महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-177, verse-25

सर्प उवाच ।
यदि ते वृत्ततो राजन्ब्राह्मणः प्रसमीक्षितः ।
व्यर्था जातिस्तदायुष्मन्कृतिर्यावन्न दृश्यते ॥२५॥

25. sarpa uvāca ,
yadi te vṛttato rājanbrāhmaṇaḥ prasamīkṣitaḥ ,
vyarthā jātistadāyuṣmankṛtiryāvanna dṛśyate.

25. sarpa uvāca | yadi te vṛttataḥ rājan brāhmaṇaḥ prasamīkṣitaḥ
| vyarthā jātiḥ tadā āyuṣman kṛtiḥ yāvat na dṛśyate

25. The serpent said: 'O King, if you consider a brahmin to be defined by his conduct, then, O long-lived one, lineage (jāti) is meaningless as long as his actual deeds (kṛti) are not seen.'

Words meanings summery:

• सर्प (sarpa) - the serpent (Nahusha) (serpent, snake)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• यदि (yadi) - if (if, in case)

• ते (te) - by you (acting as agent with passive verb) (by you (dative/genitive singular of 'tvam'))

• वृत्ततः (vṛttataḥ) - through his conduct (from conduct, by means of conduct)

• राजन् (rājan) - O King (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira) (O king)

• ब्राह्मणः (brāhmaṇaḥ) - a brahmin (a Brahmin, one belonging to the brahmin varna)

• प्रसमीक्षितः (prasamīkṣitaḥ) - considered, identified (observed, seen, considered, correctly discerned)

• व्यर्था (vyarthā) - useless, meaningless (useless, meaningless, in vain)

• जातिः (jātiḥ) - lineage (jāti) (birth, lineage, caste, species)

• तदा (tadā) - then (then, at that time)

• आयुष्मन् (āyuṣman) - O long-lived one (vocative, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira) (O long-lived one, possessing longevity)

• कृतिः (kṛtiḥ) - deeds (kṛti) (deed, action, work, creation)

• यावत् (yāvat) - as long as (as long as, until, as much as)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• दृश्यते (dṛśyate) - are observed, are seen (is seen, appears)

Words meanings and morphology

सर्प (sarpa) - the serpent (Nahusha) (serpent, snake)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of sarpa

sarpa - serpent, snake

Root: sṛp (class 1)

Note: Subject of 'uvāca'.

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

यदि (yadi) - if (if, in case)

(indeclinable)

Note: Introduces a conditional clause.

ते (te) - by you (acting as agent with passive verb) (by you (dative/genitive singular of 'tvam'))

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of tvam

tvam - you

Note: Used here in an instrumental sense with the passive participle 'prasamīkṣitaḥ'.

वृत्ततः (vṛttataḥ) - through his conduct (from conduct, by means of conduct)

(indeclinable)

From vṛtta (conduct) + tas (ablative suffix)

Note: Expresses source or means.

राजन् (rājan) - O King (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira) (O king)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler

Root: rāj (class 1)

ब्राह्मणः (brāhmaṇaḥ) - a brahmin (a Brahmin, one belonging to the brahmin varna)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of brāhmaṇa

brāhmaṇa - a brahmin, related to brahman, divine, priestly

Note: Subject of the passive participle 'prasamīkṣitaḥ'.

प्रसमीक्षितः (prasamīkṣitaḥ) - considered, identified (observed, seen, considered, correctly discerned)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prasamīkṣita

prasamīkṣita - well-examined, correctly seen, observed, considered

Past Passive Participle

From pra + sam + īkṣ (to see) + kta suffix

Prefixes: pra+sam

Root: īkṣ (class 1)

Note: Qualifies 'brāhmaṇaḥ'.

व्यर्था (vyarthā) - useless, meaningless (useless, meaningless, in vain)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of vyartha

vyartha - useless, meaningless, in vain, without purpose

Compound type : prādi-samāsa (vi+artha)

• vi – apart, away, without
  indeclinable
• artha – purpose, meaning, wealth, object
  noun (masculine)

Note: Agrees with 'jātiḥ'.

जातिः (jātiḥ) - lineage (jāti) (birth, lineage, caste, species)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of jāti

jāti - birth, lineage, caste, genus, species, kind

From root jan (to be born) + ti suffix

Root: jan (class 4)

Note: Subject.

तदा (tadā) - then (then, at that time)

(indeclinable)

Note: Marks the consequence of the 'yadi' clause.

आयुष्मन् (āyuṣman) - O long-lived one (vocative, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira) (O long-lived one, possessing longevity)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of āyuṣmat

āyuṣmat - long-lived, possessing vitality, venerable

From āyus (life) + matup suffix (possessing)

Note: Vocative addressing Yudhiṣṭhira.

कृतिः (kṛtiḥ) - deeds (kṛti) (deed, action, work, creation)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kṛti

kṛti - action, deed, work, performance, creation, composition

From root kṛ (to do, make) + ti suffix

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Subject of 'dṛśyate'.

यावत् (yāvat) - as long as (as long as, until, as much as)

(indeclinable)

Note: Expresses duration/limit.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

Note: Negation.

दृश्यते (dṛśyate) - are observed, are seen (is seen, appears)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of dṛś

Root: dṛś (class 1)

Note: From root dṛś, passive form.