महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-33, verse-16

विदुर उवाच ।
निषेवते प्रशस्तानि निन्दितानि न सेवते ।
अनास्तिकः श्रद्दधान एतत्पण्डितलक्षणम् ॥१६॥

16. vidura uvāca ,
niṣevate praśastāni ninditāni na sevate ,
anāstikaḥ śraddadhāna etatpaṇḍitalakṣaṇam.

16. viduraḥ uvāca niṣevate praśastāni ninditāni na
sevate anāstikaḥ śraddadhānaḥ etat paṇḍitalakṣaṇam

16. Vidura said: "A wise person pursues what is commendable and avoids what is censurable. Such a person is not a skeptic but possesses faith (śraddhā). This is the definition of a truly wise individual (paṇḍita)."

Words meanings summery:

• विदुरः (viduraḥ) - Vidura (proper noun)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• निषेवते (niṣevate) - he engages in, he serves, he cultivates

• प्रशस्तानि (praśastāni) - commendable deeds or actions (praiseworthy, commendable, excellent)

• निन्दितानि (ninditāni) - blameworthy deeds or actions (censurable, blameworthy, condemned)

• न (na) - not, no

• सेवते (sevate) - he engages in, he practices, he serves

• अनास्तिकः (anāstikaḥ) - non-atheist, one who has faith (śraddhā), believer

• श्रद्दधानः (śraddadhānaḥ) - having faith (śraddhā), believing, attentive

• एतत् (etat) - this, that

• पण्डितलक्षणम् (paṇḍitalakṣaṇam) - characteristic of a wise person, definition of a sage

Words meanings and morphology

विदुरः (viduraḥ) - Vidura (proper noun)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vidura

vidura - Vidura (name of a wise minister, half-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: root vac, strong form of lit (perfect) 3rd person singular

निषेवते (niṣevate) - he engages in, he serves, he cultivates

(verb)

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

Prefix: ni

Root: sev (class 1)

प्रशस्तानि (praśastāni) - commendable deeds or actions (praiseworthy, commendable, excellent)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, plural of praśasta

praśasta - praiseworthy, excellent, auspicious

Past Passive Participle

from pra-śaṃs (to praise)

Prefix: pra

Root: śaṃs (class 1)

Note: refers to 'deeds' or 'actions'

निन्दितानि (ninditāni) - blameworthy deeds or actions (censurable, blameworthy, condemned)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, plural of nindita

nindita - blamed, censured, condemned

Past Passive Participle

from root nind (to blame)

Root: nind (class 1)

Note: refers to 'deeds' or 'actions'

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

सेवते (sevate) - he engages in, he practices, he serves

(verb)

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

Root: sev (class 1)

अनास्तिकः (anāstikaḥ) - non-atheist, one who has faith (śraddhā), believer

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of anāstika

anāstika - non-atheist, believer, one who acknowledges the existence of God or the Vedas

negation (an) of āstika (believer)

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+āstika)

• a – not, un-
  indeclinable
• āstika – believer (in God, Veda, or afterlife)
  noun (masculine)

Note: refers to the paṇḍita

श्रद्दधानः (śraddadhānaḥ) - having faith (śraddhā), believing, attentive

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śraddadhāna

śraddadhāna - having faith, believing, attentive, trusting

Present Participle (Ātmanepada)

from śrad-dhā (to place faith in)

Prefix: śrad

Root: dhā (class 3)

Note: refers to the paṇḍita

एतत् (etat) - this, that

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, that

Note: agrees with paṇḍitalakṣaṇam

पण्डितलक्षणम् (paṇḍitalakṣaṇam) - characteristic of a wise person, definition of a sage

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of paṇḍitalakṣaṇa

paṇḍitalakṣaṇa - characteristic of a learned/wise person, sign of a sage

Compound type : tatpurusha (paṇḍita+lakṣaṇa)

• paṇḍita – learned man, scholar, wise person, sage
  noun (masculine)
• lakṣaṇa – mark, sign, characteristic, definition
  noun (neuter)