महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-14, chapter-34, verse-5

ब्राह्मण उवाच ।
अलिङ्गो निर्गुणश्चैव कारणं नास्य विद्यते ।
उपायमेव वक्ष्यामि येन गृह्येत वा न वा ॥५॥

5. brāhmaṇa uvāca ,
aliṅgo nirguṇaścaiva kāraṇaṁ nāsya vidyate ,
upāyameva vakṣyāmi yena gṛhyeta vā na vā.

5. brāhmaṇaḥ uvāca aliṅgaḥ nirguṇaḥ ca eva kāraṇam na
asya vidyate upāyam eva vakṣyāmi yena gṛhyeta vā na vā

5. brāhmaṇaḥ uvāca aliṅgaḥ nirguṇaḥ ca eva asya kāraṇam
na vidyate yena vā na vā gṛhyeta upāyam eva vakṣyāmi

5. The brahmin said: That which is without distinguishing characteristics and without qualities (nirguṇa) indeed has no cause. I shall explain the very means by which it may or may not be grasped.

Words meanings summery:

• ब्राह्मणः (brāhmaṇaḥ) - a brahmin

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• अलिङ्गः (aliṅgaḥ) - without characteristic marks, unmanifest

• निर्गुणः (nirguṇaḥ) - without qualities, attributeless

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• कारणम् (kāraṇam) - cause, reason

• न (na) - not, no

• अस्य (asya) - of it, its

• विद्यते (vidyate) - exists, is found

• उपायम् (upāyam) - means, method, expedient

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• वक्ष्यामि (vakṣyāmi) - I will speak, I will tell

• येन (yena) - by which

• गृह्येत (gṛhyeta) - it might be grasped, it might be apprehended

• वा (vā) - or

• न (na) - not, no

• वा (vā) - or

Words meanings and morphology

ब्राह्मणः (brāhmaṇaḥ) - a brahmin

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of brāhmaṇa

brāhmaṇa - a brahmin, a man of the priestly class, related to brahman

Root: bṛh (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect tense, 3rd person singular, active voice of root vac (to speak). Irregular formation.

Root: vac (class 2)

अलिङ्गः (aliṅgaḥ) - without characteristic marks, unmanifest

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of aliṅga

aliṅga - without distinguishing marks, unmanifest, without gender, attributeless

Negative compound (na-tatpuruṣa) of liṅga.

Compound type : na-tatpuruṣa (a+liṅga)

• a – not, non
  indeclinable
  negative prefix
• liṅga – mark, sign, characteristic, gender
  noun (neuter)
  Root: liṅg (class 10)

Note: Refers to an ultimate reality that cannot be described by qualities or marks.

निर्गुणः (nirguṇaḥ) - without qualities, attributeless

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of nirguṇa

nirguṇa - without qualities (guṇas), attributeless

Negative compound (bahuvrīhi or prādi-samāsa) formed from nir (without) and guṇa (quality).

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (nis+guṇa)

• nis – out, forth, without
  indeclinable
  prefix
• guṇa – quality, attribute, constituent of nature
  noun (masculine)

Note: Refers to a state beyond the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) of prakṛti.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphatic particle.

कारणम् (kāraṇam) - cause, reason

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kāraṇa

kāraṇa - cause, reason, instrument

From root kṛ (to do) with suffix -ana.

Root: kṛ (class 8)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

अस्य (asya) - of it, its

(pronoun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, that

Note: Refers to the ultimate reality.

विद्यते (vidyate) - exists, is found

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (lat) of vid

Present tense, 3rd person singular, middle voice of root vid (to be). From the Divādi class.

Root: vid (class 4)

Note: Intransitive verb.

उपायम् (upāyam) - means, method, expedient

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of upāya

upāya - means, method, approach, expedient

From prefix upa- and root i (to go).

Prefix: upa

Root: i (class 2)

Note: Object of "vakṣyāmi".

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphatic particle.

वक्ष्यामि (vakṣyāmi) - I will speak, I will tell

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, future (lṛṭ) of vac

Future tense, 1st person singular, active voice of root vac (to speak).

Root: vac (class 2)

येन (yena) - by which

(pronoun)

Instrumental, neuter, singular of yad

yad - which, what

Note: Refers to "upāyam".

गृह्येत (gṛhyeta) - it might be grasped, it might be apprehended

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, optative (liṅ) of grah

Optative mood, 3rd person singular, passive voice of root grah (to seize).

Root: grah (class 9)

Note: Potential mood, expressing possibility.

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Note: Conjunction.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

Note: Conjunction.