महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-37, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
अपूर्वं वा भवेत्पात्रमथ वापि चिरोषितम् ।
दूरादभ्यागतं वापि किं पात्रं स्यात्पितामह ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
apūrvaṁ vā bhavetpātramatha vāpi ciroṣitam ,
dūrādabhyāgataṁ vāpi kiṁ pātraṁ syātpitāmaha.

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca apūrvam vā bhavet pātram atha vā api
cira-oṣitam dūrāt abhyāgatam vā api kim pātram syāt pitāmaha

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca pitāmaha,
pātram apūrvam vā bhavet atha vā api cira-oṣitam vā api dūrāt abhyāgatam kim pātram syāt

1. Yudhishthira said: O Grandfather, should the deserving recipient be one who is unprecedented, or one who has resided here for a long time, or even one who has arrived from afar? What kind of recipient should it be?

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

• उवाच (uvāca) - he said, spoke

• अपूर्वम् (apūrvam) - a recipient who is unique or new (unprecedented, new, never before seen)

• वा (vā) - or, either

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

• पात्रम् (pātram) - a deserving recipient for charity or respect (a recipient, a deserving person, a vessel)

• अथ (atha) - introducing an alternative, 'or' (then, now, thereupon, or)

• वा (vā) - or, either

• अपि (api) - emphasizing the alternative (also, even, too)

• चिर-ओषितम् (cira-oṣitam) - a resident who has dwelt for a long time (one who has long resided, long-resident)

• दूरात् (dūrāt) - from afar, from a distance

• अभ्यागतम् (abhyāgatam) - a guest or traveler who has come from afar (one who has arrived, arrived)

• वा (vā) - or, either

• अपि (api) - emphasizing the alternative (also, even, too)

• किम् (kim) - inquiring about the nature of the recipient (what? which?)

• पात्रम् (pātram) - a deserving recipient for charity or respect (a recipient, a deserving person, a vessel)

• स्यात् (syāt) - it would be, it should be

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - addressing Bhishma, who is Yudhishthira's grandfather (O Grandfather)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhishthira (the eldest of the Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata)

उवाच (uvāca) - he said, spoke

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

अपूर्वम् (apūrvam) - a recipient who is unique or new (unprecedented, new, never before seen)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of apūrva

apūrva - unprecedented, new, never before seen, excellent

negative prefix a- + pūrva (former)

वा (vā) - or, either

(indeclinable)

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

(verb)

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

Root: bhū (class 1)

पात्रम् (pātram) - a deserving recipient for charity or respect (a recipient, a deserving person, a vessel)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of pātra

pātra - a vessel, a cup; a deserving person, a recipient, a worthy agent; a character (in drama)

अथ (atha) - introducing an alternative, 'or' (then, now, thereupon, or)

(indeclinable)

वा (vā) - or, either

(indeclinable)

अपि (api) - emphasizing the alternative (also, even, too)

(indeclinable)

चिर-ओषितम् (cira-oṣitam) - a resident who has dwelt for a long time (one who has long resided, long-resident)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of cira-oṣita

cira-oṣita - one who has long resided, long-resident

Compound type : tatpurusha (cira+uṣita)

• cira – long, for a long time
  indeclinable
• uṣita – resided, dwelt, spent (time)
  adjective (neuter)
  past passive participle
  formed from root vas (to dwell) with suffix -ta
  Root: vas (class 1)

दूरात् (dūrāt) - from afar, from a distance

(noun)

Ablative, neuter, singular of dūra

dūra - far, distant, distance

अभ्यागतम् (abhyāgatam) - a guest or traveler who has come from afar (one who has arrived, arrived)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of abhyāgata

abhyāgata - arrived, come near; a guest, a visitor

past passive participle

formed from root gam with prefixes abhi and ā, and suffix -ta

Prefixes: abhi+ā

Root: gam (class 1)

वा (vā) - or, either

(indeclinable)

अपि (api) - emphasizing the alternative (also, even, too)

(indeclinable)

किम् (kim) - inquiring about the nature of the recipient (what? which?)

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of ka

ka - who, which, what (interrogative pronoun)

पात्रम् (pātram) - a deserving recipient for charity or respect (a recipient, a deserving person, a vessel)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of pātra

pātra - a vessel, a cup; a deserving person, a recipient, a worthy agent; a character (in drama)

स्यात् (syāt) - it would be, it should be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of as

Root: as (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - addressing Bhishma, who is Yudhishthira's grandfather (O Grandfather)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - grandfather; great father (often referring to Brahma, but here as a respectful address)