महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-7, chapter-26, verse-13

किं नु श्रेयस्करं कर्म भवेदिति विचिन्तयन् ।
इतो वा विनिवर्तेयं गच्छेयं वा युधिष्ठिरम् ॥१३॥

13. kiṁ nu śreyaskaraṁ karma bhavediti vicintayan ,
ito vā vinivarteyaṁ gaccheyaṁ vā yudhiṣṭhiram.

13. kim nu śreyaskaram karma bhavet iti vicintayan
itaḥ vā vinivarteyam gaccheyam vā yudhiṣṭhiram

13. vicintayan kim nu śreyaskaram karma bhavet iti
itaḥ vā vinivarteyam vā yudhiṣṭhiram gaccheyam

13. Pondering, 'What action (karma) would be more beneficial? Should I turn back from here, or should I go to Yudhiṣṭhira?'

Words meanings summery:

• किम् (kim) - what, which

• नु (nu) - now, then, indeed (interrogative or emphatic particle)

• श्रेयस्करम् (śreyaskaram) - more beneficial, causing good

• कर्म (karma) - action, deed

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may it be, should be

• इति (iti) - thus, so (quotative particle)

• विचिन्तयन् (vicintayan) - pondering, thinking deeply

• इतः (itaḥ) - from here, hence

• वा (vā) - or

• विनिवर्तेयम् (vinivarteyam) - may I turn back, should I turn back

• गच्छेयम् (gaccheyam) - may I go, should I go

• वा (vā) - or

• युधिष्ठिरम् (yudhiṣṭhiram) - to Yudhiṣṭhira

Words meanings and morphology

किम् (kim) - what, which

(pronoun)

neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which

नु (nu) - now, then, indeed (interrogative or emphatic particle)

(indeclinable)

श्रेयस्करम् (śreyaskaram) - more beneficial, causing good

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of śreyaskara

śreyaskara - causing good, beneficial, leading to prosperity

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (śreyas+kara)

• śreyas – good, excellence, auspiciousness
  noun (neuter)
  comparative form of śrī (prosperity, wealth)
• kara – making, causing, doing
  adjective (masculine)
  agent noun/adjective from root kṛ (to do)
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

कर्म (karma) - action, deed

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of karma

karma - action, deed, work, ritual

derived from root kṛ (to do)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

भवेत् (bhavet) - may it be, should be

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of bhū

Root: bhū (class 1)

इति (iti) - thus, so (quotative particle)

(indeclinable)

विचिन्तयन् (vicintayan) - pondering, thinking deeply

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vicintayat

vicintayat - pondering, reflecting

Present Active Participle

present active participle from the root cint (to think) with prefix vi-

Prefix: vi

Root: cint (class 10)

इतः (itaḥ) - from here, hence

(indeclinable)

adverbial suffix -tas added to idam (this)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

विनिवर्तेयम् (vinivarteyam) - may I turn back, should I turn back

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of vinivṛt

from root vṛt (to turn) with prefixes vi- and ni-

Prefixes: vi+ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

गच्छेयम् (gaccheyam) - may I go, should I go

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of gam

Root: gam (class 1)

वा (vā) - or

(indeclinable)

युधिष्ठिरम् (yudhiṣṭhiram) - to Yudhiṣṭhira

(proper noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of yudhiṣṭhira

yudhiṣṭhira - Yudhiṣṭhira (name of the eldest Pandava brother, meaning 'firm in battle')