महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-10, verse-16

भीष्म उवाच ।
एवमुक्तस्तु मुनिना स शूद्रोऽचिन्तयन्नृप ।
कथमत्र मया कार्यं श्रद्धा धर्मे परा च मे ।
विज्ञातमेवं भवतु करिष्ये प्रियमात्मनः ॥१६॥

16. bhīṣma uvāca ,
evamuktastu muninā sa śūdro'cintayannṛpa ,
kathamatra mayā kāryaṁ śraddhā dharme parā ca me ,
vijñātamevaṁ bhavatu kariṣye priyamātmanaḥ.

16. bhīṣmaḥ uvāca evam uktaḥ tu muninā sa
śūdraḥ acintayat nṛpa katham atra mayā
kāryam śraddhā dharme parā ca me vijñātam
evam bhavatu kariṣye priyam ātmanaḥ

16. bhīṣmaḥ uvāca nṛpa muninā evam uktaḥ tu
sa śūdraḥ acintayat atra mayā kāryam
katham? me parā śraddhā dharme ca evam
vijñātam bhavatu ātmanaḥ priyam kariṣye

16. Bhīṣma said: O King, when that śūdra was thus addressed by the sage, he pondered: 'How should I act here? My supreme faith (śraddhā) is in natural law (dharma). Let it be known thus: I will do what is beneficial for my own self (ātman).'

Words meanings summery:

• भीष्मः (bhīṣmaḥ) - Bhīṣma (proper noun)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• एवम् (evam) - thus, in this manner, so

• उक्तः (uktaḥ) - spoken, said

• तु (tu) - but, indeed, yet, on the other hand

• मुनिना (muninā) - by the sage, by the ascetic

• स (sa) - that, he

• शूद्रः (śūdraḥ) - a śūdra (member of the fourth varṇa)

• अचिन्तयत् (acintayat) - thought, pondered

• नृप (nṛpa) - O king

• कथम् (katham) - how? in what manner?

• अत्र (atra) - here, in this place, on this occasion

• मया (mayā) - by me

• कार्यम् (kāryam) - what is to be done (to be done, duty, action)

• श्रद्धा (śraddhā) - faith (śraddhā) (faith, belief, trust)

• धर्मे (dharme) - in natural law (dharma) (in natural law, in righteousness, in duty)

• परा (parā) - supreme, highest, excellent

• च (ca) - and

• मे (me) - my, to me, for me

• विज्ञातम् (vijñātam) - known, understood

• एवम् (evam) - thus, so

• भवतु (bhavatu) - let it be, may it be

• करिष्ये (kariṣye) - I shall do, I will perform

• प्रियम् (priyam) - what is beneficial (dear, pleasant, beneficial, beloved)

• आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) - for my own self (ātman) (of the self, for the self, of oneself)

Words meanings and morphology

भीष्मः (bhīṣmaḥ) - Bhīṣma (proper noun)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhīṣma

bhīṣma - Bhīṣma (name of a Kuru warrior, son of Gaṅgā and Śāntanu)

Note: Speaker of the verse.

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

Root vac (class 2)

Root: vac (class 2)

एवम् (evam) - thus, in this manner, so

(indeclinable)

उक्तः (uktaḥ) - spoken, said

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ukta

ukta - spoken, said, told

Past Passive Participle

From root vac

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Qualifies śūdraḥ.

तु (tu) - but, indeed, yet, on the other hand

(indeclinable)

मुनिना (muninā) - by the sage, by the ascetic

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of muni

muni - sage, ascetic, silent one, seer

Note: Agent in a passive construction ("by the sage").

स (sa) - that, he

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to the śūdra.

शूद्रः (śūdraḥ) - a śūdra (member of the fourth varṇa)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śūdra

śūdra - a member of the fourth social class/varṇa

Note: Subject of the verb acintayat.

अचिन्तयत् (acintayat) - thought, pondered

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperfect (laṅ) of cint

Imperfect Active

From root cit (class 10 causative, cintayati)

Root: cit (class 10)

नृप (nṛpa) - O king

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of nṛpa

nṛpa - king, ruler

nṛ (man) + pa (protector)

कथम् (katham) - how? in what manner?

(indeclinable)

अत्र (atra) - here, in this place, on this occasion

(indeclinable)

मया (mayā) - by me

(pronoun)

Instrumental, singular of mad

mad - I, me (first person pronoun)

Note: Agent in a passive construction with kāryam.

कार्यम् (kāryam) - what is to be done (to be done, duty, action)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kārya

kārya - to be done, duty, action, business

Gerundive (Potential Passive Participle)

From root kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Used as a noun here, "what is to be done."

श्रद्धा (śraddhā) - faith (śraddhā) (faith, belief, trust)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śraddhā

śraddhā - faith, trust, belief, confidence, reverence

From śrat + root dhā

Root: dhā (class 3)

Note: Subject of the sentence.

धर्मे (dharme) - in natural law (dharma) (in natural law, in righteousness, in duty)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - natural law, righteousness, duty, virtue, custom, religion

From root dhṛ (to hold, support)

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: "in dharma."

परा (parā) - supreme, highest, excellent

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of para

para - other, distant, ultimate, supreme, excellent

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

मे (me) - my, to me, for me

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of mad

mad - I, me (first person pronoun)

Note: Enclitic form for genitive ("my").

विज्ञातम् (vijñātam) - known, understood

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vijñāta

vijñāta - known, understood, perceived

Past Passive Participle

From root jñā with prefix vi

Prefix: vi

Root: jñā (class 9)

एवम् (evam) - thus, so

(indeclinable)

भवतु (bhavatu) - let it be, may it be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of bhū

Imperative Active

Root bhū (class 1)

Root: bhū (class 1)

करिष्ये (kariṣye) - I shall do, I will perform

(verb)

1st person , singular, middle, future (lṛṭ) of kṛ

Future Middle

Root kṛ (class 8), ātmanepada form for future.

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: ātmanepada form implies "for myself."

प्रियम् (priyam) - what is beneficial (dear, pleasant, beneficial, beloved)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of priya

priya - dear, beloved, pleasant, agreeable, beneficial

Note: Object of kariṣye.

आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) - for my own self (ātman) (of the self, for the self, of oneself)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of ātman

ātman - self, soul, spirit, essence

Note: "of my own self."