महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-58, verse-16

उत्थानहीनो राजा हि बुद्धिमानपि नित्यशः ।
धर्षणीयो रिपूणां स्याद्भुजंग इव निर्विषः ॥१६॥

16. utthānahīno rājā hi buddhimānapi nityaśaḥ ,
dharṣaṇīyo ripūṇāṁ syādbhujaṁga iva nirviṣaḥ.

16. utthānahīnaḥ rājā hi buddhimān api nityaśaḥ
dharṣaṇīyaḥ ripūṇām syāt bhujaṅgaḥ iva nirviṣaḥ

16. utthānahīnaḥ rājā hi buddhimān api nityaśaḥ
nirviṣaḥ bhujaṅgaḥ iva ripūṇām dharṣaṇīyaḥ syāt

16. A king who lacks initiative (utthāna), even if he is always intelligent, becomes vulnerable to his enemies, just like a snake without venom.

Words meanings summery:

• उत्थानहीनः (utthānahīnaḥ) - lacking initiative (one who is devoid of effort/enterprise/rise)

• राजा (rājā) - king (king, ruler)

• हि (hi) - indeed, surely (indeed, for, surely, because)

• बुद्धिमान् (buddhimān) - intelligent (intelligent, wise, discerning)

• अपि (api) - even if (even, also, too, although)

• नित्यशः (nityaśaḥ) - always (always, constantly, regularly)

• धर्षणीयः (dharṣaṇīyaḥ) - vulnerable, assailable (to be assailed, to be attacked, assailable, attackable)

• रिपूणाम् (ripūṇām) - by his enemies (genitive of agent for gerundive) (of enemies)

• स्यात् (syāt) - becomes (he/she/it may be, should be, would be)

• भुजङ्गः (bhujaṅgaḥ) - snake (snake, serpent)

• इव (iva) - just like (like, as, as if)

• निर्विषः (nirviṣaḥ) - without venom (venomless, poisonless)

Words meanings and morphology

उत्थानहीनः (utthānahīnaḥ) - lacking initiative (one who is devoid of effort/enterprise/rise)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of utthānahīna

utthānahīna - devoid of effort, lacking enterprise, without rise

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (utthāna+hīna)

• utthāna – rising, effort, enterprise, exertion
  noun (neuter)
  verbal noun
  derived from ut-sthā (to stand up)
  Prefix: ut
  Root: sthā (class 1)
• hīna – devoid of, deprived of, deficient, abandoned
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root hā (to abandon, forsake, leave)
  Root: hā (class 3)

Note: Qualifies rājā.

राजा (rājā) - king (king, ruler)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler

Note: Subject of the sentence.

हि (hi) - indeed, surely (indeed, for, surely, because)

(indeclinable)

particle

बुद्धिमान् (buddhimān) - intelligent (intelligent, wise, discerning)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of buddhimat

buddhimat - intelligent, wise, discerning

Possessive suffix -mat to buddhi

Root: budh (class 1)

Note: Qualifies rājā.

अपि (api) - even if (even, also, too, although)

(indeclinable)

particle

नित्यशः (nityaśaḥ) - always (always, constantly, regularly)

(indeclinable)

adverbial form from nitya (constant)

धर्षणीयः (dharṣaṇīyaḥ) - vulnerable, assailable (to be assailed, to be attacked, assailable, attackable)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharṣaṇīya

dharṣaṇīya - to be assailed, to be attacked, assailable, attackable

Gerundive (passive future participle)

from root dhṛṣ (to dare, attack) with -anīya suffix

Root: dhṛṣ (class 5)

रिपूणाम् (ripūṇām) - by his enemies (genitive of agent for gerundive) (of enemies)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of ripu

ripu - enemy, foe

u-stem noun

Note: Genitive used to express the agent of a gerundive construction.

स्यात् (syāt) - becomes (he/she/it may be, should be, would be)

(verb)

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

Optative mood, 3rd person singular

From root as (to be)

Root: as (class 2)

भुजङ्गः (bhujaṅgaḥ) - snake (snake, serpent)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhujaṅga

bhujaṅga - snake, serpent (lit. 'moving with curves')

Compound of 'bhuja' (arm/curve) and 'ga' (going)

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Part of the simile.

इव (iva) - just like (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

particle

निर्विषः (nirviṣaḥ) - without venom (venomless, poisonless)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nirviṣa

nirviṣa - venomless, poisonless

Compound of 'nis' (without) and 'viṣa' (poison)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (nis+viṣa)

• nis – out, forth, without, free from
  indeclinable
  prefix/preposition
• viṣa – poison, venom
  noun (neuter)