महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-35, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
कानि कृत्वेह कर्माणि प्रायश्चित्तीयते नरः ।
किं कृत्वा चैव मुच्येत तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
kāni kṛtveha karmāṇi prāyaścittīyate naraḥ ,
kiṁ kṛtvā caiva mucyeta tanme brūhi pitāmaha.

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca kāni kṛtvā iha karmāṇi prāyaścittīyate
naraḥ kim kṛtvā ca eva mucyeta tat me brūhi pitāmaha

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca pitāmaha iha kāni karmāṇi kṛtvā naraḥ
prāyaścittīyate ca eva kim kṛtvā mucyeta tat me brūhi

1. Yudhishthira said: O grandfather, tell me, by performing what actions in this world does a person incur the need for penance (prāyaścitta)? And by performing what actions is one liberated (mokṣa)?

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

• उवाच (uvāca) - spoke, said

• कानि (kāni) - what (neuter plural)

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

• इह (iha) - here, in this world

• कर्माणि (karmāṇi) - actions, deeds

• प्रायश्चित्तीयते (prāyaścittīyate) - becomes liable for penance, undergoes penance

• नरः (naraḥ) - a man, a person

• किम् (kim) - what

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - indeed, only, just

• मुच्येत (mucyeta) - may be liberated, may be freed

• तत् (tat) - that

• मे (me) - to me, my

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, say

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - Refers to Bhishma, Yudhishthira's great-uncle, respectfully addressed as grandfather. (O grandfather)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - firm in battle; a name of the eldest Pāṇḍava

Compound: yudhi (locative of yudh 'battle') + sthira ('firm')

Compound type : aluk-tatpuruṣa (yudh+sthira)

• yudh – battle, war, fight
  noun (feminine)
• sthira – firm, steady, stable
  adjective (masculine)
  Root: sthā (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - spoke, said

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

कानि (kāni) - what (neuter plural)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of kim

kim - what, which, who

Note: Also accusative plural. Context indicates nominative here.

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

(indeclinable)

absolutive

Absolutive (gerund) formed with suffix -tvā

Root: kṛ (class 8)

इह (iha) - here, in this world

(indeclinable)

कर्माणि (karmāṇi) - actions, deeds

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of karma

karma - action, deed, work, ritual action

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Also nominative plural. Context indicates accusative (objects of 'having done').

प्रायश्चित्तीयते (prāyaścittīyate) - becomes liable for penance, undergoes penance

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of prāyaścittīya

denominative

Denominative verb derived from prāyaścitta (penance, expiation) with suffix -īya, meaning 'to become liable for/to undergo prāyaścitta'.

Note: Denominative from prāyaścitta.

नरः (naraḥ) - a man, a person

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nara

nara - man, person, human being

किम् (kim) - what

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

Note: Also nominative singular. Context indicates accusative (object of 'having done').

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having performed

(indeclinable)

absolutive

Absolutive (gerund) formed with suffix -tvā

Root: kṛ (class 8)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, only, just

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphatic particle.

मुच्येत (mucyeta) - may be liberated, may be freed

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, optative (liṅ) of muc

Root: muc (class 6)

Note: Root muc + ya (passive sign) + īta (optative 3rd sing).

तत् (tat) - that

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to the whole preceding question.

मे (me) - to me, my

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of aham

aham - I

Note: Enclitic form of dative or genitive singular of 'aham'. Here dative 'to me'.

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, say

(verb)

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

Root: brū (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - Refers to Bhishma, Yudhishthira's great-uncle, respectfully addressed as grandfather. (O grandfather)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - paternal grandfather, great ancestor

Compound: pitṛ (father) + maha (great)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pitṛ+maha)

• pitṛ – father
  noun (masculine)
• maha – great, large
  adjective (masculine)