महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-7, verse-16

तासामयं समारम्भो निवृत्तः केवलोऽफलः ।
यदासां निहताः पुत्रा युवानो मृष्टकुण्डलाः ॥१६॥

16. tāsāmayaṁ samārambho nivṛttaḥ kevalo'phalaḥ ,
yadāsāṁ nihatāḥ putrā yuvāno mṛṣṭakuṇḍalāḥ.

16. tāsām ayam samārambhaḥ nivṛttaḥ kevalaḥ aphalaḥ
yadā āsām nihatāḥ putrāḥ yuvānaḥ mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ

16. yadā āsām yuvānaḥ mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ putrāḥ nihatāḥ (bhavanti),
(tadā) tāsām ayam kevalaḥ samārambhaḥ aphalaḥ (ca) nivṛttaḥ (bhavati).

16. This entire undertaking by those mothers becomes futile and fruitless when their sons—young men adorned with polished earrings—are slain.

Words meanings summery:

• तासाम् (tāsām) - of those mothers (of them)

• अयम् (ayam) - this

• समारम्भः (samārambhaḥ) - undertaking, endeavor, beginning

• निवृत्तः (nivṛttaḥ) - become useless, frustrated (ceased, stopped, returned, completed)

• केवलः (kevalaḥ) - mere, only, pure, absolute

• अफलः (aphalaḥ) - fruitless, useless, without result

• यदा (yadā) - when

• आसाम् (āsām) - of these mothers (of these)

• निहताः (nihatāḥ) - killed, struck down, destroyed

• पुत्राः (putrāḥ) - sons

• युवानः (yuvānaḥ) - young men, youths

• मृष्ट-कुण्डलाः (mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ) - having polished/gleaming earrings

Words meanings and morphology

तासाम् (tāsām) - of those mothers (of them)

(pronoun)

Genitive, feminine, plural of tad

tad - that, those

अयम् (ayam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this

समारम्भः (samārambhaḥ) - undertaking, endeavor, beginning

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of samārambha

samārambha - undertaking, beginning, effort, enterprise

Prefixes: sam+ā

Root: rabh (class 1)

निवृत्तः (nivṛttaḥ) - become useless, frustrated (ceased, stopped, returned, completed)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nivṛtta

nivṛtta - ceased, stopped, turned back, completed, finished

Past Passive Participle

Prefix: ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

केवलः (kevalaḥ) - mere, only, pure, absolute

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kevala

kevala - alone, solitary, only, mere, absolute, pure

अफलः (aphalaḥ) - fruitless, useless, without result

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of aphala

aphala - fruitless, barren, unprofitable, vain

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+phala)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
• phala – fruit, result, consequence
  noun (neuter)

यदा (yadā) - when

(indeclinable)

आसाम् (āsām) - of these mothers (of these)

(pronoun)

Genitive, feminine, plural of idam

idam - this

निहताः (nihatāḥ) - killed, struck down, destroyed

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of nihata

nihata - killed, struck down, destroyed, wounded

Past Passive Participle

Prefix: ni

Root: han (class 2)

पुत्राः (putrāḥ) - sons

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of putra

putra - son, child

युवानः (yuvānaḥ) - young men, youths

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of yuvan

yuvan - young, youth, young man

मृष्ट-कुण्डलाः (mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ) - having polished/gleaming earrings

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍala

mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍala - one whose earrings are polished/gleaming

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (mṛṣṭa+kuṇḍala)

• mṛṣṭa – polished, cleansed, bright, beautiful
  adjective
  Past Passive Participle
  Root: mṛj (class 2)
• kuṇḍala – earring, coil, ring
  noun (neuter)