महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-72, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
कथं राजा प्रजा रक्षन्नाधिबन्धेन युज्यते ।
धर्मे च नापराध्नोति तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
kathaṁ rājā prajā rakṣannādhibandhena yujyate ,
dharme ca nāparādhnoti tanme brūhi pitāmaha.

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca katham rājā prajāḥ rakṣan na adhibandhena
yujyate dharme ca na aparādhnoti tat me brūhi pitāmaha

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca pitāmaha katham rājā prajāḥ rakṣan
adhibandhena na yujyate ca dharme na aparādhnoti tat me brūhi

1. Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'O Grandfather, please tell me how a king, while protecting his subjects, avoids being afflicted by mental distress and does not transgress his natural law (dharma).'

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira (name of the eldest Pāṇḍava)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

• राजा (rājā) - king, ruler

• प्रजाः (prajāḥ) - subjects, people, progeny

• रक्षन् (rakṣan) - protecting, guarding, preserving

• न (na) - not, no

• अधिबन्धेन (adhibandhena) - by mental distress, by anxiety

• युज्यते (yujyate) - is afflicted, is joined, is connected, is endowed

• धर्मे (dharme) - in natural law, in duty, in righteousness

• च (ca) - and, also

• न (na) - not, no

• अपराध्नोति (aparādhnoti) - offends, transgresses, fails (in duty)

• तत् (tat) - that matter/question (that)

• मे (me) - to me, for me

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, speak, say

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - O Bhīṣma (O grandfather)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira (name of the eldest Pāṇḍava)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

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

Compound type : aluk-saptamī-tatpuruṣa (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle
  noun (feminine)
  locative singular of 'yudh' (battle)
• sthira – firm, steady, constant
  adjective (masculine)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

perfect tense

3rd person singular, Perfect tense, Parasmaipada

Root: vac (class 2)

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

राजा (rājā) - king, ruler

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler, sovereign

प्रजाः (prajāḥ) - subjects, people, progeny

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, plural of prajā

prajā - progeny, offspring, subjects, people, creatures

Note: Object of `rakṣan`.

रक्षन् (rakṣan) - protecting, guarding, preserving

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rakṣ

rakṣ - to protect, to guard, to preserve, to watch over

Present Active Participle

Derived from root rakṣ (to protect)

Root: rakṣ (class 1)

Note: Agrees with `rājā`.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates `adhibandhena yujyate`.

अधिबन्धेन (adhibandhena) - by mental distress, by anxiety

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of adhibandha

adhibandha - mental distress, anxiety, affliction, binding

Prefix: adhi

Root: bandh (class 9)

युज्यते (yujyate) - is afflicted, is joined, is connected, is endowed

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of yuj

3rd person singular, present tense, Ātmanepada, passive voice

Root: yuj (class 7)

धर्मे (dharme) - in natural law, in duty, in righteousness

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - natural law, constitution, duty, righteousness, virtue, cosmic order

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects `na yujyate` and `na aparādhnoti`.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates `aparādhnoti`.

अपराध्नोति (aparādhnoti) - offends, transgresses, fails (in duty)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of aparādh

3rd person singular, present tense, Parasmaipada

Prefix: apa

Root: rādh (class 5)

तत् (tat) - that matter/question (that)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, that thing

Note: Refers to the preceding question.

मे (me) - to me, for me

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me, my, us

enclitic Dative/Genitive of 'I'

Note: Can also be genitive, but dative is more fitting for 'tell me'.

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, speak, say

(verb)

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

imperative

2nd person singular, present tense, Parasmaipada (irregular stem from root vac)

Root: vac (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - O Bhīṣma (O grandfather)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - grandfather, paternal grandfather

Note: Refers to Bhīṣma.