महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-23, verse-8

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
अपूर्वोऽप्यथ वा विद्वान्संबन्धी वाथ यो भवेत् ।
तपस्वी यज्ञशीलो वा कथं पात्रं भवेत्तु सः ॥८॥

8. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
apūrvo'pyatha vā vidvānsaṁbandhī vātha yo bhavet ,
tapasvī yajñaśīlo vā kathaṁ pātraṁ bhavettu saḥ.

8. Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca apūrvaḥ api
atha vā vidvān sambandhī vā atha
yaḥ bhavet tapasvī yajña-śīlaḥ
vā katham pātram bhavet tu saḥ

8. Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca yaḥ apūrvaḥ api atha vā vidvān vā atha sambandhī vā tapasvī vā yajña-śīlaḥ bhavet,
saḥ tu katham pātram bhavet?

8. Yudhiṣṭhira said: How indeed can a person be considered a worthy recipient (pātra), whether he is a newcomer, or learned, or a relative, or an ascetic (tapasvin), or habitually performs Vedic rituals (yajña)?

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - King Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

• अपूर्वः (apūrvaḥ) - a newcomer (to the community/ritual) (unprecedented, new, not previously existing)

• अपि (api) - whether (he is) also (also, even, too, whether)

• अथ (atha) - or (then, now, moreover, or)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either)

• विद्वान् (vidvān) - learned (learned, wise, knowing)

• सम्बन्धी (sambandhī) - a relative (a relative, connected, related)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either)

• अथ (atha) - or (then, now, moreover, or)

• यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, which, whoever)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may be (should be, may be, might be)

• तपस्वी (tapasvī) - an ascetic (tapasvin) (ascetic, devout, one who performs austerities)

• यज्ञ-शीलः (yajña-śīlaḥ) - habitually performs Vedic rituals (yajña) (habitually performing Vedic rituals, devoted to Vedic rituals)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either)

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

• पात्रम् (pātram) - a worthy recipient (pātra) (vessel, recipient, worthy person)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may be (should be, may be, might be)

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

• सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - King Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of Yudhiṣṭhira

Yudhiṣṭhira - Firm in battle; a proper name, eldest of the Pāṇḍavas

Compound type : aluk-tatpurusha (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle
  noun (feminine)
• sthira – firm, steady, stable
  adjective (masculine)
  Derived from root sthā (to stand)
  Root: sthā (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

Perfect tense, 3rd person singular

Irregular perfect form of √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

अपूर्वः (apūrvaḥ) - a newcomer (to the community/ritual) (unprecedented, new, not previously existing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of apūrva

apūrva - unprecedented, new, not preceded, unusual

Negative compound (nañ-tatpurusha) of pūrva (former)

Compound type : nañ-tatpurusha (a+pūrva)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
  Negative prefix
• pūrva – former, prior, eastern, first
  adjective (masculine)

Note: Refers to 'saḥ' (he).

अपि (api) - whether (he is) also (also, even, too, whether)

(indeclinable)

अथ (atha) - or (then, now, moreover, or)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used in a series of 'whether... or...'

वा (vā) - or (or, either)

(indeclinable)

विद्वान् (vidvān) - learned (learned, wise, knowing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vidvat

vidvat - learned, wise, knowing, intelligent

Present Active Participle

Derived from √vid (to know)

Root: vid (class 2)

Note: Refers to 'saḥ' (he).

सम्बन्धी (sambandhī) - a relative (a relative, connected, related)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sambandhin

sambandhin - related, connected, a relative

Derived from sam-bandh (to bind together)

Prefix: sam

Root: bandh (class 9)

Note: Refers to 'saḥ' (he).

वा (vā) - or (or, either)

(indeclinable)

अथ (atha) - or (then, now, moreover, or)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used in a series of 'whether... or...'

यः (yaḥ) - whoever (who, which, whoever)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, what

Note: Relative pronoun, refers to the unknown person.

भवेत् (bhavet) - may be (should be, may be, might be)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of bhū

Optative mood, 3rd person singular

Root bhū (सत्तायां)

Root: bhū (class 1)

तपस्वी (tapasvī) - an ascetic (tapasvin) (ascetic, devout, one who performs austerities)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tapasvin

tapasvin - ascetic, pious, one who performs austerities

Derived from tapas (austerity) + vin suffix

Note: Refers to 'saḥ' (he).

यज्ञ-शीलः (yajña-śīlaḥ) - habitually performs Vedic rituals (yajña) (habitually performing Vedic rituals, devoted to Vedic rituals)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yajña-śīla

yajña-śīla - devoted to Vedic ritual, habitually performing Vedic ritual

Compound type : bahuvrihi (yajña+śīla)

• yajña – Vedic ritual, sacrifice, worship
  noun (masculine)
  Derived from √yaj (to perform Vedic ritual)
  Root: yaj (class 1)
• śīla – nature, habit, conduct, disposition
  noun (masculine)

Note: Refers to 'saḥ' (he).

वा (vā) - or (or, either)

(indeclinable)

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

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative adverb.

पात्रम् (pātram) - a worthy recipient (pātra) (vessel, recipient, worthy person)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of pātra

pātra - vessel, recipient, worthy person, suitable

भवेत् (bhavet) - may be (should be, may be, might be)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of bhū

Optative mood, 3rd person singular

Root bhū (सत्तायां)

Root: bhū (class 1)

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

(indeclinable)

Note: Used as an emphatic particle here.

सः (saḥ) - he (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - he, she, it, that

Note: Demonstrative pronoun.