महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-27, verse-39

तिष्ठेद्युगसहस्रं तु पादेनैकेन यः पुमान् ।
मासमेकं तु गङ्गायां समौ स्यातां न वा समौ ॥३९॥

39. tiṣṭhedyugasahasraṁ tu pādenaikena yaḥ pumān ,
māsamekaṁ tu gaṅgāyāṁ samau syātāṁ na vā samau.

39. tiṣṭhet yugasahasram tu pādena ekena yaḥ pumān
māsam ekam tu gaṅgāyām samau syātām na vā samau

39. yaḥ pumān ekena pādena yugasahasram tiṣṭhet,
tu ekam māsam gaṅgāyām,
samau syātām na vā samau

39. If a man were to stand on one foot for a thousand ages (yugas), and another were to reside in the Gaṅgā for a single month, would these two be equal, or rather, not equal?

Words meanings summery:

• तिष्ठेत् (tiṣṭhet) - should stand, should remain

• युगसहस्रम् (yugasahasram) - a thousand yugas, a thousand ages

• तु (tu) - but, indeed, however

• पादेन (pādena) - by foot, on foot

• एकेन (ekena) - by one, on one

• यः (yaḥ) - who, which

• पुमान् (pumān) - man, male, person

• मासम् (māsam) - month

• एकम् (ekam) - one, single

• तु (tu) - but, indeed, however

• गङ्गायाम् (gaṅgāyām) - in the Gaṅgā

• समौ (samau) - equal, alike, same

• स्याताम् (syātām) - they two would be

• न (na) - not, no

• वा (vā) - or, either

• समौ (samau) - equal, alike, same

Words meanings and morphology

तिष्ठेत् (tiṣṭhet) - should stand, should remain

(verb)

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

Optative Mood, Parasmaipada

Root √sthā, 1st conjugation, present stem 'tiṣṭha-'

Root: sthā (class 1)

युगसहस्रम् (yugasahasram) - a thousand yugas, a thousand ages

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of yugasahasra

yugasahasra - a thousand ages or epochs (yugas)

Compound (Tatpuruṣa) of 'yuga' (age) and 'sahasra' (thousand)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (yuga+sahasra)

• yuga – age, epoch, a world age, a yoke
  noun (neuter)
• sahasra – a thousand
  noun (neuter)

तु (tu) - but, indeed, however

(indeclinable)

पादेन (pādena) - by foot, on foot

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of pāda

pāda - foot, leg, quarter, ray of light

एकेन (ekena) - by one, on one

(adjective)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of eka

eka - one, single, unique, sole

Note: Agrees with 'pādena'.

यः (yaḥ) - who, which

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yad

yad - which, what, whoever, whatever

पुमान् (pumān) - man, male, person

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puman

puman - man, male, human being, spirit, soul

मासम् (māsam) - month

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of māsa

māsa - month, moon

Note: Used adverbially to denote duration.

एकम् (ekam) - one, single

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of eka

eka - one, single, unique, sole

Note: Agrees with 'māsam'.

तु (tu) - but, indeed, however

(indeclinable)

गङ्गायाम् (gaṅgāyām) - in the Gaṅgā

(proper noun)

Locative, feminine, singular of gaṅgā

gaṅgā - the Gaṅgā river

समौ (samau) - equal, alike, same

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, dual of sama

sama - equal, even, same, alike

Note: Refers to the two persons described in the verse.

स्याताम् (syātām) - they two would be

(verb)

3rd person , dual, active, optative (liṅ) of as

Optative Mood, Parasmaipada

Root √as, 2nd conjugation

Root: as (class 2)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

वा (vā) - or, either

(indeclinable)

समौ (samau) - equal, alike, same

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, dual of sama

sama - equal, even, same, alike

Note: Refers to the two persons described in the verse.

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