महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-6, chapter-41, verse-42

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
हन्त पृच्छामि तस्मात्त्वां पितामह नमोऽस्तु ते ।
जयोपायं ब्रवीहि त्वमात्मनः समरे परैः ॥४२॥

42. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca ,
hanta pṛcchāmi tasmāttvāṁ pitāmaha namo'stu te ,
jayopāyaṁ bravīhi tvamātmanaḥ samare paraiḥ.

42. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca hanta pṛcchāmi tasmāt tvām pitāmaha
namaḥ astu te jayopāyaṃ bravīhi tvam ātmanaḥ samare paraiḥ

42. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: hanta,
tasmāt tvām pṛcchāmi,
pitāmaha,
te namaḥ astu! tvam,
samare paraiḥ ātmanaḥ jayopāyaṃ bravīhi.

42. Yudhishthira said: "Indeed, O Grandsire, I now ask you; salutations to you! Please tell me the means by which your own self (ātman) can be conquered by enemies in battle."

Words meanings summery:

• युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

• उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

• हन्त (hanta) - Expressing regret or calling attention. (alas, indeed, well then (exclamatory particle))

• पृच्छामि (pṛcchāmi) - I ask, I inquire

• तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore, from that, for that reason

• त्वाम् (tvām) - Refers to Bhishma. (you)

• पितामह (pitāmaha) - Refers to Bhishma. (O Grandsire)

• नमः (namaḥ) - salutation, homage

• अस्तु (astu) - let it be, may it be

• ते (te) - to you

• जयोपायं (jayopāyaṁ) - means of victory

• ब्रवीहि (bravīhi) - tell, speak

• त्वम् (tvam) - Refers to Bhishma, explicitly addressing him as the speaker (Yudhishthira) asks him to speak. (you)

• आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) - Of Bhishma himself. (of self, of oneself, your own)

• समरे (samare) - in battle, in war

• परैः (paraiḥ) - Refers to the Pandavas, who are technically Bhishma's enemies in this battle. (by enemies, by others)

Words meanings and morphology

युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira) - Yudhishthira

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhishthira (a proper name, the eldest Pandava brother)

Compound 'yudhi' (in battle) + 'sthira' (firm).

Compound type : aluk-tatpuruṣa (yudhi+sthira)

• yudhi – in battle
  indeclinable (feminine)
  Locative singular of 'yudh' (battle).
• sthira – firm, steady, stable
  adjective (masculine)
  From root 'sthā' (to stand).
  Root: sthā (class 1)

उवाच (uvāca) - said, spoke

(verb)

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

Perfect Active

Root 'vac' (2nd class, Adadi) forms 'uvāca' in Perfect active, 3rd person singular.

Root: vac (class 2)

हन्त (hanta) - Expressing regret or calling attention. (alas, indeed, well then (exclamatory particle))

(indeclinable)

Note: Particle of distress, joy, or command.

पृच्छामि (pṛcchāmi) - I ask, I inquire

(verb)

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

Present Active

Root 'prach' (6th class, tudādi) with reduplication and 'ṛ' vowel. Forms 'pṛcchāmi' in Present active, 1st person singular.

Root: prach (class 6)

तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore, from that, for that reason

(pronoun)

Ablative, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Used adverbially as 'therefore'.

त्वाम् (tvām) - Refers to Bhishma. (you)

(pronoun)

Accusative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Personal pronoun.

पितामह (pitāmaha) - Refers to Bhishma. (O Grandsire)

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pitāmaha

pitāmaha - paternal grandfather, grandsire, Brahma

नमः (namaḥ) - salutation, homage

(indeclinable)

अस्तु (astu) - let it be, may it be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of as

Imperative Active

Root 'as' (2nd class, Adadi) forms 'astu' in Imperative active, 3rd person singular.

Root: as (class 2)

ते (te) - to you

(pronoun)

Dative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Enclitic form. Can be dative or genitive. Here, 'to you'.

जयोपायं (jayopāyaṁ) - means of victory

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of jayopāya

jayopāya - means of victory, method to conquer

Compound of 'jaya' (victory) and 'upāya' (means).

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (jaya+upāya)

• jaya – victory, triumph
  noun (masculine)
  From root 'ji'
  Root: ji (class 1)
• upāya – means, method, resource
  noun (masculine)
  From root 'i' with prefix 'upa'
  Prefix: upa
  Root: i (class 2)

ब्रवीहि (bravīhi) - tell, speak

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of brū

Imperative Active

Root 'brū' (2nd class, Adadi) forms 'brūhi' in Imperative active, 2nd person singular.

Root: brū (class 2)

त्वम् (tvam) - Refers to Bhishma, explicitly addressing him as the speaker (Yudhishthira) asks him to speak. (you)

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Personal pronoun.

आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) - Of Bhishma himself. (of self, of oneself, your own)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of ātman

ātman - self, soul, spirit, essence (ātman)

समरे (samare) - in battle, in war

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of samara

samara - battle, conflict, war

From 'sam' + 'ara' (from 'ṛ' to go).

Prefix: sam

Root: ṛ (class 1)

परैः (paraiḥ) - Refers to the Pandavas, who are technically Bhishma's enemies in this battle. (by enemies, by others)

(adjective)

Instrumental, masculine, plural of para

para - other, another, enemy

Note: Functions here as a noun.