महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-88, verse-9

बाला विहीनाः पित्रा ते मया सततलालिताः ।
अपश्यन्तः स्वपितरौ कथमूषुर्महावने ॥९॥

9. bālā vihīnāḥ pitrā te mayā satatalālitāḥ ,
apaśyantaḥ svapitarau kathamūṣurmahāvane.

9. bālāḥ vihīnāḥ pitrā te mayā satatalālitāḥ
apaśyantaḥ svapitarau kathaṃ ūṣuḥ mahāvane

9. How did those children, bereft of their father and constantly cherished by me, live in the great forest without seeing their own parents?

Words meanings summery:

• बालाः (bālāḥ) - Refers to the young Pāṇḍavas. (children, young ones)

• विहीनाः (vihīnāḥ) - deprived, bereft, without

• पित्रा (pitrā) - Refers to King Pāṇḍu. (by the father)

• ते (te) - Refers to the Pāṇḍavas. (those, they)

• मया (mayā) - Refers to Draupadī, the speaker. (by me)

• सततलालिताः (satatalālitāḥ) - constantly cherished, always pampered

• अपश्यन्तः (apaśyantaḥ) - not seeing, without seeing

• स्वपितरौ (svapitarau) - Refers to Pāṇḍu and Kuntī/Mādrī. (their own parents (father and mother))

• कथं (kathaṁ) - how, in what manner

• ऊषुः (ūṣuḥ) - they lived, they dwelt

• महावने (mahāvane) - Refers to the Kamyaka forest or similar during their exile. (in the great forest)

Words meanings and morphology

बालाः (bālāḥ) - Refers to the young Pāṇḍavas. (children, young ones)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bāla

bāla - child, young, boy, tender

Root: bal (class 1)

Note: Subject.

विहीनाः (vihīnāḥ) - deprived, bereft, without

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of vihīna

vihīna - devoid of, deprived of, separated from, abandoned

Past Passive Participle

From vi + root hā (to abandon, leave).

Prefix: vi

Root: hā (class 3)

Note: Qualifies bālāḥ and te.

पित्रा (pitrā) - Refers to King Pāṇḍu. (by the father)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of pitṛ

pitṛ - father, parent

Consonant stem noun.

Note: Agent of being deprived (indirectly, as vihīna takes instrumental for the thing lacking).

ते (te) - Refers to the Pāṇḍavas. (those, they)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

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

Demonstrative pronoun stem.

Note: Coreferential with bālāḥ.

मया (mayā) - Refers to Draupadī, the speaker. (by me)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me, we, us

First person pronoun base.

Note: Agent of lālitāḥ.

सततलालिताः (satatalālitāḥ) - constantly cherished, always pampered

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of satatalālita

satatalālita - constantly cherished/caressed

Tatpuruṣa compound of satata (constant) and lālita (cherished). lālita is PPP of lal (to play, to cherish).

Compound type : Karmadhāraya (satata+lālita)

• satata – constant, continuous, perpetual
  adjective
  From sa + tata (spread out).
  Root: tan (class 8)
• lālita – cherished, caressed, indulged, pampered
  adjective
  Past Passive Participle
  From root lal (to play, to cherish) with suffix kta.
  Root: lal (class 10)

Note: Qualifies bālāḥ and te.

अपश्यन्तः (apaśyantaḥ) - not seeing, without seeing

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of apaśyant

apaśyant - not seeing, not looking

Present Active Participle (negative)

Negative prefix a- + present participle of root paś (to see), which comes from dṛś.

Prefix: a

Root: dṛś (class 1)

Note: Qualifies bālāḥ and te.

स्वपितरौ (svapitarau) - Refers to Pāṇḍu and Kuntī/Mādrī. (their own parents (father and mother))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, dual of svapitar

svapitar - one's own parents

Dvandva compound of sva (own) and pitarau (parents, dual of pitṛ).

Compound type : Dvandva (sva+pitṛ)

• sva – own, one's own, self
  adjective/pronoun
• pitṛ – father, parent
  noun (masculine)
  Represents both father and mother in dual.

Note: Object of apaśyantaḥ.

कथं (kathaṁ) - how, in what manner

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

Note: Adverb modifying the verb ūṣuḥ.

ऊषुः (ūṣuḥ) - they lived, they dwelt

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, past perfect (liṭ) of vas

Perfect (Liṭ)

Root vas (class 1) in perfect, 3rd person plural.

Root: vas (class 1)

Note: Main verb of the question.

महावने (mahāvane) - Refers to the Kamyaka forest or similar during their exile. (in the great forest)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of mahāvana

mahāvana - great forest, large forest

Karmadhāraya compound of mahā (great) and vana (forest).

Compound type : Karmadhāraya (mahā+vana)

• mahā – great, large, mighty
  adjective
  Feminine stem of mahat.
• vana – forest, wood, grove
  noun (neuter)
  Root: van (class 1)

Note: Indicates the place where they lived.