महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-96, verse-15

यो वै जयत्यधर्मेण क्षत्रियो वर्धमानकः ।
आत्मानमात्मना हन्ति पापो निकृतिजीवनः ॥१५॥

15. yo vai jayatyadharmeṇa kṣatriyo vardhamānakaḥ ,
ātmānamātmanā hanti pāpo nikṛtijīvanaḥ.

15. yaḥ vai jayati adharmeṇa kṣatriyaḥ vardhamānakaḥ
ātmānam ātmanā hanti pāpaḥ nikṛti-jīvanaḥ

15. yaḥ vardhamānakaḥ kṣatriyaḥ vai adharmeṇa jayati,
saḥ pāpaḥ nikṛtijīvanaḥ (san) ātmanā ātmānam hanti.

15. Indeed, any Kṣatriya who prospers and achieves victory through unrighteousness (adharma), that sinful individual, living by deceit, destroys his own self (ātman) by his own (actions).

Words meanings summery:

• यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, whoever, which)

• वै (vai) - indeed (indeed, certainly, surely)

• जयति (jayati) - achieves victory (conquers, wins, overcomes)

• अधर्मेण (adharmeṇa) - through unrighteousness (adharma) (by unrighteousness, by injustice, by impiety)

• क्षत्रियः (kṣatriyaḥ) - any Kṣatriya (a warrior, a member of the Kṣatriya (warrior/ruling) caste)

• वर्धमानकः (vardhamānakaḥ) - prospers (and achieves victory) (growing, increasing, prospering, thriving)

• आत्मानम् (ātmānam) - his own self (ātman) (oneself, the self, soul, spirit (ātman))

• आत्मना (ātmanā) - by his own (actions) (by oneself, by the self (ātman), by the soul)

• हन्ति (hanti) - destroys (kills, strikes, destroys, harms)

• पापः (pāpaḥ) - that sinful individual (sinful, wicked, evil; sin, evil)

• निकृति-जीवनः (nikṛti-jīvanaḥ) - living by deceit (living by deceit, earning a livelihood by fraud, deceitful in livelihood)

Words meanings and morphology

यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, whoever, which)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, what

Relative pronoun.

Note: Refers to the Kṣatriya.

वै (vai) - indeed (indeed, certainly, surely)

(indeclinable)

Emphatic particle.

जयति (jayati) - achieves victory (conquers, wins, overcomes)

(verb)

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

present tense, 3rd person singular

From root √ji 'to conquer'.

Root: ji (class 1)

अधर्मेण (adharmeṇa) - through unrighteousness (adharma) (by unrighteousness, by injustice, by impiety)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of adharma

adharma - unrighteousness, injustice, impiety, not natural law

Negative tatpuruṣa compound: a (not) + dharma (natural law).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (a+dharma)

• a – not, un-, without
  indeclinable
• dharma – natural law, constitution, duty, righteousness, virtue, cosmic order, religion, intrinsic nature
  noun (masculine)
  From √dhṛ 'to uphold, sustain'.
  Root: dhṛ (class 3)

Note: Denotes means.

क्षत्रियः (kṣatriyaḥ) - any Kṣatriya (a warrior, a member of the Kṣatriya (warrior/ruling) caste)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kṣatriya

kṣatriya - a member of the warrior or ruling class, a warrior, a ruler

From kṣatra 'dominion, power'.

Note: Subject of the relative clause.

वर्धमानकः (vardhamānakaḥ) - prospers (and achieves victory) (growing, increasing, prospering, thriving)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vardhamānaka

vardhamānaka - growing, increasing, prospering, thriving

From present participle vardhamāna (of √vṛdh 'to grow') + suffix -ka.

Root: vṛdh (class 1)

Note: Qualifies kṣatriyaḥ.

आत्मानम् (ātmānam) - his own self (ātman) (oneself, the self, soul, spirit (ātman))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of ātman

ātman - self, soul, spirit, essence, mind, body

From √at 'to breathe'.

Root: at (class 1)

Note: Object of hanti.

आत्मना (ātmanā) - by his own (actions) (by oneself, by the self (ātman), by the soul)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of ātman

ātman - self, soul, spirit, essence, mind, body

From √at 'to breathe'.

Root: at (class 1)

Note: Denotes the agent or means. Emphasizes self-inflicted harm.

हन्ति (hanti) - destroys (kills, strikes, destroys, harms)

(verb)

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

present tense, 3rd person singular

From root √han 'to strike, kill'.

Root: han (class 2)

पापः (pāpaḥ) - that sinful individual (sinful, wicked, evil; sin, evil)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pāpa

pāpa - sinful, wicked, evil; sin, vice, evil deed

Note: Qualifies the implied subject (the Kṣatriya).

निकृति-जीवनः (nikṛti-jīvanaḥ) - living by deceit (living by deceit, earning a livelihood by fraud, deceitful in livelihood)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nikṛtijīvana

nikṛtijīvana - living by deceit, earning a livelihood by fraud

Tatpuruṣa compound: nikṛti (deceit) + jīvana (livelihood/living).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nikṛti+jīvana)

• nikṛti – deceit, fraud, villainy, treachery
  noun (feminine)
  From √kṛ 'to do' with prefix nis-.
  Prefix: nis
  Root: kṛ (class 8)
• jīvana – living, livelihood, life, means of subsistence
  noun (neuter)
  From √jīv 'to live'.
  Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: Qualifies the implied subject (the Kṣatriya).