महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-6, verse-1

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
पितामह महाप्राज्ञ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद ।
दैवे पुरुषकारे च किं स्विच्छ्रेष्ठतरं भवेत् ॥१॥

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada ,
daive puruṣakāre ca kiṁ svicchreṣṭhataraṁ bhavet.

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada
daive puruṣakāre ca kim svit śreṣṭhataram bhavet

1. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada
daive puruṣakāre ca kim svit śreṣṭhataram bhavet

1. Yudhishthira said: 'O Grandfather, greatly wise and an expert in all scriptures, which, pray tell, is superior: divine influence or human effort?'

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira (proper noun)

• उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - Address to Bhishma (O grandfather, great father)

• महाप्राज्ञ (mahāprājña) - Epithet for Bhishma (O greatly wise one, O very learned)

• सर्वशास्त्रविशारद (sarvaśāstraviśārada) - Epithet for Bhishma (O expert in all sciences/scriptures)

• दैवे (daive) - in the realm of divine influence (in divine power, in destiny, in fate)

• पुरुषकारे (puruṣakāre) - in human effort, in self-exertion, in free will

• च (ca) - and

• किम् (kim) - what? which?

• स्वित् (svit) - indeed, pray, I wonder

• श्रेष्ठतरम् (śreṣṭhataram) - better, superior, more excellent

• भवेत् (bhavet) - it should be, it might be, it would be

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira (proper noun)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhishthira (name of the eldest Pandava)

उवाच (uvāca) - he said, he spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Tense

from root vac, 3rd person singular, active voice

Root: vac (class 2)

पितामह (pitāmaha) - Address to Bhishma (O grandfather, great father)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - grandfather (father's father), great father (Brahma), progenitor

महाप्राज्ञ (mahāprājña) - Epithet for Bhishma (O greatly wise one, O very learned)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of mahāprājña

mahāprājña - greatly wise, very intelligent

compound of mahā (mahat) and prājña

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahat+prājña)

• mahat – great, large
  adjective
• prājña – wise, intelligent, knowing
  adjective (masculine)
  from prajñā (wisdom)
  Prefix: pra

सर्वशास्त्रविशारद (sarvaśāstraviśārada) - Epithet for Bhishma (O expert in all sciences/scriptures)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of sarvaśāstraviśārada

sarvaśāstraviśārada - skilled in all treatises/sciences, expert in all branches of knowledge

compound of sarva, śāstra, and viśārada

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sarva+śāstra+viśārada)

• sarva – all, every, whole
  pronoun
• śāstra – rule, treatise, scripture, science, knowledge
  noun (neuter)
  from root śās 'to teach, to instruct'
  Root: śās (class 2)
• viśārada – expert, skilled, proficient, clever
  adjective (masculine)
  Prefix: vi

दैवे (daive) - in the realm of divine influence (in divine power, in destiny, in fate)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of daiva

daiva - divine, relating to deities, fate, destiny, divine power

derived from deva (deity)

पुरुषकारे (puruṣakāre) - in human effort, in self-exertion, in free will

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of puruṣakāra

puruṣakāra - human effort, exertion, self-exertion, free will

compound of puruṣa and kāra

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (puruṣa+kāra)

• puruṣa – man, person, cosmic person (puruṣa)
  noun (masculine)
• kāra – action, making, doing, agent
  noun (masculine)
  from root kṛ 'to do'
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects `daive` and `puruṣakāre`.

किम् (kim) - what? which?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, why

Note: Functions as the predicate nominative to `bhavet`.

स्वित् (svit) - indeed, pray, I wonder

(indeclinable)

Note: Adds emphasis to the question.

श्रेष्ठतरम् (śreṣṭhataram) - better, superior, more excellent

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śreṣṭhatara

śreṣṭhatara - more excellent, superior, better (comparative of śreṣṭha)

comparative suffix -tara

Note: Predicate adjective to the implied subject of `bhavet`.

भवेत् (bhavet) - it should be, it might be, it would be

(verb)

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

Optative Mood

from root bhū, 3rd person singular, active voice

Root: bhū (class 1)