महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-45, verse-21

आर्षे गोमिथुनं शुल्कं केचिदाहुर्मृषैव तत् ।
अल्पं वा बहु वा राजन्विक्रयस्तावदेव सः ॥२१॥

21. ārṣe gomithunaṁ śulkaṁ kecidāhurmṛṣaiva tat ,
alpaṁ vā bahu vā rājanvikrayastāvadeva saḥ.

21. ārṣe gomithunam śulkam kecit āhuḥ mṛṣā eva tat
alpam vā bahu vā rājan vikrayaḥ tāvat eva saḥ

21. kecit ārṣe gomithunam śulkam āhuḥ tat mṛṣā eva
rājan alpam vā bahu vā saḥ tāvat eva vikrayaḥ

21. Some declare that a pair of cows is a fee in the ārṣa marriage, but that is certainly false. Whether the price is small or large, O king, that transaction is still a sale.

Words meanings summery:

• आर्षे (ārṣe) - in the ārṣa (form of marriage)

• गोमिथुनम् (gomithunam) - pair of cows (bull and cow)

• शुल्कम् (śulkam) - fee, price

• केचित् (kecit) - some (people)

• आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

• मृषा (mṛṣā) - falsely, wrongly, in vain

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• तत् (tat) - that (statement/claim) (that)

• अल्पम् (alpam) - small (price) (little, small)

• वा (vā) - or

• बहु (bahu) - large (price) (much, many, great)

• वा (vā) - or

• राजन् (rājan) - O king

• विक्रयः (vikrayaḥ) - sale, selling

• तावत् (tāvat) - merely that (much) (so much, so far, thus, only so much)

• एव (eva) - indeed, only

• सः (saḥ) - that (transaction) (that, it)

Words meanings and morphology

आर्षे (ārṣe) - in the ārṣa (form of marriage)

(adjective)

Locative, masculine, singular of ārṣa

ārṣa - relating to rishis, traditional (marriage)

Note: Refers to 'vivāhe' (marriage) implied.

गोमिथुनम् (gomithunam) - pair of cows (bull and cow)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of gomithuna

gomithuna - a pair of cattle (male and female)

Compound type : dvandva (go+mithuna)

• go – cow, ox
  noun (masculine)
• mithuna – pair, couple
  noun (neuter)

शुल्कम् (śulkam) - fee, price

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śulka

śulka - price, fee, toll, nuptial present

केचित् (kecit) - some (people)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kaścid

kaścid - someone, some, a certain

आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they declare

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present indicative (liṭ) of brū

perfect active indicative

3rd person plural perfect active indicative (archaic form), often treated as an irregular present form from root ah- (to say)

Root: brū (class 2)

मृषा (mṛṣā) - falsely, wrongly, in vain

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

तत् (tat) - that (statement/claim) (that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, it

अल्पम् (alpam) - small (price) (little, small)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of alpa

alpa - small, little, few

Note: Agrees with implied 'śulkam' (price).

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

बहु (bahu) - large (price) (much, many, great)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of bahu

bahu - much, many, great

Note: Agrees with implied 'śulkam' (price).

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

राजन् (rājan) - O king

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler

विक्रयः (vikrayaḥ) - sale, selling

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vikraya

vikraya - sale, selling, barter

Root: krī (class 9)

तावत् (tāvat) - merely that (much) (so much, so far, thus, only so much)

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, only

(indeclinable)

सः (saḥ) - that (transaction) (that, it)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to 'vikrayaḥ'.

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