महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-38, verse-40

यत्र स्त्री यत्र कितवो यत्र बालोऽनुशास्ति च ।
मज्जन्ति तेऽवशा देशा नद्यामश्मप्लवा इव ॥४०॥

40. yatra strī yatra kitavo yatra bālo'nuśāsti ca ,
majjanti te'vaśā deśā nadyāmaśmaplavā iva.

40. yatra strī yatra kitavaḥ yatra bālaḥ anu-śāsti ca
majjanti te avaśāḥ deśāḥ nadyām aśma-plavāḥ iva

40. Wherever a woman, a gambler, or a child holds authority, those regions helplessly perish, just like stone boats sinking in a river.

Words meanings summery:

• यत्र (yatra) - wherever (where, wherever)

• स्त्री (strī) - a woman (woman, wife)

• यत्र (yatra) - where (where, wherever)

• कितवः (kitavaḥ) - a gambler (gambler, cheat)

• यत्र (yatra) - where (where, wherever)

• बालः (bālaḥ) - a child (implying immaturity/inexperience in governance) (child, young boy, foolish person)

• अनु-शास्ति (anu-śāsti) - holds authority, governs (governs, rules, instructs)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• मज्जन्ति (majjanti) - they sink (into ruin), perish (they sink, they drown, they perish)

• ते (te) - those (regions) (they, those)

• अवशाः (avaśāḥ) - helplessly, uncontrolled (helpless, powerless, uncontrolled)

• देशाः (deśāḥ) - regions, lands (countries, regions, lands)

• नद्याम् (nadyām) - in a river

• अश्म-प्लवाः (aśma-plavāḥ) - stone boats (stone-boats, boats of stone)

• इव (iva) - just like (like, as if)

Words meanings and morphology

यत्र (yatra) - wherever (where, wherever)

(indeclinable)

स्त्री (strī) - a woman (woman, wife)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of strī

strī - woman, wife

यत्र (yatra) - where (where, wherever)

(indeclinable)

कितवः (kitavaḥ) - a gambler (gambler, cheat)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kitava

kitava - gambler, cheat, rogue

यत्र (yatra) - where (where, wherever)

(indeclinable)

बालः (bālaḥ) - a child (implying immaturity/inexperience in governance) (child, young boy, foolish person)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bāla

bāla - child, young, foolish, inexperienced

अनु-शास्ति (anu-śāsti) - holds authority, governs (governs, rules, instructs)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of śās

Conjugation of root śās (2nd class, Parasmaipada) with prefix anu.

Prefix: anu

Root: śās (class 2)

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

मज्जन्ति (majjanti) - they sink (into ruin), perish (they sink, they drown, they perish)

(verb)

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

Conjugation of root masj (6th class, Parasmaipada), with nasalization in present stem.

Root: masj (class 6)

ते (te) - those (regions) (they, those)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to 'deśāḥ'.

अवशाः (avaśāḥ) - helplessly, uncontrolled (helpless, powerless, uncontrolled)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of avaśa

avaśa - helpless, powerless, dependent, uncontrolled

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (a+vaśa)

• a – not, un-
  indeclinable
• vaśa – will, control, power
  noun (masculine)

Note: Modifies 'deśāḥ'.

देशाः (deśāḥ) - regions, lands (countries, regions, lands)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of deśa

deśa - country, region, place

नद्याम् (nadyām) - in a river

(noun)

Locative, feminine, singular of nadī

nadī - river

अश्म-प्लवाः (aśma-plavāḥ) - stone boats (stone-boats, boats of stone)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of aśma-plava

aśma-plava - stone-boat

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (aśman+plava)

• aśman – stone, rock
  noun (masculine)
• plava – boat, raft, float
  noun (masculine)
  Action noun from root plu (to float).
  Root: plu (class 1)

इव (iva) - just like (like, as if)

(indeclinable)