महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-174, verse-1

भीष्म उवाच ।
ततस्ते तापसाः सर्वे कार्यवन्तोऽभवंस्तदा ।
तां कन्यां चिन्तयन्तो वै किं कार्यमिति धर्मिणः ॥१॥

1. bhīṣma uvāca ,
tataste tāpasāḥ sarve kāryavanto'bhavaṁstadā ,
tāṁ kanyāṁ cintayanto vai kiṁ kāryamiti dharmiṇaḥ.

1. bhīṣma uvāca | tataḥ te tāpasāḥ sarve kāryavantaḥ abhavan
tadā | tām kanyām cintayantaḥ vai kim kāryam iti dharmiṇaḥ

1. bhīṣma uvāca tadā tataḥ sarve te dharmiṇaḥ tāpasāḥ tām
kanyām cintayantaḥ kim kāryam iti vai kāryavantaḥ abhavan

1. Bhishma said: Then all those righteous (dharma) ascetics became concerned, pondering what should be done about that girl.

Words meanings summery:

• भीष्म (bhīṣma) - Bhishma (proper name)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

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

• ते (te) - those, they

• तापसाः (tāpasāḥ) - ascetics, hermits

• सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

• कार्यवन्तः (kāryavantaḥ) - having a task, concerned, busy

• अभवन् (abhavan) - became, were

• तदा (tadā) - then, at that time

• ताम् (tām) - that

• कन्याम् (kanyām) - girl, maiden

• चिन्तयन्तः (cintayantaḥ) - thinking, contemplating, worrying

• वै (vai) - indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)

• किम् (kim) - what, why

• कार्यम् (kāryam) - duty, work, that which is to be done

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

• धर्मिणः (dharmiṇaḥ) - righteous ones, virtuous

Words meanings and morphology

भीष्म (bhīṣma) - Bhishma (proper name)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhīṣma

bhīṣma - Bhishma (proper name)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect tense form of √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

ततः (tataḥ) - then, thereafter, from there

(indeclinable)

ते (te) - those, they

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, those, he, she, it, they

Note: Refers to the ascetics.

तापसाः (tāpasāḥ) - ascetics, hermits

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tāpasa

tāpasa - ascetic, hermit

Root: tapas

सर्वे (sarve) - all, every

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole

Note: Agrees with tāpasāḥ.

कार्यवन्तः (kāryavantaḥ) - having a task, concerned, busy

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kāryavant

kāryavant - having business, having a duty, concerned

Possessive suffix -vat added to kārya

Root: kṛ

Note: Agrees with tāpasāḥ.

अभवन् (abhavan) - became, were

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, past imperfect (laṅ) of bhū

Imperfect tense form of √bhū

Root: bhū (class 1)

तदा (tadā) - then, at that time

(indeclinable)

ताम् (tām) - that

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, she

Note: Refers to the girl (kanyām).

कन्याम् (kanyām) - girl, maiden

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of kanyā

kanyā - girl, maiden, daughter

Note: Object of 'cintayantaḥ'.

चिन्तयन्तः (cintayantaḥ) - thinking, contemplating, worrying

(participle)

Nominative, masculine, plural of cintayat

cintayat - thinking, contemplating

Present Active Participle

Derived from causative of √cit (to think)

Root: cit (class 1)

वै (vai) - indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)

(indeclinable)

किम् (kim) - what, why

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, who

Interrogative pronoun

Note: In 'kim kāryam'.

कार्यम् (kāryam) - duty, work, that which is to be done

(gerundive)

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

(indeclinable)

धर्मिणः (dharmiṇaḥ) - righteous ones, virtuous

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of dharmin

dharmin - righteous, virtuous, observant of dharma

Possessive adjective derived from dharma