महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-196, verse-1

वैशंपायन उवाच ।
ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा मार्कण्डेयं महाद्युतिम् ।
पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठो धर्मप्रश्नं सुदुर्वचम् ॥१॥

1. vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca ,
tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā mārkaṇḍeyaṁ mahādyutim ,
papraccha bharataśreṣṭho dharmapraśnaṁ sudurvacam.

1. vaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca tataḥ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ rājā mārkaṇḍeyam
mahādyutim papraccha bharataśreṣṭhaḥ dharmapraśnam sudurvacam

1. Vaiśampāyana said: Then King Yudhiṣṭhira, the foremost among the Bhāratas, asked the greatly illustrious Mārkaṇḍeya a question concerning natural law (dharma) which was exceedingly difficult to explain.

Words meanings summery:

• वैशंपायनः (vaiśaṁpāyanaḥ) - Vaiśampāyana (name of a sage, narrator)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• ततः (tataḥ) - then, thereafter, from there

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira (name of the eldest Pāṇḍava)

• राजा (rājā) - king

• मार्कण्डेयम् (mārkaṇḍeyam) - to Mārkaṇḍeya (name of a sage)

• महाद्युतिम् (mahādyutim) - the greatly illustrious, of great splendor

• पप्रच्छ (papraccha) - asked, inquired

• भरतश्रेष्ठः (bharataśreṣṭhaḥ) - best of the Bhāratas, foremost of the Bhāratas

• धर्मप्रश्नम् (dharmapraśnam) - a question concerning natural law (dharma) (a question about dharma/righteousness)

• सुदुर्वचम् (sudurvacam) - very difficult to speak/explain/answer

Words meanings and morphology

वैशंपायनः (vaiśaṁpāyanaḥ) - Vaiśampāyana (name of a sage, narrator)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vaiśaṃpāyana

vaiśaṁpāyana - Vaiśampāyana (name of a sage)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect tense (liṭ)

Root: vac (class 2)

ततः (tataḥ) - then, thereafter, from there

(indeclinable)

suffix -tas from tad

युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ) - Yudhiṣṭhira (name of the eldest Pāṇḍava)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhiṣṭhira (lit. "firm in battle")

Compound of yudhi and sthira

Compound type : aluk-tatpuruṣa (yudh+sthira)

• yudh – battle, fight
  noun (feminine)
  Root
  Root: yudh (class 4)
• sthira – firm, stable, resolute
  adjective (masculine)
  From root sthā
  Root: sthā (class 1)

राजा (rājā) - king

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler

Root: rāj (class 1)

मार्कण्डेयम् (mārkaṇḍeyam) - to Mārkaṇḍeya (name of a sage)

(proper noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of mārkaṇḍeya

mārkaṇḍeya - Mārkaṇḍeya (name of a sage)

महाद्युतिम् (mahādyutim) - the greatly illustrious, of great splendor

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of mahādyuti

mahādyuti - of great splendor, very brilliant, illustrious

Compound of mahā and dyuti

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (mahā+dyuti)

• mahā – great, large
  adjective (feminine)
  Feminine form of mahat
• dyuti – light, splendor, radiance
  noun (feminine)
  From root dyut
  Root: dyut (class 1)

Note: Qualifies Mārkaṇḍeya.

पप्रच्छ (papraccha) - asked, inquired

(verb)

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

Perfect tense (liṭ), reduplicated root

Root: prac (class 6)

भरतश्रेष्ठः (bharataśreṣṭhaḥ) - best of the Bhāratas, foremost of the Bhāratas

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bharataśreṣṭha

bharataśreṣṭha - best of the Bharatas

Compound of bharata and śreṣṭha

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bharata+śreṣṭha)

• bharata – a descendant of Bharata (name of a king); an Indian, a Bhārata
  proper noun (masculine)
  Root: bhṛ (class 3)
• śreṣṭha – best, most excellent, chief
  adjective (masculine)
  Superlative of praśasya

धर्मप्रश्नम् (dharmapraśnam) - a question concerning natural law (dharma) (a question about dharma/righteousness)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of dharmapraśna

dharmapraśna - question concerning dharma/righteousness/duty

Compound of dharma and praśna

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (dharma+praśna)

• dharma – natural law, constitution, intrinsic nature, righteousness, duty
  noun (masculine)
  From root dhṛ
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)
• praśna – question, inquiry
  noun (masculine)
  From pra-śnā/pra-prach
  Prefix: pra
  Root: prac (class 6)

सुदुर्वचम् (sudurvacam) - very difficult to speak/explain/answer

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of sudurvaca

sudurvaca - very difficult to speak, hard to answer, difficult to explain

Compound of su, dur and vac

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (su+dur+vaca)

• su – good, well, very
  indeclinable
  Prefix
• dur – bad, difficult, ill
  indeclinable
  Prefix
• vaca – speaking, telling, speech
  noun (masculine)
  From root vac
  Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Qualifies dharmapraśnam.