महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-8, chapter-28, verse-22

अथ हंसवचो मूढः कुत्सयित्वा पुनः पुनः ।
प्रजगादोत्तरं काकः कत्थनो जातिलाघवात् ॥२२॥

22. atha haṁsavaco mūḍhaḥ kutsayitvā punaḥ punaḥ ,
prajagādottaraṁ kākaḥ katthano jātilāghavāt.

22. atha haṃsavacaḥ mūḍhaḥ kutsayitvā punaḥ punaḥ
prajagāda uttaram kākaḥ katthanaḥ jātilāghavāt

22. kākaḥ mūḍhaḥ haṃsavacaḥ punaḥ punaḥ kutsayitvā
atha jātilāghavāt katthanaḥ uttaram prajagāda

22. Then, the foolish crow, repeatedly scorning the swan's words, gave his reply, boasting due to the inherent inferiority of his kind (jāti).

Words meanings summery:

• अथ (atha) - then, now, thereupon

• हंसवचः (haṁsavacaḥ) - words of the swan

• मूढः (mūḍhaḥ) - foolish, deluded, stupid one

• कुत्सयित्वा (kutsayitvā) - having scorned, having censured, having criticized

• पुनः (punaḥ) - again, repeatedly

• पुनः (punaḥ) - again, repeatedly

• प्रजगाद (prajagāda) - spoke, said, declared

• उत्तरम् (uttaram) - reply, answer, subsequent

• काकः (kākaḥ) - the crow

• कत्थनः (katthanaḥ) - boastful, swaggering

• जातिलाघवात् (jātilāghavāt) - due to the meanness of his nature/species, due to the inherent inferiority of his kind

Words meanings and morphology

अथ (atha) - then, now, thereupon

(indeclinable)

हंसवचः (haṁsavacaḥ) - words of the swan

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of haṃsavacas

haṁsavacas - words of a swan

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (haṃsa+vacas)

• haṃsa – swan
  noun (masculine)
• vacas – word, speech
  noun (neuter)

मूढः (mūḍhaḥ) - foolish, deluded, stupid one

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mūḍha

mūḍha - foolish, deluded, stupid, bewildered

Past Passive Participle

Derived from the root 'muh' (to be bewildered, confused).

Root: muh (class 4)

कुत्सयित्वा (kutsayitvā) - having scorned, having censured, having criticized

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from the causative stem of the root 'kuts' (to despise, scorn) + the suffix -tvā.

Root: kuts (class 10)

पुनः (punaḥ) - again, repeatedly

(indeclinable)

पुनः (punaḥ) - again, repeatedly

(indeclinable)

प्रजगाद (prajagāda) - spoke, said, declared

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, Perfect (lit) of prajagāda

Perfect tense (lit) form of the root 'gad' with the preverb 'pra'.

Prefix: pra

Root: gad (class 1)

उत्तरम् (uttaram) - reply, answer, subsequent

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of uttara

uttara - answer, reply, north, subsequent, superior

काकः (kākaḥ) - the crow

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kāka

kāka - crow

कत्थनः (katthanaḥ) - boastful, swaggering

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of katthana

katthana - boastful, vaunting, swaggering

Derived from the root 'katth' (to boast).

Root: katth (class 1)

जातिलाघवात् (jātilāghavāt) - due to the meanness of his nature/species, due to the inherent inferiority of his kind

(noun)

Ablative, neuter, singular of jātilāghava

jātilāghava - lightness of species/birth, meanness of kind, inferiority of nature

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (jāti+lāghava)

• jāti – birth, species, kind, nature, caste
  noun (feminine)
• lāghava – lightness, insignificance, meanness, triviality, swiftness
  noun (neuter)
  Derived from 'laghu' (light, small).