महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-36, verse-22

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच ।
महाकुलानां स्पृहयन्ति देवा धर्मार्थवृद्धाश्च बहुश्रुताश्च ।
पृच्छामि त्वां विदुर प्रश्नमेतं भवन्ति वै कानि महाकुलानि ॥२२॥

22. dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca ,
mahākulānāṁ spṛhayanti devā; dharmārthavṛddhāśca bahuśrutāśca ,
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ vidura praśnametaṁ; bhavanti vai kāni mahākulāni.

22. dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | mahākulānām spṛhayanti
devāḥ dharmārthavṛddhāḥ ca
bahuśrutāḥ ca | pṛcchāmi tvām vidura praśnam
etam bhavanti vai kāni mahākulāni

22. Dhritarashtra said: Even the gods admire noble families, and so do those who are advanced in righteousness (dharma) and material prosperity, and those who are highly learned. O Vidura, I ask you this question: What truly makes a family noble?

Words meanings summery:

• धृतराष्ट्र (dhṛtarāṣṭra) - The blind king, father of the Kauravas (Dhritarashtra)

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• महाकुलानाम् (mahākulānām) - of great families, of noble lineages

• स्पृहयन्ति (spṛhayanti) - desire, long for, envy, aspire to

• देवाः (devāḥ) - gods, deities

• धर्मार्थवृद्धाः (dharmārthavṛddhāḥ) - those who are advanced in righteousness and material prosperity

• च (ca) - and, also

• बहुश्रुताः (bahuśrutāḥ) - very learned, widely heard, much-read

• च (ca) - and, also

• पृच्छामि (pṛcchāmi) - I ask, I question

• त्वाम् (tvām) - you

• विदुर (vidura) - Vidura, a wise character in the Mahabharata, addressed directly (O Vidura)

• प्रश्नम् (praśnam) - question, inquiry

• एतम् (etam) - this, this one

• भवन्ति (bhavanti) - are, exist, become

• वै (vai) - indeed, certainly, surely

• कानि (kāni) - what (plural), which ones

• महाकुलानि (mahākulāni) - great families, noble lineages

Words meanings and morphology

धृतराष्ट्र (dhṛtarāṣṭra) - The blind king, father of the Kauravas (Dhritarashtra)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dhṛtarāṣṭra

dhṛtarāṣṭra - Dhritarashtra (name of the blind king, father of the Kauravas)

Compound type : bahuvrihi (dhṛta+rāṣṭra)

• dhṛta – held, borne, maintained
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from root √dhṛ (to hold)
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)
• rāṣṭra – kingdom, realm, country
  noun (neuter)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

3rd person singular perfect active of root √vac

Root: vac (class 2)

महाकुलानाम् (mahākulānām) - of great families, of noble lineages

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, plural of mahākula

mahākula - great family, noble lineage

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+kula)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective (feminine)
• kula – family, lineage, race, clan
  noun (neuter)

स्पृहयन्ति (spṛhayanti) - desire, long for, envy, aspire to

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of spṛh

Present Active

3rd person plural present active indicative of root √spṛh

Root: spṛh (class 10)

देवाः (devāḥ) - gods, deities

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of deva

deva - god, deity, divine being

धर्मार्थवृद्धाः (dharmārthavṛddhāḥ) - those who are advanced in righteousness and material prosperity

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of dharmārthavṛddha

dharmārthavṛddha - advanced in righteousness (dharma) and material prosperity

Compound type : tatpurusha (dharma+artha+vṛddha)

• dharma – righteousness, virtue, duty, moral law, natural law, constitution, intrinsic nature
  noun (masculine)
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)
• artha – purpose, meaning, wealth, material prosperity, object, aim
  noun (masculine)
• vṛddha – grown, advanced, increased, old
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from root √vṛdh (to grow, increase)
  Root: vṛdh (class 1)

Note: Acts as a noun here, 'those who are advanced'.

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

बहुश्रुताः (bahuśrutāḥ) - very learned, widely heard, much-read

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bahuśruta

bahuśruta - very learned, widely heard, much-read

Compound type : bahuvrihi (bahu+śruta)

• bahu – much, many, abundant
  adjective (masculine)
• śruta – heard, learned, known (often as noun: sacred text, knowledge)
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Derived from root √śru (to hear)
  Root: śru (class 5)

Note: Acts as a noun here, 'those who are very learned'.

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

पृच्छामि (pṛcchāmi) - I ask, I question

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of pṛcch

Present Active

1st person singular present active indicative of root √prach (pṛcch is the present stem)

Root: prach (class 6)

त्वाम् (tvām) - you

(pronoun)

Accusative, singular of tvam

tvam - you

विदुर (vidura) - Vidura, a wise character in the Mahabharata, addressed directly (O Vidura)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of vidura

vidura - Vidura (name of a wise character in the Mahabharata)

Derived from root √vid (to know), meaning 'wise'

Root: vid (class 6)

प्रश्नम् (praśnam) - question, inquiry

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of praśna

praśna - question, inquiry, problem

Derived from root √prach (to ask)

Prefix: pra

Root: prach (class 6)

एतम् (etam) - this, this one

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

Note: Refers to 'praśnam'

भवन्ति (bhavanti) - are, exist, become

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, present (laṭ) of bhū

Present Active

3rd person plural present active indicative of root √bhū

Root: bhū (class 1)

वै (vai) - indeed, certainly, surely

(indeclinable)

कानि (kāni) - what (plural), which ones

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of kim

kim - who, what, which

महाकुलानि (mahākulāni) - great families, noble lineages

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of mahākula

mahākula - great family, noble lineage

Compound type : karmadhāraya (mahā+kula)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective (feminine)
• kula – family, lineage, race, clan
  noun (neuter)