महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-5, verse-16

निष्पत्रमफलं शुष्कमशरण्यं पतत्रिणाम् ।
किमर्थं सेवसे वृक्षं यदा महदिदं वनम् ॥१६॥

16. niṣpatramaphalaṁ śuṣkamaśaraṇyaṁ patatriṇām ,
kimarthaṁ sevase vṛkṣaṁ yadā mahadidaṁ vanam.

16. niṣpatram aphalam śuṣkam aśaraṇyam patatriṇām
kimartham sevase vṛkṣam yadā mahat idam vanam

16. yadā idam mahat vanam kimartham niṣpatram
aphalam śuṣkam patatriṇām aśaraṇyam vṛkṣam sevase

16. Why do you resort to a tree that is leafless, fruitless, dry, and offers no shelter to birds, especially when this forest is so vast?

Words meanings summery:

• निष्पत्रम् (niṣpatram) - leafless, devoid of leaves

• अफलम् (aphalam) - fruitless, without fruit

• शुष्कम् (śuṣkam) - dry, withered

• अशरण्यम् (aśaraṇyam) - providing no refuge, shelterless

• पतत्रिणाम् (patatriṇām) - for birds, of birds

• किमर्थम् (kimartham) - for what purpose, why

• सेवसे (sevase) - you resort to, you serve, you attend to

• वृक्षम् (vṛkṣam) - tree

• यदा (yadā) - especially when (when, since, at which time)

• महत् (mahat) - great, large, vast

• इदम् (idam) - this

• वनम् (vanam) - forest, wood

Words meanings and morphology

निष्पत्रम् (niṣpatram) - leafless, devoid of leaves

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of niṣpatra

niṣpatra - leafless

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (nis+patra)

• nis – without, out, free from
  prefix
• patra – leaf
  noun (neuter)

Note: Modifies 'vṛkṣam' (syntactically, though morphologically matches neuter nom/acc, implying it refers to 'vṛkṣam' in its state).

अफलम् (aphalam) - fruitless, without fruit

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of aphala

aphala - fruitless, unproductive

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+phala)

• a – not, non-
  prefix
• phala – fruit, result, reward
  noun (neuter)

Note: Modifies 'vṛkṣam'.

शुष्कम् (śuṣkam) - dry, withered

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śuṣka

śuṣka - dry, withered, parched

Past Passive Participle

From root √śuṣ (to dry)

Root: śuṣ (class 4)

Note: Modifies 'vṛkṣam'.

अशरण्यम् (aśaraṇyam) - providing no refuge, shelterless

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of aśaraṇya

aśaraṇya - affording no shelter, unprotected

Negative compound of 'śaraṇya' (affording shelter)

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+śaraṇya)

• a – not, non-
  prefix
• śaraṇya – shelterable, fit for refuge, providing shelter
  adjective (neuter)
  Gerundive
  Derived from root √śṛ (to crush, injure, with śaraṇa meaning 'shelter')
  Root: śṛ

Note: Modifies 'vṛkṣam'.

पतत्रिणाम् (patatriṇām) - for birds, of birds

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of patatrin

patatrin - bird (literally 'having wings')

Formed from 'patat' (flying) + -rin

Root: pat (class 1)

Note: Indicates for whom the refuge is not provided.

किमर्थम् (kimartham) - for what purpose, why

(indeclinable)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (kim+artha)

• kim – what, which
  interrogative pronoun (neuter)
• artha – purpose, meaning, object
  noun (masculine)

Note: Asks the reason for 'sevase'.

सेवसे (sevase) - you resort to, you serve, you attend to

(verb)

2nd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of √sev

Present Tense (Laṭ)

From root √sev, class 1, Ātmanepada

Root: sev (class 1)

Note: The main verb, addressed to Śuka.

वृक्षम् (vṛkṣam) - tree

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of vṛkṣa

vṛkṣa - tree

Note: Object of the verb 'sevase'.

यदा (yadā) - especially when (when, since, at which time)

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects the main question to the contextual reason.

महत् (mahat) - great, large, vast

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of mahat

mahat - great, large, mighty, important

Note: Modifies 'vanam'.

इदम् (idam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this

Note: Modifies 'vanam'.

वनम् (vanam) - forest, wood

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vana

vana - forest, wood, grove

Note: Subject of the implied verb 'asti' (is).