महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-190, verse-21

अथ प्रधानामात्यस्तस्याभ्याशचराः स्त्रियोऽपृच्छत् ।
किमत्र प्रयोजनं वर्तत इति ॥२१॥

21. atha pradhānāmātyastasyābhyāśacarāḥ striyo'pṛcchat ,
kimatra prayojanaṁ vartata iti.

21. atha pradhānāmātyaḥ tasya abhyāśacarāḥ striyaḥ
apṛcchat kim atra prayojanaṃ vartate iti

21. Then the chief minister asked the women attending her, "What is the purpose of this place?"

Words meanings summery:

• अथ (atha) - then, now, thereupon

• प्रधानामात्यः (pradhānāmātyaḥ) - chief minister, prime minister

• तस्य (tasya) - of the queen (implied context) (of her, of him, its)

• अभ्याशचराः (abhyāśacarāḥ) - attendants, followers, those who move nearby

• स्त्रियः (striyaḥ) - women

• अपृच्छत् (apṛcchat) - asked, enquired

• किम् (kim) - what? why?

• अत्र (atra) - here, in this place

• प्रयोजनं (prayojanaṁ) - purpose, object, use, motive

• वर्तते (vartate) - is, exists, happens, occurs

• इति (iti) - thus, so, (marks direct speech)

Words meanings and morphology

अथ (atha) - then, now, thereupon

(indeclinable)

प्रधानामात्यः (pradhānāmātyaḥ) - chief minister, prime minister

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of pradhānāmātya

pradhānāmātya - chief minister, prime minister

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pradhāna+amātya)

• pradhāna – chief, principal, main
  adjective
• amātya – minister, counselor
  noun (masculine)

तस्य (tasya) - of the queen (implied context) (of her, of him, its)

(pronoun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Gender inferred from context (the women 'attending her').

अभ्याशचराः (abhyāśacarāḥ) - attendants, followers, those who move nearby

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, plural of abhyāśacara

abhyāśacara - attendant, follower, moving nearby

Prefixes: abhi+ā

Root: car (class 1)

Note: Used as a noun here, referring to the women.

स्त्रियः (striyaḥ) - women

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, plural of strī

strī - woman, female

अपृच्छत् (apṛcchat) - asked, enquired

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, past imperfect (laṅ) of prach

Root: prach (class 6)

किम् (kim) - what? why?

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what? which? why?

Note: Can also be indeclinable adverb, but here it's a pronominal interrogative.

अत्र (atra) - here, in this place

(indeclinable)

प्रयोजनं (prayojanaṁ) - purpose, object, use, motive

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of prayojana

prayojana - purpose, object, use, motive, cause

Prefix: pra

Root: yuj (class 7)

वर्तते (vartate) - is, exists, happens, occurs

(verb)

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

Root: vṛt (class 1)

इति (iti) - thus, so, (marks direct speech)

(indeclinable)