Brahma Purana — The Five Sacred River-Tirthas: Savitri, Gayatri, Shraddha, Medha, and Sarasvati, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ता मद्भीताः पञ्च सुता गङ्गाम् ईयुर् महानदीम् ततो महेश्वरः प्रायाद् धर्मसंरक्षणाय सः //

Translation

Par l’écoute et la mémoire, naissent le mérite et la connaissance du dharma.

Word by Word

• tāḥ: they (f.)
• tāḥ: Karta (कर्ता; subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Bahuvacana; demonstrative pronoun

• madbhītāḥ: afraid of me
• madbhītāḥ: Karta-anvaya (कर्ता-अन्वय; qualifier of tāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mat + bhīta (कृदन्त; √bhī)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Bahuvacana; Kta-participle (क्त) of √bhī ‘to fear’; upapada-tatpuruṣa (मत्-भीताः = afraid of me)

• pañca: five
• pañca: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण; quantifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pañca (अव्यय/संख्या)
• Form: Saṅkhyā-avyaya (संख्या; numeral, indeclinable)

• sutāḥ: sons/children
• sutāḥ: Karta (कर्ता; in apposition to tāḥ as ‘sons/children’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Bahuvacana

• gaṅgām: to the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgām: Karma (कर्म; object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana

• īyuḥ: went
• īyuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्; perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Bahuvacana; Parasmaipada

• mahānadīm: the great river
• mahānadīm: Karma (कर्म; appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + nadī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya (महती नदī) in apposition to gaṅgām

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Hetu (काल/हेतु; sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Kārya-krama/hetu-avyaya (ablatival adverb: ‘thereupon/from that’)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता; subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya (महान् ईश्वरः)

• prāyāt: set out/went forth
• prāyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्; imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada; with preverb pra-

• dharmasaṃrakṣaṇāya: for the protection of dharma
• dharmasaṃrakṣaṇāya: Sampradāna/Prayojana (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + saṃrakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), Caturthī (Dat. 4), Ekavacana; purpose dative

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition to maheśvaraḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana; pronoun (emphatic)

Speaker

• Brahmā narrates to Nārada.