महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-1, verse-22

गौतम्युवाच ।
कार्थप्राप्तिर्गृह्य शत्रुं निहत्य का वा शान्तिः प्राप्य शत्रुं नमुक्त्वा ।
कस्मात्सौम्य भुजगे न क्षमेयं मोक्षं वा किं कारणं नास्य कुर्याम् ॥२२॥

22. gautamyuvāca ,
kārthaprāptirgṛhya śatruṁ nihatya; kā vā śāntiḥ prāpya śatruṁ namuktvā ,
kasmātsaumya bhujage na kṣameyaṁ; mokṣaṁ vā kiṁ kāraṇaṁ nāsya kuryām.

22. Gautamī uvāca | kā arthaprāptiḥ gṛhya
śatrum nihatya kā vā śāntiḥ prāpya śatrum
na muktvā | kasmāt saumya bhujage na
kṣameyam mokṣam vā kim kāraṇam na asya kuryām

22. Gautamī uvāca śatrum gṛhya nihatya kā arthaprāptiḥ? śatrum na muktvā vā kā śāntiḥ prāpya? saumya,
kasmāt bhujage na kṣameyam? vā asya mokṣam na kuryām kim kāraṇam?

22. Gautami said: 'What gain is achieved by capturing and killing an enemy? What peace, indeed, is attained by not releasing an enemy? Why, gentle one, should I not forgive this snake? Or for what reason should I not grant it liberation (mokṣa)?'

Words meanings summery:

• गौतमी (gautamī) - Gautami (a proper name, mother of Śvetaketu)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke, told

• का (kā) - what, which

• अर्थप्राप्तिः (arthaprāptiḥ) - what gain, what advantage (attainment of purpose, acquisition of wealth, achievement of goal)

• गृह्य (gṛhya) - having seized, by seizing, by grasping

• शत्रुम् (śatrum) - enemy, foe, adversary

• निहत्य (nihatya) - having killed, by killing

• का (kā) - what, which

• वा (vā) - or, either, and

• शान्तिः (śāntiḥ) - peace, tranquility, calm, cessation, appeasement

• प्राप्य (prāpya) - having obtained, by obtaining, having reached

• शत्रुम् (śatrum) - enemy, foe, adversary

• न (na) - not, no

• मुक्त्वा (muktvā) - having released, by releasing, having set free

• कस्मात् (kasmāt) - why, for what reason, from what

• सौम्य (saumya) - O gentle one (vocative) (gentle, mild, benevolent, agreeable)

• भुजगे (bhujage) - towards this snake (in the snake, to the snake)

• न (na) - not, no

• क्षमेयम् (kṣameyam) - I should forgive, I should tolerate, I should endure

• मोक्षम् (mokṣam) - liberation, release, freedom, salvation

• वा (vā) - or, either, and

• किम् (kim) - for what (reason) (what, which, why)

• कारणम् (kāraṇam) - reason, cause, motive, instrument

• न (na) - not, no

• अस्य (asya) - of this (snake) (of this, his, its)

• कुर्याम् (kuryām) - I should do, I should make, I should perform

Words meanings and morphology

गौतमी (gautamī) - Gautami (a proper name, mother of Śvetaketu)

(proper noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of Gautamī

Gautamī - Gautami

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke, told

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

का (kā) - what, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

अर्थप्राप्तिः (arthaprāptiḥ) - what gain, what advantage (attainment of purpose, acquisition of wealth, achievement of goal)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of arthaprāpti

arthaprāpti - attainment of purpose, acquisition of wealth, achievement of goal

Compound type : tatpurusha (artha+prāpti)

• artha – purpose, aim, object, wealth, meaning, sense
  noun (masculine)
• prāpti – attainment, acquisition, obtaining, finding
  noun (feminine)
  Derived from root āp (to obtain) with prefix pra
  Prefix: pra
  Root: āp (class 5)

गृह्य (gṛhya) - having seized, by seizing, by grasping

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed with -ya suffix from root grah (to seize, take)

Root: grah (class 9)

शत्रुम् (śatrum) - enemy, foe, adversary

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of śatru

śatru - enemy, foe, adversary

निहत्य (nihatya) - having killed, by killing

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed with -ya suffix from root han (to strike, kill) with prefix ni

Prefix: ni

Root: han (class 2)

का (kā) - what, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

वा (vā) - or, either, and

(indeclinable)

शान्तिः (śāntiḥ) - peace, tranquility, calm, cessation, appeasement

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śānti

śānti - peace, tranquility, calm, cessation, appeasement

Derived from root śam (to be calm, to cease)

Root: śam (class 4)

प्राप्य (prāpya) - having obtained, by obtaining, having reached

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed with -ya suffix from root āp (to obtain) with prefix pra

Prefix: pra

Root: āp (class 5)

शत्रुम् (śatrum) - enemy, foe, adversary

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of śatru

śatru - enemy, foe, adversary

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

मुक्त्वा (muktvā) - having released, by releasing, having set free

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed with -tvā suffix from the root muc (to release, free)

Root: muc (class 6)

कस्मात् (kasmāt) - why, for what reason, from what

(indeclinable)

Note: Used adverbially to mean 'why'

सौम्य (saumya) - O gentle one (vocative) (gentle, mild, benevolent, agreeable)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of saumya

saumya - gentle, mild, benevolent, agreeable

Derived from 'soma'

भुजगे (bhujage) - towards this snake (in the snake, to the snake)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of bhujaga

bhujaga - serpent, snake

Compound 'bhuja' (arm/hand) + 'ga' (going), referring to crawling with body like arms

Compound type : tatpurusha (bhuja+ga)

• bhuja – arm, hand, curve
  noun (masculine)
• ga – going, moving, a goer
  adjective (masculine)
  Agent Noun
  Derived from root gam (to go)
  Root: gam (class 1)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

क्षमेयम् (kṣameyam) - I should forgive, I should tolerate, I should endure

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of kṣam

Root: kṣam (class 1)

मोक्षम् (mokṣam) - liberation, release, freedom, salvation

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of mokṣa

mokṣa - liberation, release, freedom, salvation

Derived from root muc (to release)

Root: muc (class 6)

वा (vā) - or, either, and

(indeclinable)

किम् (kim) - for what (reason) (what, which, why)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

कारणम् (kāraṇam) - reason, cause, motive, instrument

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of kāraṇa

kāraṇa - reason, cause, motive, instrument

Derived from root kṛ (to do)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

अस्य (asya) - of this (snake) (of this, his, its)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this, that

कुर्याम् (kuryām) - I should do, I should make, I should perform

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)