महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-2, chapter-38, verse-26

इष्टं दत्तमधीतं च यज्ञाश्च बहुदक्षिणाः ।
सर्वमेतदपत्यस्य कलां नार्हति षोडशीम् ॥२६॥

26. iṣṭaṁ dattamadhītaṁ ca yajñāśca bahudakṣiṇāḥ ,
sarvametadapatyasya kalāṁ nārhati ṣoḍaśīm.

26. iṣṭam dattam adhītam ca yajñāḥ ca bahudakṣiṇāḥ
sarvam etat apatyasya kalām na arhati ṣoḍaśīm

26. All acts of worship, charitable giving, scriptural study, and Vedic rituals (yajña) accompanied by many gifts – none of this amounts to even a sixteenth part for a person without offspring.

Words meanings summery:

• इष्टम् (iṣṭam) - that which has been worshipped or sacrificed (desired, sacrificed, worshipped)

• दत्तम् (dattam) - that which has been given (in charity) (given, granted)

• अधीतम् (adhītam) - that which has been studied (scriptures) (studied, learned)

• च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

• यज्ञाः (yajñāḥ) - religious sacrifices (yajña) (sacrifices, acts of worship)

• च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

• बहुदक्षिणाः (bahudakṣiṇāḥ) - (sacrifices) with many gifts (with many gifts, having large sacrificial fees)

• सर्वम् (sarvam) - all (of the aforementioned deeds) (all, every, whole)

• एतत् (etat) - this (collective sum) (this, that)

• अपत्यस्य (apatyasya) - of a childless person (implying the lack of merit for them) (of offspring, of a child, of a childless person)

• कलाम् (kalām) - a part, a fraction (a part, a digit, an art, a measure)

• न (na) - not (not, nor)

• अर्हति (arhati) - is worthy of, amounts to (deserves, is worthy of, ought)

• षोडशीम् (ṣoḍaśīm) - sixteenth (part) (sixteenth)

Words meanings and morphology

इष्टम् (iṣṭam) - that which has been worshipped or sacrificed (desired, sacrificed, worshipped)

(adjective)

neuter, singular of iṣṭa

iṣṭa - desired, worshipped, sacrificed, agreeable

Past Passive Participle

From root yaj (to worship, sacrifice) + suffix kta (past passive participle)

Root: yaj (class 1)

Note: Used as a noun here.

दत्तम् (dattam) - that which has been given (in charity) (given, granted)

(adjective)

neuter, singular of datta

datta - given, granted, presented, offered

Past Passive Participle

From root dā (to give) + suffix kta (past passive participle)

Root: dā (class 3)

Note: Used as a noun here.

अधीतम् (adhītam) - that which has been studied (scriptures) (studied, learned)

(adjective)

neuter, singular of adhīta

adhīta - studied, learned, read

Past Passive Participle

From root i (to go) with prefix adhi + suffix kta (past passive participle)

Prefix: adhi

Root: i (class 2)

Note: Used as a noun here.

च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

यज्ञाः (yajñāḥ) - religious sacrifices (yajña) (sacrifices, acts of worship)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of yajña

yajña - sacrifice, worship, offering

From root yaj (to worship, sacrifice) + na suffix

Root: yaj (class 1)

च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

बहुदक्षिणाः (bahudakṣiṇāḥ) - (sacrifices) with many gifts (with many gifts, having large sacrificial fees)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bahudakṣiṇa

bahudakṣiṇa - yielding much wealth, with many fees, liberal

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (bahu+dakṣiṇā)

• bahu – much, many, abundant
  adjective
• dakṣiṇā – gift, fee, donation, right (direction)
  noun (feminine)

Note: Agrees with yajñāḥ.

सर्वम् (sarvam) - all (of the aforementioned deeds) (all, every, whole)

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole, entire

Note: Refers to the collective actions.

एतत् (etat) - this (collective sum) (this, that)

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, that

Demonstrative pronoun

अपत्यस्य (apatyasya) - of a childless person (implying the lack of merit for them) (of offspring, of a child, of a childless person)

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of apatya

apatya - offspring, progeny, child

From a- (negative) + patya (what is fitting/belonging) OR a- (neg) + pat (fall) + ya (kṛt suffix), implies "not falling from one's race". The meaning "childless person" comes from the context of "anapatyasya" in subsequent verses.

Root: pat (class 1)

Note: Implies the recipient of the lack of merit - i.e., "for a childless person".

कलाम् (kalām) - a part, a fraction (a part, a digit, an art, a measure)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of kalā

kalā - a small part, a digit (of the moon), a division of time, an art

Root: kal (class 10)

Note: Object of 'arhati'.

न (na) - not (not, nor)

(indeclinable)

Negative particle

अर्हति (arhati) - is worthy of, amounts to (deserves, is worthy of, ought)

(verb)

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

Present tense, active voice

Parasmaipada verb, present indicative, 3rd person singular.

Root: arh (class 1)

षोडशीम् (ṣoḍaśīm) - sixteenth (part) (sixteenth)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of ṣoḍaśī

ṣoḍaśī - a female of sixteen years, a sixteenth part, the sixteenth day

Feminine form of ṣoḍaśa (sixteenth), used as a noun meaning a sixteenth part.

Note: Agrees with kalām.