महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-201, verse-17

तेषामपि गुणाः सर्वे गुणवृत्तिः परस्परम् ।
पूर्वपूर्वगुणाः सर्वे क्रमशो गुणिषु त्रिषु ॥१७॥

17. teṣāmapi guṇāḥ sarve guṇavṛttiḥ parasparam ,
pūrvapūrvaguṇāḥ sarve kramaśo guṇiṣu triṣu.

17. teṣām api guṇāḥ sarve guṇavṛttiḥ parasparam
pūrvapūrvaguṇāḥ sarve kramaśaḥ guṇiṣu triṣu

17. All these qualities also have a reciprocal interaction. Furthermore, all the qualities of the progressively preceding elements are successively found in the three [subsequent] possessors of qualities.

Words meanings summery:

• तेषाम् (teṣām) - Of the great elements mentioned in the previous verse (of them, their)

• अपि (api) - also, even

• गुणाः (guṇāḥ) - qualities, attributes

• सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

• गुणवृत्तिः (guṇavṛttiḥ) - function of qualities, reciprocal activity of qualities

• परस्परम् (parasparam) - mutually, reciprocally, among themselves

• पूर्वपूर्वगुणाः (pūrvapūrvaguṇāḥ) - qualities of the successively preceding elements

• सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

• क्रमशः (kramaśaḥ) - successively, in due order, gradually

• गुणिषु (guṇiṣu) - among the elements themselves (among the possessors of qualities)

• त्रिषु (triṣu) - in the three subsequent elements (fire, water, earth) in the sequence where the accumulation of qualities becomes more evident. (in the three)

Words meanings and morphology

तेषाम् (teṣām) - Of the great elements mentioned in the previous verse (of them, their)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, those

Note: Refers to the `mahābhūtas` and their `guṇas`

अपि (api) - also, even

(indeclinable)

गुणाः (guṇāḥ) - qualities, attributes

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of guṇa

guṇa - quality, attribute, constituent of nature

सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole, entire

Note: Agrees with `guṇāḥ`

गुणवृत्तिः (guṇavṛttiḥ) - function of qualities, reciprocal activity of qualities

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of guṇavṛtti

guṇavṛtti - function/operation of qualities, reciprocal activity of qualities

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (guṇa+vṛtti)

• guṇa – quality, attribute
  noun (masculine)
• vṛtti – function, activity, operation, existence
  noun (feminine)
  √vṛt (to be, exist) + -ti
  Root: vṛt (class 1)

परस्परम् (parasparam) - mutually, reciprocally, among themselves

(indeclinable)

पूर्वपूर्वगुणाः (pūrvapūrvaguṇāḥ) - qualities of the successively preceding elements

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of pūrvapūrvaguṇa

pūrvapūrvaguṇa - qualities of the successively preceding (elements)

Compound type : dvandva-tatpuruṣa or iterative compound (pūrva+pūrva+guṇa)

• pūrva – previous, prior, earlier
  adjective (masculine)
• pūrva – previous, prior, earlier
  adjective (masculine)
• guṇa – quality, attribute
  noun (masculine)

सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole, entire

Note: Agrees with `pūrvapūrvaguṇāḥ`

क्रमशः (kramaśaḥ) - successively, in due order, gradually

(indeclinable)

Derived from `krama` with suffix `śas`

गुणिषु (guṇiṣu) - among the elements themselves (among the possessors of qualities)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, plural of guṇin

guṇin - possessor of qualities, qualified entity

Derived from `guṇa` with possessive suffix `-in`

Note: Refers to the elements (mahābhūtas)

त्रिषु (triṣu) - in the three subsequent elements (fire, water, earth) in the sequence where the accumulation of qualities becomes more evident. (in the three)

(numeral)

Note: Refers to the three subsequent elements (fire, water, earth) which exemplify the accumulation of qualities, building upon the initial two (space and air).