महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-96, verse-17

नाधर्मश्चरितो राजन्सद्यः फलति गौरिव ।
मूलान्यस्य प्रशाखाश्च दहन्समनुगच्छति ॥१७॥

17. nādharmaścarito rājansadyaḥ phalati gauriva ,
mūlānyasya praśākhāśca dahansamanugacchati.

17. na adharmaḥ caritaḥ rājan sadyaḥ phalati gauḥ iva
| mūlāni asya praśākhāḥ ca dahan samanugacchati

17. rājan,
caritaḥ adharmaḥ sadyaḥ gauḥ iva na phalati dahan asya mūlāni praśākhāḥ ca samanugacchati

17. O king, unrighteousness (adharma) practiced does not immediately bear fruit, like a cow (does not immediately give milk). Instead, it gradually consumes (burns) its roots and branches.

Words meanings summery:

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• अधर्मः (adharmaḥ) - unrighteousness (adharma) (unrighteousness, injustice, impiety)

• चरितः (caritaḥ) - practiced (practiced, performed, undertaken)

• राजन् (rājan) - O king!

• सद्यः (sadyaḥ) - immediately (immediately, at once, promptly)

• फलति (phalati) - bears fruit (bears fruit, results, ripens)

• गौः (gauḥ) - cow (cow, ox, earth, ray of light)

• इव (iva) - like (like, as, as if)

• मूलानि (mūlāni) - roots (roots, origins, foundations)

• अस्य (asya) - its (referring to unrighteousness) (of this, its, of him)

• प्रशाखाः (praśākhāḥ) - branches (branches, sub-branches)

• च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

• दहन् (dahan) - burning, consuming (burning, consuming, scorching)

• समनुगच्छति (samanugacchati) - gradually consumes, follows (while burning) (follows, accompanies, reaches, consumes (figuratively))

Words meanings and morphology

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

अधर्मः (adharmaḥ) - unrighteousness (adharma) (unrighteousness, injustice, impiety)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of adharma

adharma - unrighteousness, injustice, wrong, vice, impiety, not following natural law

Nañ-tatpuruṣa compound of 'a' (negation) and 'dharma'

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+dharma)

• a – not, un-, non-
  indeclinable
• dharma – natural law, constitution, righteousness, duty, virtue, intrinsic nature
  noun (masculine)
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)

चरितः (caritaḥ) - practiced (practiced, performed, undertaken)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of carita

carita - practiced, performed, acted, behaved, moved; character, conduct

Past Passive Participle

Derived from the root car (to move, to practice)

Root: car (class 1)

Note: Functions as an adjective modifying 'adharmaḥ'.

राजन् (rājan) - O king!

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler, chief

सद्यः (sadyaḥ) - immediately (immediately, at once, promptly)

(indeclinable)

फलति (phalati) - bears fruit (bears fruit, results, ripens)

(verb)

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

Root: phal (class 1)

गौः (gauḥ) - cow (cow, ox, earth, ray of light)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of go

go - cow, ox, cattle; earth, heaven, ray of light, water

इव (iva) - like (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

मूलानि (mūlāni) - roots (roots, origins, foundations)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of mūla

mūla - root, origin, foundation, base; cause

अस्य (asya) - its (referring to unrighteousness) (of this, its, of him)

(pronoun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, this one, he, she, it

Note: Possessive, 'its'.

प्रशाखाः (praśākhāḥ) - branches (branches, sub-branches)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, plural of praśākhā

praśākhā - branch, twig, sub-branch; ramifications

Compound of 'pra' (forth) and 'śākhā' (branch)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pra+śākhā)

• pra – forward, forth, intense, very
  indeclinable
• śākhā – branch, bough, arm, division
  noun (feminine)

च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

(indeclinable)

दहन् (dahan) - burning, consuming (burning, consuming, scorching)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dahat

dahat - burning, consuming, scorching

Present Active Participle

Derived from the root dah (to burn)

Root: dah (class 1)

Note: Functions as an adjective in apposition to the subject of 'samanugacchati'.

समनुगच्छति (samanugacchati) - gradually consumes, follows (while burning) (follows, accompanies, reaches, consumes (figuratively))

(verb)

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

Root 'gam' (to go) with prefixes 'sam' (together, completely) and 'anu' (after, along)

Prefixes: sam+anu

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Subject is implied 'adharma' (unrighteousness).