महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-10, verse-4

व्यास उवाच ।
वैचित्रवीर्य नृपते सत्यमाह यथा भवान् ।
दृढं वेद्मि परं पुत्रं परं पुत्रान्न विद्यते ॥४॥

4. vyāsa uvāca ,
vaicitravīrya nṛpate satyamāha yathā bhavān ,
dṛḍhaṁ vedmi paraṁ putraṁ paraṁ putrānna vidyate.

4. vyāsa uvāca vaicitravīrya nṛpate satyam āha yathā bhavān
dṛḍham vedmi param putram param putrāt na vidyate

4. Vyāsa said: 'O king, son of Vichitravīrya (Vaicitravīrya), what you have said is true. I firmly know that there is nothing superior to a son; indeed, nothing is superior to one's children.'

Words meanings summery:

• व्यास (vyāsa) - The revered sage and narrator of the Mahābhārata (Vyāsa)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• वैचित्रवीर्य (vaicitravīrya) - Refers to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (O son of Vichitravīrya)

• नृपते (nṛpate) - O king

• सत्यम् (satyam) - truth

• आह (āha) - he said, he spoke

• यथा (yathā) - as, just as, according to

• भवान् (bhavān) - Refers to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (you (honorific))

• दृढम् (dṛḍham) - firmly, strongly, steadily

• वेद्मि (vedmi) - I know

• परम् (param) - superior, higher, supreme, ultimate

• पुत्रम् (putram) - son

• परम् (param) - superior, higher, supreme, ultimate

• पुत्रात् (putrāt) - than a son

• न (na) - not, no

• विद्यते (vidyate) - exists, is found

Words meanings and morphology

व्यास (vyāsa) - The revered sage and narrator of the Mahābhārata (Vyāsa)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vyāsa

vyāsa - Vyāsa (name of a celebrated sage, compiler of the Vedas and Mahābhārata)

Note: Indicates the speaker of the verse.

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

Perfect tense, 3rd person singular, active voice, from the root 'vac'.

Root: vac (class 2)

वैचित्रवीर्य (vaicitravīrya) - Refers to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (O son of Vichitravīrya)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of vaicitravīrya

vaicitravīrya - son of Vichitravīrya (a patronymic referring to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Patronymic adjective derived from 'vichitravīrya'.

नृपते (nṛpate) - O king

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of nṛpati

nṛpati - king, lord of men

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nṛ+pati)

• nṛ – man, human being
  noun (masculine)
• pati – master, lord, husband
  noun (masculine)

सत्यम् (satyam) - truth

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of satya

satya - truth, reality, true, real

Note: Object of 'āha'.

आह (āha) - he said, he spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

Perfect tense, 3rd person singular, active voice. An irregular or defective root.

Root: ah

यथा (yathā) - as, just as, according to

(indeclinable)

भवान् (bhavān) - Refers to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (you (honorific))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhavat

bhavat - your honor, sir, you (honorific)

Honorific pronoun, nominative masculine singular of the stem 'bhavat' (present participle of 'bhū').

Root: bhū (class 1)

दृढम् (dṛḍham) - firmly, strongly, steadily

(indeclinable)

Note: Modifies the verb 'vedmi'.

वेद्मि (vedmi) - I know

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of vid

Present Active

Present tense, 1st person singular, active voice, from root 'vid' of class 2.

Root: vid (class 2)

परम् (param) - superior, higher, supreme, ultimate

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of para

para - other, supreme, highest, excellent, ultimate

Note: In the first instance, functions as a predicate ('A son [is] supreme').

पुत्रम् (putram) - son

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of putra

putra - son, child, offspring

Note: Object of implicit verb or part of a predicative statement.

परम् (param) - superior, higher, supreme, ultimate

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of para

para - other, supreme, highest, excellent, ultimate

Note: Subject of 'na vidyate'.

पुत्रात् (putrāt) - than a son

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of putra

putra - son, child, offspring

Note: Indicates comparison with 'param'.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates the verb 'vidyate'.

विद्यते (vidyate) - exists, is found

(verb)

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

Present Middle

Present tense, 3rd person singular, middle voice, from root 'vid' of class 4 (divādi).

Root: vid (class 4)