महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-78, verse-18

श्रोता चार्थस्य विदुरस्त्वं च वक्ता जनार्दन ।
कमिवार्थं विवर्तन्तं स्थापयेतां न वर्त्मनि ॥१८॥

18. śrotā cārthasya vidurastvaṁ ca vaktā janārdana ,
kamivārthaṁ vivartantaṁ sthāpayetāṁ na vartmani.

18. śrotā ca arthasya viduraḥ tvam ca vaktā janārdana |
kam iva artham vivartantam sthāpayetām na vartmani

18. Vidura is the listener of the truth, and you, O Janardana, are its expounder. What kind of straying purpose could you two not set back on the right path?

Words meanings summery:

• श्रोता (śrotā) - hearer, listener

• च (ca) - and

• अर्थस्य (arthasya) - of the matter, of the purpose, of the meaning

• विदुरः (viduraḥ) - Vidura

• त्वम् (tvam) - Krishna (you)

• च (ca) - and

• वक्ता (vaktā) - speaker, expounder

• जनार्दन (janārdana) - O Krishna (O Janardana)

• कम् (kam) - what, which

• इव (iva) - like, as, as it were, how

• अर्थम् (artham) - matter, purpose, meaning

• विवर्तन्तम् (vivartantam) - deviating, turning away, going astray

• स्थापयेताम् (sthāpayetām) - you two would establish/place

• न (na) - not

• वर्त्मनि (vartmani) - on the right path (on the path, in the way)

Words meanings and morphology

श्रोता (śrotā) - hearer, listener

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śrotṛ

śrotṛ - hearer, listener

Agent noun from root 'śru' (to hear)

Root: śru (class 1)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

अर्थस्य (arthasya) - of the matter, of the purpose, of the meaning

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of artha

artha - meaning, purpose, object, wealth, affair, matter

Note: Dependent on 'śrotā'.

विदुरः (viduraḥ) - Vidura

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vidura

vidura - Vidura (name of Dhritarashtra's half-brother)

त्वम् (tvam) - Krishna (you)

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Refers to Krishna.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

वक्ता (vaktā) - speaker, expounder

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vaktṛ

vaktṛ - speaker, narrator, expounder

Agent noun from root 'vac' (to speak)

Root: vac (class 2)

Note: Predicate nominative for 'tvam'.

जनार्दन (janārdana) - O Krishna (O Janardana)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of janārdana

janārdana - Janardana (epithet of Vishnu/Krishna, meaning 'agitator of men' or 'giver of boons to men')

Note: Address to Krishna.

कम् (kam) - what, which

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which, why

Note: Interrogative pronoun, modifying 'artham'.

इव (iva) - like, as, as it were, how

(indeclinable)

Note: Used here to emphasize the question, 'what *kind* of'.

अर्थम् (artham) - matter, purpose, meaning

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of artha

artha - meaning, purpose, object, wealth, affair, matter

Note: Object of 'sthāpayetām'.

विवर्तन्तम् (vivartantam) - deviating, turning away, going astray

(participle)

Accusative, masculine, singular of vivartant

vivartant - turning away, revolving, deviating, going astray

Present Active Participle

From 'vi-vṛt' (to turn away, to deviate) with '-at' suffix

Prefix: vi

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Modifies 'artham'.

स्थापयेताम् (sthāpayetām) - you two would establish/place

(verb)

3rd person , dual, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of sthāp

Optative Mood

3rd person dual optative active of causal 'sthāp' (from 'sthā')

Root: sthā (class 1)

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

Note: Forms a rhetorical question with 'kam iva' (what kind of... not?).

वर्त्मनि (vartmani) - on the right path (on the path, in the way)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of vartman

vartman - path, road, way, course

Root: vṛt (class 1)