महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-107, verse-9

आचारलक्षणो धर्मः सन्तश्चाचारलक्षणाः ।
साधूनां च यथा वृत्तमेतदाचारलक्षणम् ॥९॥

9. ācāralakṣaṇo dharmaḥ santaścācāralakṣaṇāḥ ,
sādhūnāṁ ca yathā vṛttametadācāralakṣaṇam.

9. ācāralakṣaṇaḥ dharmaḥ santaḥ ca ācāralakṣaṇāḥ
sādhūnām ca yathā vṛttam etat ācāralakṣaṇam

9. dharmaḥ ācāralakṣaṇaḥ santaḥ ca ācāralakṣaṇāḥ
ca sādhūnām yathā vṛttam etat ācāralakṣaṇam

9. Good conduct defines the natural law (dharma); virtuous individuals are themselves characterized by good conduct. The behavior of noble persons is indeed the very essence of good conduct.

Words meanings summery:

• आचारलक्षणः (ācāralakṣaṇaḥ) - defined by good conduct (characterized by conduct, having conduct as a distinguishing mark)

• धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - natural law (dharma) (natural law, constitution, duty, righteousness, virtue)

• सन्तः (santaḥ) - virtuous people (good, virtuous, noble people, saints)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• आचारलक्षणाः (ācāralakṣaṇāḥ) - characterized by good conduct (characterized by conduct, having conduct as a distinguishing mark)

• साधूनाम् (sādhūnām) - of noble persons (of good people, of saints, of virtuous persons)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• यथा (yathā) - just as (as, just as, according to)

• वृत्तम् (vṛttam) - behavior (conduct, behavior, occurrence, event, that which has happened)

• एतत् (etat) - this (itself) (this, this one)

• आचारलक्षणम् (ācāralakṣaṇam) - the very essence of good conduct (characteristic of conduct, that which defines conduct)

Words meanings and morphology

आचारलक्षणः (ācāralakṣaṇaḥ) - defined by good conduct (characterized by conduct, having conduct as a distinguishing mark)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ācāralakṣaṇa

ācāralakṣaṇa - characterized by conduct, whose distinguishing mark is conduct

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (ācāra+lakṣaṇa)

• ācāra – conduct, custom, practice, tradition
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from root car with prefix ā.
  Prefix: ā
  Root: car (class 1)
• lakṣaṇa – mark, sign, characteristic, definition
  noun (neuter)
  Root: lakṣ (class 10)

धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - natural law (dharma) (natural law, constitution, duty, righteousness, virtue)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharma

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

Derived from root dhṛ.

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

सन्तः (santaḥ) - virtuous people (good, virtuous, noble people, saints)

(participle)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sant

sant - being, existing, good, virtuous, noble, saint

Present active participle

From root as (to be).

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Used as a noun meaning 'good people'.

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

आचारलक्षणाः (ācāralakṣaṇāḥ) - characterized by good conduct (characterized by conduct, having conduct as a distinguishing mark)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of ācāralakṣaṇa

ācāralakṣaṇa - characterized by conduct, whose distinguishing mark is conduct

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (ācāra+lakṣaṇa)

• ācāra – conduct, custom, practice, tradition
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from root car with prefix ā.
  Prefix: ā
  Root: car (class 1)
• lakṣaṇa – mark, sign, characteristic, definition
  noun (neuter)
  Root: lakṣ (class 10)

Note: Agrees with 'santaḥ'.

साधूनाम् (sādhūnām) - of noble persons (of good people, of saints, of virtuous persons)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of sādhu

sādhu - good, virtuous, righteous, saintly, noble; a good person, a saint

Root: sādh (class 5)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

यथा (yathā) - just as (as, just as, according to)

(indeclinable)

वृत्तम् (vṛttam) - behavior (conduct, behavior, occurrence, event, that which has happened)

(participle)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vṛtta

vṛtta - happened, occurred, existed, conduct, behavior

Past passive participle

From root vṛt (to be, to exist, to turn).

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Used as a noun meaning 'conduct'.

एतत् (etat) - this (itself) (this, this one)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

आचारलक्षणम् (ācāralakṣaṇam) - the very essence of good conduct (characteristic of conduct, that which defines conduct)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of ācāralakṣaṇa

ācāralakṣaṇa - characterized by conduct, whose distinguishing mark is conduct

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (ācāra+lakṣaṇa)

• ācāra – conduct, custom, practice, tradition
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from root car with prefix ā.
  Prefix: ā
  Root: car (class 1)
• lakṣaṇa – mark, sign, characteristic, definition
  noun (neuter)
  Root: lakṣ (class 10)

Note: Functioning substantively as a noun, 'the characteristic of conduct'.