महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-14, chapter-48, verse-1

ब्रह्मोवाच ।
केचिद्ब्रह्ममयं वृक्षं केचिद्ब्रह्ममयं महत् ।
केचित्पुरुषमव्यक्तं केचित्परमनामयम् ।
मन्यन्ते सर्वमप्येतदव्यक्तप्रभवाव्ययम् ॥१॥

1. brahmovāca ,
kecidbrahmamayaṁ vṛkṣaṁ kecidbrahmamayaṁ mahat ,
kecitpuruṣamavyaktaṁ kecitparamanāmayam ,
manyante sarvamapyetadavyaktaprabhavāvyayam.

1. brahmā uvāca kecit brahmamayam vṛkṣam
kecit brahmamayam mahat kecit puruṣam
avyaktam kecit paramam anāmayam manyante
sarvam api etat avyaktaprabhava avyayam

1. brahmā uvāca kecit brahmamayam vṛkṣam kecit
brahmamayam mahat kecit avyaktam puruṣam
kecit paramam anāmayam manyante sarvam api
etat avyaktaprabhava avyayam (iti manyante)

1. Brahmā said: Some consider (brahman) to be a tree whose nature is (brahman); others consider it to be the great (brahman) itself. Still others consider it to be the unmanifest cosmic person (puruṣa), and some, the supreme, free from all affliction. They all believe that this entire (universe) originates from the unmanifest and is imperishable.

Words meanings summery:

• ब्रह्मा (brahmā) - Lord Brahmā, the speaker of the verse (Brahmā (the creator god))

• उवाच (uvāca) - Brahmā said (said, spoke)

• केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

• ब्रह्ममयम् (brahmamayam) - entirely made of or identical with (brahman) (consisting of (brahman), having the nature of (brahman))

• वृक्षम् (vṛkṣam) - the cosmic tree (like the aśvattha tree in Upaniṣads, symbolizing saṃsāra) (tree)

• केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

• ब्रह्ममयम् (brahmamayam) - entirely made of or identical with (brahman) (consisting of (brahman), having the nature of (brahman))

• महत् (mahat) - the great (brahman) or the cosmic intellect (mahat-tattva) (great, large, lofty, important, the great principle (mahat-tattva in Sāṃkhya))

• केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

• पुरुषम् (puruṣam) - the supreme cosmic person (puruṣa) in philosophical context (man, person, human being, cosmic person (puruṣa))

• अव्यक्तम् (avyaktam) - the unmanifest (prakṛti) or the unmanifest aspect of the Supreme Being (unmanifest, unperceived, subtle, indistinct)

• केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

• परमम् (paramam) - the supreme being (supreme, highest, ultimate)

• अनामयम् (anāmayam) - free from all suffering and imperfection (free from illness, healthy, free from affliction, perfect)

• मन्यन्ते (manyante) - these various groups believe (they think, they believe, they consider)

• सर्वम् (sarvam) - this entire universe or creation (all, whole, entire)

• अपि (api) - even (also, even, indeed, although)

• एतत् (etat) - this (referring to the entire universe) (this)

• अव्यक्तप्रभव (avyaktaprabhava) - having the unmanifest (prakṛti) as its source (originating from the unmanifest)

• अव्ययम् (avyayam) - that which is eternal and unchanging (imperishable, indestructible, indeclinable)

Words meanings and morphology

ब्रह्मा (brahmā) - Lord Brahmā, the speaker of the verse (Brahmā (the creator god))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of brahman

brahman - Brahmā (the creator god)

Masculine form of 'brahman' (neuter) referring to the deity.

Root: bṛh

उवाच (uvāca) - Brahmā said (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

Perfect tense (liṭ)

Root 'vac', perfect tense, 3rd person singular.

Root: vac (class 2)

केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kiṃ-cit

kiṁ-cit - someone, something, some, certain

Formed from interrogative pronoun 'kim' and indeclinable 'cit'.

ब्रह्ममयम् (brahmamayam) - entirely made of or identical with (brahman) (consisting of (brahman), having the nature of (brahman))

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of brahmamaya

brahmamaya - consisting of (brahman), full of (brahman), made of (brahman)

From 'brahman' + suffix 'mayaṭ' (indicating made of, consisting of)

Note: Agrees with `vṛkṣam` and `mahat`.

वृक्षम् (vṛkṣam) - the cosmic tree (like the aśvattha tree in Upaniṣads, symbolizing saṃsāra) (tree)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of vṛkṣa

vṛkṣa - tree, wood

केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kiṃ-cit

kiṁ-cit - someone, something, some, certain

Formed from interrogative pronoun 'kim' and indeclinable 'cit'.

