmad - we, us

महान् (mahān) - great (great, large, important)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mahat

mahat - great, large, important

Nominative singular masculine of 'mahat' stem.

Note: Predicate adjective for 'saḥ'.