महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-198, verse-56

मार्कण्डेय उवाच ।
स तु विप्रो महाप्राज्ञो धर्मव्याधमपृच्छत ।
शिष्टाचारं कथमहं विद्यामिति नरोत्तम ।
एतन्महामते व्याध प्रब्रवीहि यथातथम् ॥५६॥

56. mārkaṇḍeya uvāca ,
sa tu vipro mahāprājño dharmavyādhamapṛcchata ,
śiṣṭācāraṁ kathamahaṁ vidyāmiti narottama ,
etanmahāmate vyādha prabravīhi yathātatham.

56. mārkaṇḍeya uvāca sa tu vipraḥ mahāprājñaḥ
dharmavyādham apṛcchata śiṣṭācāram
katham aham vidyām iti narottama etat
mahāmate vyādha prabravīhi yathātatham

56. Mārkaṇḍeya said: "But that exceedingly wise Brahmin (vipra) asked the righteous hunter (dharmavyādha), 'O best of men, how shall I understand proper conduct (śiṣṭācāra)? O wise hunter, please explain this matter to me exactly as it is.'"

Words meanings summery:

• मार्कण्डेय (mārkaṇḍeya) - Mārkaṇḍeya (the sage) (Mārkaṇḍeya (name of a sage))

• उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

• स (sa) - he (that) (he, that)

• तु (tu) - but (but, indeed, however)

• विप्रः (vipraḥ) - Brahmin (vipra) (Brahmin, learned man, sage)

• महाप्राज्ञः (mahāprājñaḥ) - exceedingly wise (exceedingly wise, very learned, greatly intelligent)

• धर्मव्याधम् (dharmavyādham) - the righteous hunter (dharmavyādha) (righteous hunter)

• अपृच्छत (apṛcchata) - asked (asked, questioned)

• शिष्टाचारम् (śiṣṭācāram) - proper conduct (śiṣṭācāra) (proper conduct, good manners)

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner)

• अहम् (aham) - I

• विद्याम् (vidyām) - shall I understand (may I know, I should know)

• इति (iti) - (quotation marker) (thus, so (quotation marker))

• नरोत्तम (narottama) - O best of men

• एतत् (etat) - this matter (this, this matter)

• महामते (mahāmate) - O wise (hunter) (O wise one, O greatly intelligent one)

• व्याध (vyādha) - O hunter

• प्रब्रवीहि (prabravīhi) - explain (tell, explain, declare)

• यथातथम् (yathātatham) - exactly as it is (exactly as it is, truthfully, correctly)

Words meanings and morphology

मार्कण्डेय (mārkaṇḍeya) - Mārkaṇḍeya (the sage) (Mārkaṇḍeya (name of a sage))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mārkaṇḍeya

mārkaṇḍeya - name of an ancient sage, son of Mṛkaṇḍu

Note: Subject of `uvāca`.

उवाच (uvāca) - said (said, spoke)

(verb)

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

From root 'vac', 3rd person singular perfect active.

Root: vac (class 2)

स (sa) - he (that) (he, that)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it (pronoun)

Note: Refers to the vipra.

तु (tu) - but (but, indeed, however)

(indeclinable)

Note: Particle indicating contrast or emphasis.

विप्रः (vipraḥ) - Brahmin (vipra) (Brahmin, learned man, sage)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vipra

vipra - Brahmin, priest, learned man, sage, inspired

Note: Agrees with `sa`.

महाप्राज्ञः (mahāprājñaḥ) - exceedingly wise (exceedingly wise, very learned, greatly intelligent)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mahāprājña

mahāprājña - exceedingly wise, very learned, greatly intelligent

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+prājña)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
• prājña – wise, intelligent, knowing
  adjective (masculine)

Note: Agrees with `vipraḥ`.

धर्मव्याधम् (dharmavyādham) - the righteous hunter (dharmavyādha) (righteous hunter)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of dharmavyādha

dharmavyādha - a righteous hunter, a hunter who follows dharma

Compound type : karmadhāraya (dharma+vyādha)

• dharma – righteousness, duty, constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature, virtue
  noun (masculine)
• vyādha – hunter, fowler
  noun (masculine)

Note: Object of `apṛcchata`.

अपृच्छत (apṛcchata) - asked (asked, questioned)

(verb)

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

From root 'prach' (to ask), 3rd person singular imperfect active. The 'a-' is the augment for imperfect tense.

Root: prach (class 6)

शिष्टाचारम् (śiṣṭācāram) - proper conduct (śiṣṭācāra) (proper conduct, good manners)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of śiṣṭācāra

śiṣṭācāra - proper conduct, good manners, conduct of the wise/disciplined

Note: Object of `vidyām`.

कथम् (katham) - how (how, in what manner)

(indeclinable)

Note: Interrogative particle.

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of aham

aham - I (first person singular pronoun)

Note: Subject of `vidyām`.

विद्याम् (vidyām) - shall I understand (may I know, I should know)

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of vid

From root 'vid' (to know), 1st person singular optative active.

Root: vid (class 2)

Note: Expresses a wish or possibility.

इति (iti) - (quotation marker) (thus, so (quotation marker))

(indeclinable)

Note: Marks the end of the direct speech.

नरोत्तम (narottama) - O best of men

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of narottama

narottama - best of men, excellent man

Compound type : tatpurusha (nara+uttama)

• nara – man, human being, person
  noun (masculine)
• uttama – best, highest, excellent
  adjective (masculine)

Note: Addressed to the hunter.

एतत् (etat) - this matter (this, this matter)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this here (demonstrative pronoun)

Note: Object of `prabravīhi`.

महामते (mahāmate) - O wise (hunter) (O wise one, O greatly intelligent one)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of mahāmat

mahāmat - greatly intelligent, very wise

Compound type : bahuvrihi (mahā+mati)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
• mati – mind, intelligence, understanding, wisdom
  noun (feminine)

Note: Addressed to the hunter.

व्याध (vyādha) - O hunter

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of vyādha

vyādha - hunter, fowler

Note: Addressed to the hunter.

प्रब्रवीहि (prabravīhi) - explain (tell, explain, declare)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of prabrū

From root 'brū' (to speak) with upasarga 'pra', 2nd person singular imperative active.

Prefix: pra

Root: brū (class 2)

यथातथम् (yathātatham) - exactly as it is (exactly as it is, truthfully, correctly)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverbial usage.