महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-14, chapter-24, verse-2

देवमत उवाच ।
जन्तोः संजायमानस्य किं नु पूर्वं प्रवर्तते ।
प्राणोऽपानः समानो वा व्यानो वोदान एव च ॥२॥

2. devamata uvāca ,
jantoḥ saṁjāyamānasya kiṁ nu pūrvaṁ pravartate ,
prāṇo'pānaḥ samāno vā vyāno vodāna eva ca.

2. devamataḥ uvāca jantoḥ saṃjāyamānasya kim nu pūrvam
pravartate prāṇaḥ apānaḥ samānaḥ vā vyānaḥ vā udānaḥ eva ca

2. devamataḥ uvāca jantoḥ saṃjāyamānasya kim nu pūrvam
pravartate prāṇaḥ apānaḥ samānaḥ vā vyānaḥ vā udānaḥ eva ca

2. Devamata said: For a living being (jantu) coming into existence, what indeed operates first? Is it the upward-moving vital air (prāṇa), the downward-moving vital air (apāna), the equalizing vital air (samāna), the pervasive vital air (vyāna), or even the ascending vital air (udāna)?

Words meanings summery:

• देवमतः (devamataḥ) - Devamata (a proper name)

• उवाच (uvāca) - he said, spoke

• जन्तोः (jantoḥ) - of a living being, of a creature, of a person

• संजायमानस्य (saṁjāyamānasya) - of a creature (jantu) coming into existence (of one who is being born, coming into existence)

• किम् (kim) - what?, which?

• नु (nu) - indeed, now, then, surely

• पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - first, previously, earlier

• प्रवर्तते (pravartate) - proceeds, begins to act, manifests, functions

• प्राणः (prāṇaḥ) - vital air, life-breath, upward-moving vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

• अपानः (apānaḥ) - downward-moving vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

• समानः (samānaḥ) - equalizing vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

• वा (vā) - or

• व्यानः (vyānaḥ) - pervasive vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

• वा (vā) - or

• उदानः (udānaḥ) - upward-moving vital air, ascending vital force (one of the five prāṇas)

• एव (eva) - indeed, only, just, even

• च (ca) - and

Words meanings and morphology

देवमतः (devamataḥ) - Devamata (a proper name)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of devamat

devamat - Devamata (a proper name, lit. 'thought of by gods')

From `deva` (god) + `mata` (thought, opinion)

Compound type : tatpurusha (deva+mata)

• deva – god, deity, divine
  noun (masculine)
• mata – thought, opinion, respected
  noun/participle (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root `man` (to think)
  Root: man (class 4)

उवाच (uvāca) - he said, spoke

(verb)

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

perfect tense (lit)

3rd person singular, perfect, parasmaipada

Root: vac (class 2)

जन्तोः (jantoḥ) - of a living being, of a creature, of a person

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of jantu

jantu - living being, creature, human being, person

From root `jan` (to be born)

Root: jan (class 4)

Note: Possessive or dative for whom.

संजायमानस्य (saṁjāyamānasya) - of a creature (jantu) coming into existence (of one who is being born, coming into existence)

(participle)

Genitive, masculine, singular of saṃjāyamāna

saṁjāyamāna - being born, arising, coming into existence

present middle participle

From `sam` + root `jan` (to be born) + śānac pratyaya

Prefix: sam

Root: jan (class 4)

किम् (kim) - what?, which?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, why

Interrogative pronoun

नु (nu) - indeed, now, then, surely

(indeclinable)

Particle

पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - first, previously, earlier

(indeclinable)

प्रवर्तते (pravartate) - proceeds, begins to act, manifests, functions

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of pravṛt

present tense

3rd person singular, present, ātmanepada

Prefix: pra

Root: vṛt (class 1)

प्राणः (prāṇaḥ) - vital air, life-breath, upward-moving vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prāṇa

prāṇa - breath, life-breath, vital air, a specific type of vital air

From `pra` + root `an` (to breathe)

Prefix: pra

Root: an (class 2)

अपानः (apānaḥ) - downward-moving vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of apāna

apāna - downward-moving vital air, expiration

From `apa` + root `an` (to breathe)

Prefix: apa

Root: an (class 2)

समानः (samānaḥ) - equalizing vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of samāna

samāna - equal, same, common; equalizing vital air

From `sam` + root `an` (to breathe) or adjective of `sama`

Prefix: sam

Root: an (class 2)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

व्यानः (vyānaḥ) - pervasive vital air (one of the five prāṇas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vyāna

vyāna - pervasive vital air, distribution of vital energy

From `vi` + `ā` + root `an` (to breathe)

Prefixes: vi+ā

Root: an (class 2)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

उदानः (udānaḥ) - upward-moving vital air, ascending vital force (one of the five prāṇas)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of udāna

udāna - upward-moving vital air, vital force that drives speech etc.

From `ud` + root `an` (to breathe)

Prefix: ud

Root: an (class 2)

एव (eva) - indeed, only, just, even

(indeclinable)

Particle

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

Note: Conjunction.