योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-4, chapter-3, verse-7

प्राक्तनः कः स्मृतेः कर्ता तस्मात्कथय सुव्रत ।
स्मृतिर्निर्मूलतां याता स्मर्तुर्मुक्ततया यतः ॥ ७ ॥

prāktanaḥ kaḥ smṛteḥ kartā tasmātkathaya suvrata ,
smṛtirnirmūlatāṃ yātā smarturmuktatayā yataḥ 7

7. prāktanaḥ kaḥ smṛteḥ kartā tasmāt kathaya suvrata
smṛtiḥ nirmūlatām yātā smartuḥ muktatayā yataḥ

7. suvrata tasmāt prāktanaḥ smṛteḥ kaḥ kartā kathaya
yataḥ smartuḥ muktatayā smṛtiḥ nirmūlatām yātā

7. O virtuous one (suvrata), tell me then, who is the creator of memory (smṛti) from previous lives? For memory (smṛti) becomes baseless because the rememberer attains liberation (mokṣa).

Words meanings summery:

• प्राक्तनः (prāktanaḥ) - pertaining to past existences or states (former, ancient, belonging to the past)

• कः (kaḥ) - who, what

• स्मृतेः (smṛteḥ) - of memory (smṛti) (of memory, remembrance)

• कर्ता (kartā) - doer, maker, agent, creator

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

• कथय (kathaya) - tell, relate, explain

• सुव्रत (suvrata) - Referring to the listener (likely Rāma) (O virtuous one, O one of good vows)

• स्मृतिः (smṛtiḥ) - memory (smṛti) (memory, remembrance)

• निर्मूलताम् (nirmūlatām) - rootlessness, baselessness, state of being without foundation

• याता (yātā) - having gone, attained, reached

• स्मर्तुः (smartuḥ) - of the rememberer, of the one who remembers

• मुक्ततया (muktatayā) - due to the attainment of liberation (mokṣa) (by the state of being liberated, due to liberation)

• यतः (yataḥ) - because, since, from which

Words meanings and morphology

प्राक्तनः (prāktanaḥ) - pertaining to past existences or states (former, ancient, belonging to the past)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prāktana

prāktana - former, ancient, pre-existing, of the past

from prāk (before, formerly) + -tana (suffix forming adjectives of time)

Note: Agrees with `kartā`.

कः (kaḥ) - who, what

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

स्मृतेः (smṛteḥ) - of memory (smṛti) (of memory, remembrance)

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of smṛti

smṛti - memory, remembrance, tradition, legal/sacred tradition (smṛti)

from √smṛ

Root: smṛ (class 1)

कर्ता (kartā) - doer, maker, agent, creator

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kartṛ

kartṛ - doer, maker, agent, author, creator

agent noun

from √kṛ + tṛc

Root: kṛ (class 8)

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

(indeclinable)

ablative singular neuter of `tad`, used adverbially

कथय (kathaya) - tell, relate, explain

(verb)

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

Present Active Imperative

causative of √kath (often treated as root)

Root: kath (class 10)

सुव्रत (suvrata) - Referring to the listener (likely Rāma) (O virtuous one, O one of good vows)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of suvrata

suvrata - virtuous, devout, observing good vows; a virtuous person

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (su+vrata)

• su – good, well, excellent
  indeclinable
• vrata – vow, sacred observance, religious practice
  noun (neuter)

स्मृतिः (smṛtiḥ) - memory (smṛti) (memory, remembrance)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of smṛti

smṛti - memory, remembrance, tradition, legal/sacred tradition (smṛti)

from √smṛ

Root: smṛ (class 1)

निर्मूलताम् (nirmūlatām) - rootlessness, baselessness, state of being without foundation

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of nirmūlatā

nirmūlatā - rootlessness, baselessness, state of being without origin or foundation

derived from `nirmūla` (rootless) by adding abstract suffix `-tā`

याता (yātā) - having gone, attained, reached

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of yāta

yāta - gone, arrived at, reached, obtained

Past Passive Participle

from √yā

Root: yā (class 2)

Note: Agrees with `smṛtiḥ`.

स्मर्तुः (smartuḥ) - of the rememberer, of the one who remembers

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of smartṛ

smartṛ - rememberer, one who remembers

agent noun

from √smṛ + tṛc

Root: smṛ (class 1)

मुक्ततया (muktatayā) - due to the attainment of liberation (mokṣa) (by the state of being liberated, due to liberation)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of muktatā

muktatā - state of being liberated, freedom, release, liberation

from mukta + -tā (abstract noun suffix)

Note: Refers to mokṣa.

यतः (yataḥ) - because, since, from which

(indeclinable)

ablative of ya, used adverbially