महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-133, verse-53

उमोवाच ।
सावद्यं किं नु वै कर्म निरवद्यं तथैव च ।
श्रेयः कुर्वन्नवाप्नोति मानवो देवसत्तम ॥५३॥

53. umovāca ,
sāvadyaṁ kiṁ nu vai karma niravadyaṁ tathaiva ca ,
śreyaḥ kurvannavāpnoti mānavo devasattama.

53. umā uvāca sāvadhyam kim nu vai karma niravadhyam tathā
eva ca śreyaḥ kurvan avāpnoti mānavaḥ devasattama

53. umā uvāca devasattama kim nu vai sāvadhyam karma tathā
eva ca niravadhyam mānavaḥ kurvan śreyaḥ kim avāpnoti

53. Uma said: 'O best of gods, what kind of action (karma) is indeed blameworthy, and what kind is blameless? What does a human being attain by performing that which is superior?'

Words meanings summery:

• उमा (umā) - Uma (Uma (name of Shiva's consort))

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (he/she said)

• सावद्यम् (sāvadyam) - blameworthy (blameworthy, faulty, sinful)

• किम् (kim) - what kind of (what, which, who)

• नु (nu) - indeed (indeed, now, perhaps (interrogative or emphatic particle))

• वै (vai) - indeed (indeed, certainly, verily (emphatic particle))

• कर्म (karma) - action (karma) (action, deed, work, ritual, fate)

• निरवद्यम् (niravadyam) - blameless (blameless, faultless, innocent)

• तथा (tathā) - and (so, thus, in that manner)

• एव (eva) - indeed (indeed, only, just)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - that which is superior (the superior, the good, welfare, ultimate good)

• कुर्वन् (kurvan) - performing (doing, performing, making)

• अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - attains (he/she/it attains, obtains, reaches)

• मानवः (mānavaḥ) - human being (human being, man, descendant of Manu)

• देवसत्तम (devasattama) - O best of gods (addressing Shiva) (O best of gods)

Words meanings and morphology

उमा (umā) - Uma (Uma (name of Shiva's consort))

(proper noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of umā

umā - Uma, name of Parvati

उवाच (uvāca) - said (he/she said)

(verb)

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

Perfect (lit) active

3rd person singular perfect active of √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

सावद्यम् (sāvadyam) - blameworthy (blameworthy, faulty, sinful)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of sāvadya

sāvadya - blameworthy, faulty, sinful, with fault

Compound of sa (with) + avadya (fault)

Compound type : bahuvrihi (sa+avadya)

• sa – with, together with
  indeclinable
  prefix
• avadya – fault, blame, sin, reproach
  noun (neuter)
  Gerundive
  From ava + √vad (to speak), meaning 'that which should be reproached'
  Prefix: ava
  Root: vad (class 1)

किम् (kim) - what kind of (what, which, who)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who, whether

नु (nu) - indeed (indeed, now, perhaps (interrogative or emphatic particle))

(indeclinable)

वै (vai) - indeed (indeed, certainly, verily (emphatic particle))

(indeclinable)

कर्म (karma) - action (karma) (action, deed, work, ritual, fate)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of karma

karma - action, deed, work, fate, ritual (karma)

From root √kṛ (to do)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

निरवद्यम् (niravadyam) - blameless (blameless, faultless, innocent)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of niravadya

niravadya - blameless, faultless, innocent, without fault

Compound of nir (without) + avadya (fault)

Compound type : bahuvrihi (nis+avadya)

• nis – out, without, away
  indeclinable
  prefix, becomes nir- before vowels
• avadya – fault, blame, sin, reproach
  noun (neuter)
  Gerundive
  From ava + √vad (to speak), meaning 'that which should be reproached'
  Prefix: ava
  Root: vad (class 1)

तथा (tathā) - and (so, thus, in that manner)

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed (indeed, only, just)

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

श्रेयः (śreyaḥ) - that which is superior (the superior, the good, welfare, ultimate good)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of śreyas

śreyas - superior, excellent, good, welfare, ultimate good, beatitude

Comparative form of śrī (prosperity) or praśasya (excellent).

कुर्वन् (kurvan) - performing (doing, performing, making)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of √kṛ

kṛ - to do, to make, to perform

Present Active Participle

Present active participle of root √kṛ (to do, to make)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Modifies 'mānavaḥ'.

अवाप्नोति (avāpnoti) - attains (he/she/it attains, obtains, reaches)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of ava√āp

From prefix ava + root √āp (to obtain)

Prefix: ava

Root: āp (class 5)

मानवः (mānavaḥ) - human being (human being, man, descendant of Manu)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mānava

mānava - human being, man, descendant of Manu

Derived from Manu (the first man, lawgiver)

देवसत्तम (devasattama) - O best of gods (addressing Shiva) (O best of gods)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of devasattama

devasattama - best of gods, supreme among deities

Compound of deva (god) + sattama (superlative of sat, good/excellent)

Compound type : tatpurusha (deva+sattama)

• deva – god, deity
  noun (masculine)
• sattama – best, most excellent, supreme
  adjective (masculine)
  Superlative suffix -tama to 'sat' (good/existent)