महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-13, chapter-93, verse-3

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
यदिदं तप इत्याहुरुपवासं पृथग्जनाः ।
तपः स्यादेतदिह वै तपोऽन्यद्वापि किं भवेत् ॥३॥

3. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
yadidaṁ tapa ityāhurupavāsaṁ pṛthagjanāḥ ,
tapaḥ syādetadiha vai tapo'nyadvāpi kiṁ bhavet.

3. yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca yat idam tapaḥ iti āhuḥ upavāsam pṛthak-janāḥ
tapaḥ syāt etat iha vai tapaḥ anyat vā api kim bhavet

3. Yudhiṣṭhira said: What ordinary people (pṛthagjanāḥ) refer to as asceticism (tapas) is fasting. Is this truly asceticism (tapas) in this context, or could asceticism (tapas) be something else entirely?

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• यत् (yat) - which, what

• इदम् (idam) - this

• तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance, heat

• इति (iti) - thus, so (quotation marker)

• आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they call

• उपवासम् (upavāsam) - fasting, abstinence from food

• पृथक्-जनाः (pṛthak-janāḥ) - ordinary people, common people

• तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance, heat

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

• एतत् (etat) - this (fasting) (this, that)

• इह (iha) - in this context of what is being discussed (here, in this world, in this context)

• वै (vai) - indeed, truly, certainly

• तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance

• अन्यत् (anyat) - other, different

• वा (vā) - or

• अपि (api) - also, even

• किम् (kim) - what, whether, an interrogative particle

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

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhiṣṭhira, steady in battle

'yudhi' is locative of 'yudh' (battle)

Compound type : aluk-tatpurusha (yudhi+sthira)

• yudh – battle, fight
  noun (feminine)
• sthira – firm, steady, stable
  adjective (masculine)
  From root 'sthā' (to stand)
  Root: sthā (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

perfect active indicative

Irregular perfect form of 'vac'

Root: vac (class 2)

यत् (yat) - which, what

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, what, that

Relative pronoun

इदम् (idam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this

Demonstrative pronoun

तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance, heat

(noun)

neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - heat, warmth; asceticism, penance; religious austerity

From root 'tap' (to heat, to perform austerities)

Root: tap (class 1)

Note: Accusative as the object being called 'tapas'.

इति (iti) - thus, so (quotation marker)

(indeclinable)

Particle

आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say, they call

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (lit) of vac

perfect active indicative

Irregular perfect form of 'vac', 3rd person plural

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Perfect tense used with present meaning.

उपवासम् (upavāsam) - fasting, abstinence from food

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of upavāsa

upavāsa - fasting, staying near (a guru, temple); abstinence

From prefix 'upa' + root 'vas' (to dwell) or 'vaś' (to wish) or 'vas' (to wear, put on); primarily refers to fasting here.

Prefix: upa

Root: vas (class 4)

Note: The object of "āhuḥ" (they call/say).

पृथक्-जनाः (pṛthak-janāḥ) - ordinary people, common people

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of pṛthagjana

pṛthagjana - ordinary person, common man, a low person

Compound of 'pṛthak' (separate, distinct) + 'jana' (person)

Compound type : karmadhāraya (pṛthak+jana)

• pṛthak – separately, individually, distinctly
  indeclinable
• jana – person, people, man
  noun (masculine)
  From root 'jan' (to be born)
  Root: jan (class 4)

Note: Subject of 'āhuḥ'.

तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance, heat

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - heat, warmth; asceticism, penance; religious austerity

From root 'tap' (to heat, to perform austerities)

Root: tap (class 1)

Note: Refers to 'upavāsam'.

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

(verb)

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

optative active

3rd person singular optative of 'as'

Root: as (class 2)

एतत् (etat) - this (fasting) (this, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, that

Demonstrative pronoun

इह (iha) - in this context of what is being discussed (here, in this world, in this context)

(indeclinable)

Adverb of place or context.

वै (vai) - indeed, truly, certainly

(indeclinable)

Emphatic particle, often used in old prose.

तपः (tapaḥ) - asceticism, penance

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tapas

tapas - heat, warmth; asceticism, penance; religious austerity

From root 'tap' (to heat, to perform austerities)

Root: tap (class 1)

अन्यत् (anyat) - other, different

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of anya

anya - other, another, different

Indefinite pronoun

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

अपि (api) - also, even

(indeclinable)

Particle

किम् (kim) - what, whether, an interrogative particle

(indeclinable)

Interrogative pronoun/adverb

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

(verb)

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

optative active

3rd person singular optative of 'bhū'

Root: bhū (class 1)