ब्रह्ममयम् (brahmamayam) - entirely made of or identical with (brahman) (consisting of (brahman), having the nature of (brahman))

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of brahmamaya

brahmamaya - consisting of (brahman), full of (brahman), made of (brahman)

From 'brahman' + suffix 'mayaṭ' (indicating made of, consisting of)

Note: Agrees with `vṛkṣam` and `mahat`.

महत् (mahat) - the great (brahman) or the cosmic intellect (mahat-tattva) (great, large, lofty, important, the great principle (mahat-tattva in Sāṃkhya))

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of mahat

mahat - great, large, important; the great principle, cosmic intellect

Often used as a noun in Sāṃkhya, referring to mahat-tattva (cosmic intellect).

Root: mah (class 1)

केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kiṃ-cit

kiṁ-cit - someone, something, some, certain

Formed from interrogative pronoun 'kim' and indeclinable 'cit'.

पुरुषम् (puruṣam) - the supreme cosmic person (puruṣa) in philosophical context (man, person, human being, cosmic person (puruṣa))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of puruṣa

puruṣa - man, person, human being, spirit, soul, the Supreme Being (puruṣa)

अव्यक्तम् (avyaktam) - the unmanifest (prakṛti) or the unmanifest aspect of the Supreme Being (unmanifest, unperceived, subtle, indistinct)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of avyakta

avyakta - unmanifest, unperceived, indistinct, subtle

Past Passive Participle of 'vyañj' with 'a' (negation)

Nañ-tatpuruṣa compound of 'a' and 'vyakta'.

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+vyakta)

• a – not, non-, un-
  indeclinable
  Negation prefix
• vyakta – manifest, clear, distinct, perceptible
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From 'vi-' + root 'añj' (to anoint, reveal)
  Prefix: vi
  Root: añj (class 7)

Note: Agrees with `puruṣam`.

केचित् (kecit) - some (sages or philosophers) (some, certain people)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kiṃ-cit

kiṁ-cit - someone, something, some, certain

Formed from interrogative pronoun 'kim' and indeclinable 'cit'.

परमम् (paramam) - the supreme being (supreme, highest, ultimate)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of parama

parama - supreme, highest, utmost, chief

Superlative form of 'para' (or 'pra')

Note: Used substantively, referring to the Supreme.

अनामयम् (anāmayam) - free from all suffering and imperfection (free from illness, healthy, free from affliction, perfect)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of anāmaya

anāmaya - free from illness, healthy, perfect, free from affliction

Nañ-tatpuruṣa compound of 'an' (negation) and 'āmaya' (illness, affliction).

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (an+āmaya)

• an – not, non-, un-
  indeclinable
  Negation prefix (before vowels)
• āmaya – illness, disease, affliction, distress
  noun (masculine)
  From 'ā-' + root 'mā' (to measure, contain)
  Prefix: ā
  Root: mā (class 2)

Note: Agrees with `paramam`.

मन्यन्ते (manyante) - these various groups believe (they think, they believe, they consider)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, present (laṭ) of man

Present tense (laṭ)

Root 'man', ātmanepada, 3rd person plural.

Root: man (class 4)

Note: The subject is `kecit` (implied from the preceding repeated `kecit`).

सर्वम् (sarvam) - this entire universe or creation (all, whole, entire)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole, entire

अपि (api) - even (also, even, indeed, although)

(indeclinable)

Preposition/particle.

Note: Intensifying particle.

एतत् (etat) - this (referring to the entire universe) (this)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

Demonstrative pronoun.

Note: Refers to `sarvam`.

अव्यक्तप्रभव (avyaktaprabhava) - having the unmanifest (prakṛti) as its source (originating from the unmanifest)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of avyaktaprabhava

avyaktaprabhava - originating from the unmanifest

Bahuvrihi compound 'avyakta + prabhava' (whose origin is the unmanifest).

Compound type : bahuvrihi (avyakta+prabhava)

• avyakta – unmanifest, unperceived, subtle
  adjective (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle with negation
  Nañ-tatpuruṣa compound of 'a' and 'vyakta'.
  Prefix: vi
  Root: añj (class 7)
• prabhava – origin, source, birth, power
  noun (masculine)
  From 'pra-' + root 'bhū' (to be, arise)
  Prefix: pra
  Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Agrees with `sarvam etat`.

अव्ययम् (avyayam) - that which is eternal and unchanging (imperishable, indestructible, indeclinable)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of avyaya

avyaya - imperishable, indestructible, immutable; indeclinable word

Nañ-tatpuruṣa compound of 'a' (negation) and 'vyaya' (decay, expenditure).

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+vyaya)

• a – not, non-, un-
  indeclinable
  Negation prefix
• vyaya – decay, decline, loss, expenditure
  noun (masculine)
  From 'vi-' + root 'i' (to go, perish)
  Prefix: vi
  Root: i (class 2)

Note: Agrees with `sarvam etat`.