महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-78, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
केषां राजा प्रभवति वित्तस्य भरतर्षभ ।
कया च वृत्त्या वर्तेत तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
keṣāṁ rājā prabhavati vittasya bharatarṣabha ,
kayā ca vṛttyā varteta tanme brūhi pitāmaha.

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca keṣām rājā prabhavati vittasya
bharatarṣabha kayā ca vṛttyā varteta tat me brūhi pitāmaha

1. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca: bharatarṣabha,
pitāmaha,
rājā keṣām vittasya prabhavati? ca kayā vṛttyā varteta? tat me brūhi.

1. Yudhiṣṭhira said: "O Best of Bharatas (Bhāratarṣabha), over whose wealth does a king have authority? And by what means of livelihood should one sustain oneself? Tell me that, O Grandfather (Pitāmaha)."

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - The speaker of the verse (Yudhiṣṭhira (a famous king, eldest Pāṇḍava brother))

• उवाच (uvāca) - Yudhiṣṭhira spoke (He said, he spoke)

• केषाम् (keṣām) - Over whose (people's) (Of whom, of which)

• राजा (rājā) - The king (as the subject of the question) (King)

• प्रभवति (prabhavati) - Has authority over, exercises power over (Has power over, originates, is powerful)

• वित्तस्य (vittasya) - Over wealth (Of wealth, of property)

• भरतर्षभ (bharatarṣabha) - Addressing Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) as the best of the Bharatas (Best of Bharatas, O Bull among Bharatas (an epithet))

• कया (kayā) - By what kind of (By what (feminine instrumental singular))

• च (ca) - And (connecting two questions) (And, also)

• वृत्त्या (vṛttyā) - By what profession or mode of living (By livelihood, by means of subsistence)

• वर्तेत (varteta) - How should one conduct one's life, how should one subsist (Should act, should live, should conduct oneself)

• तत् (tat) - That (matter or information) (That, it)

• मे (me) - To me (Yudhiṣṭhira) (To me, for me, my)

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - Command to tell the information (Tell! Say!)

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - Addressing Bhīṣma (Grandfather, paternal grandfather (an epithet for Bhīṣma))

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - The speaker of the verse (Yudhiṣṭhira (a famous king, eldest Pāṇḍava brother))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

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

Compound of yudhi (in battle) and sthira (firm, steady)

Compound type : aluk-tatpuruṣa (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle
  noun (feminine)
  Locative singular of yudh (battle)
• sthira – firm, steady, stable
  adjective
  From √sthā (to stand)
  Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: Subject of uvāca

उवाच (uvāca) - Yudhiṣṭhira spoke (He said, he spoke)

(verb)

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

Perfect active

3rd person singular perfect active of √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

केषाम् (keṣām) - Over whose (people's) (Of whom, of which)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of kim

kim - who, what, which, whose

Interrogative pronoun stem. Genitive plural.

Note: Refers to people, whose wealth is in question

राजा (rājā) - The king (as the subject of the question) (King)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler

n-stem noun

Root: rāj (class 1)

Note: Subject of prabhavati

प्रभवति (prabhavati) - Has authority over, exercises power over (Has power over, originates, is powerful)

(verb)

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

Present active indicative

3rd person singular present active indicative of √bhū with prefix pra-

Prefix: pra

Root: bhū (class 1)

वित्तस्य (vittasya) - Over wealth (Of wealth, of property)

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of vitta

vitta - wealth, property, riches, found, gained

Past Passive Participle (from √vid) used as noun

From √vid (to gain)

Root: vid (class 6)

भरतर्षभ (bharatarṣabha) - Addressing Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) as the best of the Bharatas (Best of Bharatas, O Bull among Bharatas (an epithet))

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of bharatarṣabha

bharatarṣabha - bull of the Bharatas, best of the Bharatas

Tatpuruṣa compound of Bharata (name of a lineage) and ṛṣabha (bull, best)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bharata+ṛṣabha)

• bharata – Bharata (name of a king and his lineage), an actor
  proper noun (masculine)
• ṛṣabha – bull, chief, best, excellent
  noun (masculine)

Note: Address to Bhīṣma by Yudhiṣṭhira

कया (kayā) - By what kind of (By what (feminine instrumental singular))

(pronoun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Interrogative pronoun stem. Instrumental singular feminine.

च (ca) - And (connecting two questions) (And, also)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

वृत्त्या (vṛttyā) - By what profession or mode of living (By livelihood, by means of subsistence)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of vṛtti

vṛtti - livelihood, existence, profession, mode of life

Action noun from √vṛt

From √vṛt (to turn, exist, be)

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Denotes the means or manner

वर्तेत (varteta) - How should one conduct one's life, how should one subsist (Should act, should live, should conduct oneself)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of vṛt

Optative middle

3rd person singular optative middle of √vṛt

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: The subject is implied, 'one'

तत् (tat) - That (matter or information) (That, it)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Demonstrative pronoun stem. Neuter accusative singular.

मे (me) - To me (Yudhiṣṭhira) (To me, for me, my)

(pronoun)

singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

Enclitic Dative/Genitive singular of 'asmad'

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - Command to tell the information (Tell! Say!)

(verb)

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

Imperative active

2nd person singular imperative active of √brū (or √vac). √brū is an archaic root often substituted by √vac.

Root: brū (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - Addressing Bhīṣma (Grandfather, paternal grandfather (an epithet for Bhīṣma))

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - paternal grandfather, great ancestor, Bhīṣma (as an epithet)

Compound of pitṛ (father) and mah (great/honored), or literally 'father's father'

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pitṛ+maha)

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

Note: Addressed to Bhīṣma by Yudhiṣṭhira