महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-66, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
श्रुता मे कथिताः पूर्वैश्चत्वारो मानवाश्रमाः ।
व्याख्यानमेषामाचक्ष्व पृच्छतो मे पितामह ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
śrutā me kathitāḥ pūrvaiścatvāro mānavāśramāḥ ,
vyākhyānameṣāmācakṣva pṛcchato me pitāmaha.

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca śrutāḥ me kathitāḥ pūrvaiḥ catvāraḥ
mānava-āśramāḥ vyākhyānam eṣām ācakṣva pṛcchataḥ me pitāmaha

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca: pitāmaha,
me pūrvaiḥ kathitāḥ catvāraḥ mānava-āśramāḥ śrutāḥ.
pṛcchataḥ me eṣām vyākhyānam ācakṣva.

1. Yudhiṣṭhira said: "Grandfather, I have heard about the four human stages of life (āśramas) as described by the ancients. Please explain them to me, who am asking."

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira

• उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

• श्रुताः (śrutāḥ) - heard, listened (feminine plural)

• मे (me) - by me, to me, for me

• कथिताः (kathitāḥ) - spoken, told, described (feminine plural)

• पूर्वैः (pūrvaiḥ) - by the ancients, by the forefathers, by the earlier ones

• चत्वारः (catvāraḥ) - four

• मानव-आश्रमाः (mānava-āśramāḥ) - human stages of life, human hermitages (āśramas)

• व्याख्यानम् (vyākhyānam) - explanation, exposition, commentary

• एषाम् (eṣām) - of these stages of life (of these)

• आचक्ष्व (ācakṣva) - please explain, tell, describe

• पृच्छतः (pṛcchataḥ) - of me who is asking, of the inquirer

• मे (me) - to me, for me

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - O grandfather

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhiṣṭhira (a proper name, the eldest Pāṇḍava brother)

compound meaning 'steady in battle'

उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

श्रुताः (śrutāḥ) - heard, listened (feminine plural)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, plural of śruta

śruta - heard, listened, famous, traditional knowledge

Past Passive Participle

derived from verb root 'śru'

Root: śru (class 5)

मे (me) - by me, to me, for me

(pronoun)

singular of asmad

asmad - I, me (pronoun)

कथिताः (kathitāḥ) - spoken, told, described (feminine plural)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, plural of kathita

kathita - spoken, told, narrated, described

Past Passive Participle

derived from verb root 'kath' (denom. from kathā)

Root: kath (class 10)

पूर्वैः (pūrvaiḥ) - by the ancients, by the forefathers, by the earlier ones

(adjective)

Instrumental, masculine, plural of pūrva

pūrva - former, ancient, prior, eastern

चत्वारः (catvāraḥ) - four

(numeral)

मानव-आश्रमाः (mānava-āśramāḥ) - human stages of life, human hermitages (āśramas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mānava-āśrama

mānava-āśrama - human stage of life, human hermitage

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (mānava+āśrama)

• mānava – human, belonging to Manu, descendant of Manu
  adjective (masculine)
• āśrama – stage of life, hermitage, spiritual retreat (āśrama)
  noun (masculine)

व्याख्यानम् (vyākhyānam) - explanation, exposition, commentary

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of vyākhyāna

vyākhyāna - explanation, exposition, interpretation

from root 'khyā' with prefixes 'vi-ā'

Prefixes: vi+ā

Root: khyā (class 2)

एषाम् (eṣām) - of these stages of life (of these)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of idam

idam - this, these

आचक्ष्व (ācakṣva) - please explain, tell, describe

(verb)

2nd person , singular, middle, imperative (loṭ) of ā-cakṣ

Prefix: ā

Root: cakṣ (class 2)

पृच्छतः (pṛcchataḥ) - of me who is asking, of the inquirer

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, singular of pṛcchat

pṛcchat - asking, inquiring

Present Active Participle

derived from verb root 'prach'

Root: prach (class 6)

मे (me) - to me, for me

(pronoun)

singular of asmad

asmad - I, me (pronoun)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - O grandfather

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - grandfather (father's father), Brahma