महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-321, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
गृहस्थो ब्रह्मचारी वा वानप्रस्थोऽथ भिक्षुकः ।
य इच्छेत्सिद्धिमास्थातुं देवतां कां यजेत सः ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
gṛhastho brahmacārī vā vānaprastho'tha bhikṣukaḥ ,
ya icchetsiddhimāsthātuṁ devatāṁ kāṁ yajeta saḥ.

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca gṛhasthaḥ
brahmacārī vā vānaprasthaḥ atha
bhikṣukaḥ yaḥ icchet siddhim
āsthātum devatām kām yajeta saḥ

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca gṛhasthaḥ vā
brahmacārī vā vānaprasthaḥ atha
bhikṣukaḥ yaḥ siddhim āsthātum
icchet saḥ kām devatām yajeta

1. Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'A householder, or a celibate student (brahmacārī), or a forest dweller (vānaprastha), or a mendicant – whoever desires to attain spiritual perfection – which deity should he worship?'

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira (proper name))

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

• गृहस्थः (gṛhasthaḥ) - householder (referring to one of the āśramas, stages of life) (householder)

• ब्रह्मचारी (brahmacārī) - celibate student (brahmacārī) (referring to one of the āśramas) (celibate student, one who observes `brahmacarya`)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either)

• वानप्रस्थः (vānaprasthaḥ) - forest dweller (vānaprastha) (referring to one of the āśramas) (forest dweller, hermit)

• अथ (atha) - or (then, now, or, further)

• भिक्षुकः (bhikṣukaḥ) - mendicant (mendicant, renunciant, beggar)

• यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, whoever)

• इच्छेत् (icchet) - desires (one should desire, wishes, desires)

• सिद्धिम् (siddhim) - spiritual perfection (accomplishment, success, perfection, spiritual power)

• आस्थातुम् (āsthātum) - to attain (to attain, to accomplish, to establish, to undertake)

• देवताम् (devatām) - deity (deity, divinity)

• काम् (kām) - which (which, what)

• यजेत (yajeta) - should worship (one should worship, one should perform Vedic ritual for)

• सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira (proper name))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhiṣṭhira (steadfast in battle, proper name of the eldest Pāṇḍava)

Compound type : bahuvrihi (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle
  noun (feminine)
  Locative of yudh
  Root: yudh (class 4)
• sthira – firm, steady, steadfast
  adjective
  Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: Subject of uvāca.

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

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Marks the speaker.

गृहस्थः (gṛhasthaḥ) - householder (referring to one of the āśramas, stages of life) (householder)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of gṛhastha

gṛhastha - householder, one who resides in a house, belonging to the second āśrama

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (gṛha+stha)

• gṛha – house, home
  noun (neuter)
• stha – standing, situated, dwelling, remaining
  adjective
  from root sthā- (to stand)
  Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: One of the potential subjects (whoever).

ब्रह्मचारी (brahmacārī) - celibate student (brahmacārī) (referring to one of the āśramas) (celibate student, one who observes `brahmacarya`)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of brahmacārin

brahmacārin - celibate student, one who practices brahmacarya (religious student life, celibacy)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (brahman+cārin)

• brahman – the Absolute, sacred knowledge, Veda
  noun (neuter)
• cārin – practicing, observing, moving in
  adjective (masculine)
  Agent Noun
  Derived from root car- (to move, practice)
  Root: car (class 1)

Note: One of the potential subjects.

वा (vā) - or (or, either)

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects the different āśramas.

वानप्रस्थः (vānaprasthaḥ) - forest dweller (vānaprastha) (referring to one of the āśramas) (forest dweller, hermit)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vānaprastha

vānaprastha - forest dweller, hermit, belonging to the third āśrama

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (vana+prastha)

• vana – forest, wood
  noun (neuter)
• prastha – standing in, situated, departing
  adjective
  from pra-sthā- (to set out, depart)
  Prefix: pra
  Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: One of the potential subjects.

अथ (atha) - or (then, now, or, further)

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects the āśramas.

भिक्षुकः (bhikṣukaḥ) - mendicant (mendicant, renunciant, beggar)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhikṣuka

bhikṣuka - beggar, mendicant, renunciant, religious ascetic

Derived from root bhikṣ- (to beg)

Root: bhikṣ (class 1)

Note: One of the potential subjects.

यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, whoever)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, that (relative pronoun)

Note: Refers to any of the aforementioned āśramas; subject of icchet.

इच्छेत् (icchet) - desires (one should desire, wishes, desires)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of iṣ

Root: iṣ (class 6)

Note: Expresses the condition for the question.

सिद्धिम् (siddhim) - spiritual perfection (accomplishment, success, perfection, spiritual power)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of siddhi

siddhi - accomplishment, success, perfection, spiritual power, supernatural faculty

from root sidh- (to succeed)

Root: sidh (class 1)

Note: Object of āsthātum.

आस्थातुम् (āsthātum) - to attain (to attain, to accomplish, to establish, to undertake)

(verb)

active, infinitive of āsthā

infinitive

Infinitive form of ā-sthā-

Prefix: ā

Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: Purpose of desiring.

देवताम् (devatām) - deity (deity, divinity)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of devatā

devatā - deity, divinity, godhead

Note: Object of yajeta.

काम् (kām) - which (which, what)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

Note: Interrogative adjective modifying devatām.

यजेत (yajeta) - should worship (one should worship, one should perform Vedic ritual for)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of yaj

Root: yaj (class 1)

Note: The core question of the verse.

सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that (demonstrative pronoun)

Note: Correlative pronoun to yaḥ, subject of yajeta.