महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-14, chapter-24, verse-4

देवमत उवाच ।
केनायं सृज्यते जन्तुः कश्चान्यः पूर्वमेति तम् ।
प्राणद्वंद्वं च मे ब्रूहि तिर्यगूर्ध्वं च निश्चयात् ॥४॥

4. devamata uvāca ,
kenāyaṁ sṛjyate jantuḥ kaścānyaḥ pūrvameti tam ,
prāṇadvaṁdvaṁ ca me brūhi tiryagūrdhvaṁ ca niścayāt.

4. devamata uvāca kena ayam sṛjyate jantuḥ kaḥ ca anyaḥ pūrvam
eti tam prāṇadvandvam ca me brūhi tiryak ūrdhvam ca niścayāt

4. Devamata said: "By whom is this living being created? And who else precedes it? Also, tell me with certainty about the pair of vital breaths (prāṇa) that move sideways and upwards."

Words meanings summery:

• देवमत (devamata) - Devamata

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• केन (kena) - by whom, by what

• अयम् (ayam) - this

• सृज्यते (sṛjyate) - is created, is emitted

• जन्तुः (jantuḥ) - living being, creature, man

• कः (kaḥ) - who

• च (ca) - and, also

• अन्यः (anyaḥ) - other, another, else

• पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - before, previously, prior

• एति (eti) - goes, comes

• तम् (tam) - him, that

• प्राणद्वन्द्वम् (prāṇadvandvam) - pair of vital breaths

• च (ca) - and, also

• मे (me) - to me, for me

• ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, speak

• तिर्यक् (tiryak) - sideways, horizontally

• ऊर्ध्वम् (ūrdhvam) - upwards

• च (ca) - and, also

• निश्चयात् (niścayāt) - with certainty, surely, decisively

Words meanings and morphology

देवमत (devamata) - Devamata

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of devamata

devamata - name of a sage

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

perfect active

root √vac, perfect 3rd person singular

Root: vac (class 2)

केन (kena) - by whom, by what

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

अयम् (ayam) - this

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this, this one

सृज्यते (sṛjyate) - is created, is emitted

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of sṛj

present passive

root √sṛj, present passive 3rd person singular (ātmanepada)

Root: sṛj (class 6)

जन्तुः (jantuḥ) - living being, creature, man

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jantu

jantu - creature, living being, man

कः (kaḥ) - who

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

अन्यः (anyaḥ) - other, another, else

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of anya

anya - other, another

पूर्वम् (pūrvam) - before, previously, prior

(indeclinable)

एति (eti) - goes, comes

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of i

present active

root √i, present 3rd person singular

Root: i (class 2)

तम् (tam) - him, that

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

प्राणद्वन्द्वम् (prāṇadvandvam) - pair of vital breaths

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of prāṇadvandva

prāṇadvandva - pair of vital breaths

Compound type : tatpurusha (prāṇa+dvandva)

• prāṇa – vital breath, life-force
  noun (masculine)
• dvandva – pair, couple, duality
  noun (neuter)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

मे (me) - to me, for me

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of aham

aham - I, myself

ब्रूहि (brūhi) - tell, speak

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of brū

imperative active

root √brū, imperative 2nd person singular

Root: brū (class 2)

तिर्यक् (tiryak) - sideways, horizontally

(indeclinable)

ऊर्ध्वम् (ūrdhvam) - upwards

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

निश्चयात् (niścayāt) - with certainty, surely, decisively

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of niścaya

niścaya - certainty, conviction, decision