महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-135, verse-64

धर्मगुब्धर्मकृद्धर्मी सदसत्क्षरमक्षरम् ।
अविज्ञाता सहस्रांशुर्विधाता कृतलक्षणः ॥६४॥

64. dharmagubdharmakṛddharmī sadasatkṣaramakṣaram ,
avijñātā sahasrāṁśurvidhātā kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ.

64. dharmagup dharmakṛt dharmī sat asat kṣaram
akṣaram avijñātā sahasrāṃśuḥ vidhātā kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ

64. He is the protector of natural law (dharmagup), the performer of natural law (dharmakṛt), and the embodiment of natural law (dharmī). He is both the existent (sat) and the non-existent (asat), the perishable (kṣaram) and the imperishable (akṣaram). He is the Unknowable (avijñātā), the thousand-rayed (sahasrāṃśuḥ), the Ordainer (vidhātā), and the one who has established all distinguishing characteristics (kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ).

Words meanings summery:

• धर्मगुप् (dharmagup) - The one who protects the natural law (dharma). (Protector of dharma, guardian of justice.)

• धर्मकृत् (dharmakṛt) - The one who performs and establishes the natural law (dharma). (Performer of dharma, one who establishes dharma.)

• धर्मी (dharmī) - The one who embodies the natural law (dharma). (Possessor of dharma, righteous, virtuous.)

• सत् (sat) - The ultimate reality or existent principle. (Existent, real, true, good.)

• असत् (asat) - The non-existent or unmanifest aspect. (Non-existent, unreal, false.)

• क्षरम् (kṣaram) - That which is subject to decay and destruction (matter). (Perishable, destructible.)

• अक्षरम् (akṣaram) - That which is eternal and unchanging (spirit/brahman). (Imperishable, indestructible, letter, syllable.)

• अविज्ञाता (avijñātā) - The one who cannot be known or understood by ordinary means, the Unknowable. (Unknowing, unknown, not understood.)

• सहस्रांशुः (sahasrāṁśuḥ) - The one with a thousand rays, like the sun, indicating radiance and omnipresence. (Thousand-rayed (epithet of the sun).)

• विधाता (vidhātā) - The one who creates, arranges, and ordains the cosmic order. (Creator, disposer, ordainer.)

• कृतलक्षणः (kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ) - The one who has established or defined all the specific characteristics of existence. (Having distinguishing marks/characteristics, one who has created characteristics.)

Words meanings and morphology

धर्मगुप् (dharmagup) - The one who protects the natural law (dharma). (Protector of dharma, guardian of justice.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharmagup

dharmagup - protector of dharma/justice.

Compound of dharma and gup (protector, from root gup).

Compound type : tatpurusha (dharma+gup)

• dharma – natural law, constitution, righteousness, duty
  noun (masculine)
• gup – protector, guardian
  adjective
  Derived from root 'gup' (to protect).
  Root: gup (class 1)

Note: The final p becomes b before a voiced consonant or is retained as p before a pause. Here sandhi undone makes it p.

धर्मकृत् (dharmakṛt) - The one who performs and establishes the natural law (dharma). (Performer of dharma, one who establishes dharma.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharmakṛt

dharmakṛt - one who acts according to dharma, performer of dharma.

Compound of dharma and kṛt (doer, from root kṛ).

Compound type : tatpurusha (dharma+kṛt)

• dharma – natural law, constitution, righteousness, duty
  noun (masculine)
• kṛt – doer, maker, performing
  adjective
  Suffix -kvip from root kṛ.
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: The final t becomes d before a voiced consonant (like dh in dharmī). Here sandhi undone makes it t.

धर्मी (dharmī) - The one who embodies the natural law (dharma). (Possessor of dharma, righteous, virtuous.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharmin

dharmin - righteous, virtuous, one who possesses dharma, an attribute.

From dharma with suffix -in.

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Nominative singular of dharmin.

सत् (sat) - The ultimate reality or existent principle. (Existent, real, true, good.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sat

sat - existing, real, true, good, virtuous.

Present Active Participle

Present participle of as (to be).

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Used as a substantive, 'the existent'. The 't' becomes 'd' before a voiced consonant.

असत् (asat) - The non-existent or unmanifest aspect. (Non-existent, unreal, false.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of asat

asat - non-existent, unreal, false, evil.

Present Active Participle (negative)

Negative prefix a- + sat (present participle of as).

Compound type : nañ-tatpurusha (a+sat)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix.
• sat – existing, real
  adjective (masculine)
  Present Active Participle
  Present participle of as (to be).
  Root: as (class 2)

Note: Used as a substantive, 'the non-existent'.

क्षरम् (kṣaram) - That which is subject to decay and destruction (matter). (Perishable, destructible.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kṣara

kṣara - perishable, destructible, flowing.

From root kṣar (to flow, to perish).

Root: kṣar (class 1)

Note: Here used as a substantive, 'the perishable'.

अक्षरम् (akṣaram) - That which is eternal and unchanging (spirit/brahman). (Imperishable, indestructible, letter, syllable.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of akṣara

akṣara - imperishable, indestructible, eternal; a letter or syllable.

Negative prefix a- + kṣara.

Compound type : nañ-tatpurusha (a+kṣara)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix.
• kṣara – perishable, destructible
  adjective (masculine)
  From root kṣar (to flow, to perish).
  Root: kṣar (class 1)

Note: Here used as a substantive, 'the imperishable'.

अविज्ञाता (avijñātā) - The one who cannot be known or understood by ordinary means, the Unknowable. (Unknowing, unknown, not understood.)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of avijñātṛ

avijñātṛ - one who does not know, ignorant (agent noun); unknowable, not understood (adjective).

Negative prefix a- + vijñātṛ (agent noun from vi-jñā, to know well).

Compound type : nañ-tatpurusha (a+vijñātṛ)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix.
• vijñātṛ – knower, one who understands
  noun (masculine)
  Agent noun from root jñā with prefix vi.
  Prefix: vi
  Root: jñā (class 9)

Note: Nominative singular form.

सहस्रांशुः (sahasrāṁśuḥ) - The one with a thousand rays, like the sun, indicating radiance and omnipresence. (Thousand-rayed (epithet of the sun).)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sahasrāṃśu

sahasrāṁśu - thousand-rayed; the sun.

Compound of sahasra (thousand) and aṃśu (ray).

Compound type : bahuvrihi (sahasra+aṃśu)

• sahasra – thousand
  numeral/noun (neuter)
• aṃśu – ray, beam, point
  noun (masculine)

विधाता (vidhātā) - The one who creates, arranges, and ordains the cosmic order. (Creator, disposer, ordainer.)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vidhātṛ

vidhātṛ - creator, disposer, ordainer, Brahma.

Agent noun from root dhā with prefix vi.

Prefix: vi

Root: dhā (class 3)

Note: Nominative singular of vidhātṛ.

कृतलक्षणः (kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ) - The one who has established or defined all the specific characteristics of existence. (Having distinguishing marks/characteristics, one who has created characteristics.)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kṛtalakṣaṇa

kṛtalakṣaṇa - having specific marks, characterized, distinguished; one who has created marks.

Compound of kṛta (made/done, past passive participle of kṛ) and lakṣaṇa (mark/sign).

Compound type : bahuvrihi (kṛta+lakṣaṇa)

• kṛta – done, made, performed
  adjective
  Past Passive Participle
  From root kṛ (to do, to make).
  Root: kṛ (class 8)
• lakṣaṇa – mark, sign, characteristic, definition
  noun (neuter)

Note: Refers to the Lord as the one who established the distinct features of everything.