महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-14, chapter-77, verse-8

इत्युक्तोऽहं नरेन्द्रेण न हन्तव्या नृपा इति ।
कथं तन्न मृषेह स्याद्धर्मराजवचः शुभम् ॥८॥

8. ityukto'haṁ narendreṇa na hantavyā nṛpā iti ,
kathaṁ tanna mṛṣeha syāddharmarājavacaḥ śubham.

8. iti uktaḥ aham nareṇdreṇa na hantavyā nṛpāḥ iti
katham tat na mṛṣā iha syāt dharmarāja vacas śubham

8. nareṇdreṇa ahaṃ iti uktaḥ [yad] nṛpāḥ na hantavyāḥ iti.
katham iha tat śubham dharmarāja vacas na mṛṣā syāt?

8. I was thus told by the king, 'Kings should not be killed.' How then could that auspicious statement of Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) prove false in this situation?

Words meanings summery:

• इति (iti) - marks the beginning of a direct quote (thus, so, in this way)

• उक्तः (uktaḥ) - I was told (said, spoken, told)

• अहम् (aham) - I

• नरेण्द्रेण (nareṇdreṇa) - by the king (Dharmarāja/Yudhiṣṭhira) (by the king, by the lord of men)

• न (na) - not, no

• हन्तव्या (hantavyā) - should be killed, deserving of death

• नृपाः (nṛpāḥ) - kings, rulers

• इति (iti) - marks the end of a direct quote (thus, so, in this way)

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what way

• तत् (tat) - that (statement) (that)

• न (na) - not, no

• मृषा (mṛṣā) - false (false, untrue, in vain)

• इह (iha) - in this situation (here, in this world, in this matter)

• स्यात् (syāt) - could prove to be (may be, might be, should be)

• धर्मराज (dharmarāja) - Dharmarāja's (Yudhiṣṭhira's) (Dharmarāja's)

• वचस् (vacas) - word, speech, statement

• शुभम् (śubham) - auspicious, good, beautiful

Words meanings and morphology

इति (iti) - marks the beginning of a direct quote (thus, so, in this way)

(indeclinable)

particle

उक्तः (uktaḥ) - I was told (said, spoken, told)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of ukta

ukta - said, spoken, told

Past Passive Participle

from root vac (to speak) + kta (past participle suffix)

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Original form 'uktaḥ', changed to 'ukto' by sandhi.

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, we

1st person pronoun

नरेण्द्रेण (nareṇdreṇa) - by the king (Dharmarāja/Yudhiṣṭhira) (by the king, by the lord of men)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of narendra

narendra - king, lord of men

tatpuruṣa compound

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nara+indra)

• nara – man, human being
  noun (masculine)
• indra – lord, chief, Indra
  noun (masculine)

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

negative particle

हन्तव्या (hantavyā) - should be killed, deserving of death

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of hantavya

hantavya - to be killed, deserving of death

Gerundive (future passive participle)

from root han (to strike, kill) + tavya (gerundive suffix)

Root: han (class 2)

नृपाः (nṛpāḥ) - kings, rulers

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of nṛpa

nṛpa - king, ruler

compound: nṛ (man) + pa (protector)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nṛ+pa)

• nṛ – man
  noun (masculine)
• pa – protector, ruler
  noun (masculine)
  from root pā (to protect)
  Root: pā (class 2)

Note: Visarga dropped in sandhi to 'nṛpā'.

इति (iti) - marks the end of a direct quote (thus, so, in this way)

(indeclinable)

particle

कथम् (katham) - how, in what way

(indeclinable)

interrogative adverb

तत् (tat) - that (statement) (that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tad

tad - that, that one, it

demonstrative pronoun

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

negative particle

मृषा (mṛṣā) - false (false, untrue, in vain)

(indeclinable)

adverb/indeclinable

इह (iha) - in this situation (here, in this world, in this matter)

(indeclinable)

adverb of place/time

स्यात् (syāt) - could prove to be (may be, might be, should be)

(verb)

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

Optative Mood

root as (to be), optative 3rd person singular

Root: as (class 2)

धर्मराज (dharmarāja) - Dharmarāja's (Yudhiṣṭhira's) (Dharmarāja's)

(proper noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of dharmarājan

dharmarājan - king of (natural) law (dharma), king of righteousness, a title of Yudhiṣṭhira

tatpuruṣa compound

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (dharma+rājan)

• dharma – natural law (dharma), righteousness, duty, constitution
  noun (masculine)
• rājan – king, ruler
  noun (masculine)

Note: Used here as the first part of a compound with 'vacas'.

वचस् (vacas) - word, speech, statement

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vacas

vacas - word, speech, statement, utterance

from root vac (to speak)

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Original form 'vacas', changed to 'vacaḥ' by sandhi before 'śubham'.

शुभम् (śubham) - auspicious, good, beautiful

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śubha

śubha - auspicious, good, beautiful, propitious

Note: Modifies 'vacas'.