महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-89, verse-5

जलौकावत्पिबेद्राष्ट्रं मृदुनैव नराधिप ।
व्याघ्रीव च हरेत्पुत्रमदष्ट्वा मा पतेदिति ॥५॥

5. jalaukāvatpibedrāṣṭraṁ mṛdunaiva narādhipa ,
vyāghrīva ca haretputramadaṣṭvā mā patediti.

5. jalaukāvat pibet rāṣṭram mṛdunā eva narādhipa
vyāghrī iva ca haret putram adaṣṭvā mā patet iti

5. narādhipa jalaukāvat mṛdunā eva rāṣṭram pibet ca
vyāghrī iva adaṣṭvā putram haret mā patet iti

5. O king, he should draw from the kingdom gently, like a leech, and like a tigress, he should carry his cub without biting it, ensuring it does not fall.

Words meanings summery:

• जलौकावत् (jalaukāvat) - like a leech

• पिबेत् (pibet) - should extract/collect (revenue) (like a leech) (should drink, should suck)

• राष्ट्रम् (rāṣṭram) - kingdom, country, nation

• मृदुना (mṛdunā) - by gentle means, gently, softly

• एव (eva) - indeed, only, certainly

• नराधिप (narādhipa) - O king of men, O ruler

• व्याघ्री (vyāghrī) - tigress

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

• च (ca) - and

• हरेत् (haret) - should protectively carry/handle (should carry, should take, should seize)

• पुत्रम् (putram) - the cub (of the tigress) (son, cub, child)

• अदष्ट्वा (adaṣṭvā) - without biting

• मा (mā) - (lest) it should not (not, do not (prohibitive particle))

• पतेत् (patet) - it should fall, it might fall

• इति (iti) - (indicating the purpose or intention) (thus, so, in this manner)

Words meanings and morphology

जलौकावत् (jalaukāvat) - like a leech

(indeclinable)

Formed by adding the secondary suffix '-vat' (like, similar to) to 'jalaukā' (leech)

पिबेत् (pibet) - should extract/collect (revenue) (like a leech) (should drink, should suck)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of pā

Optative Active

3rd person singular Optative active of the root √pā

Root: pā (class 1)

राष्ट्रम् (rāṣṭram) - kingdom, country, nation

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of rāṣṭra

rāṣṭra - kingdom, country, nation, realm

Neuter noun, accusative singular form

Root: rāj (class 1)

मृदुना (mṛdunā) - by gentle means, gently, softly

(adjective)

Instrumental, neuter, singular of mṛdu

mṛdu - soft, gentle, mild, tender

Instrumental singular of the adjective 'mṛdu', used adverbially to mean 'gently'

Root: mṛd (class 9)

Note: Functions adverbially.

एव (eva) - indeed, only, certainly

(indeclinable)

नराधिप (narādhipa) - O king of men, O ruler

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of narādhipa

narādhipa - lord of men, king, ruler, sovereign

Vocative singular of 'narādhipa', a compound of 'nara' (man) + 'adhipa' (lord)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nara+adhipa)

• nara – man, human, male
  noun (masculine)
  Root: nṛ (class 1)
• adhipa – lord, ruler, master, chief
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from 'adhi' (over) and the root √pā (to protect, to rule)
  Prefix: adhi
  Root: pā (class 1)

व्याघ्री (vyāghrī) - tigress

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of vyāghrī

vyāghrī - tigress (female tiger)

Feminine form of 'vyāghra' (tiger), nominative singular

Root: ghrā (class 1)

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

Particle expressing comparison or similarity

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

हरेत् (haret) - should protectively carry/handle (should carry, should take, should seize)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of hṛ

Optative Active

3rd person singular Optative active of the root √hṛ

Root: hṛ (class 1)

पुत्रम् (putram) - the cub (of the tigress) (son, cub, child)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of putra

putra - son, child, cub, offspring

Masculine noun, accusative singular form

Root: pu (class 1)

अदष्ट्वा (adaṣṭvā) - without biting

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (gerund) with negative particle

Negative absolutive formed from the root √daṃś (to bite) with the negative prefix 'a-' and absolutive suffix '-tvā'

Prefix: a

Root: daṃś (class 1)

मा (mā) - (lest) it should not (not, do not (prohibitive particle))

(indeclinable)

Prohibitive particle, often used with optative or subjunctive to express negative purpose or fear

पतेत् (patet) - it should fall, it might fall

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of pat

Optative Active

3rd person singular Optative active of the root √pat

Root: pat (class 1)

इति (iti) - (indicating the purpose or intention) (thus, so, in this manner)

(indeclinable)

Particle used to mark the end of a quote, statement, or purpose