Brahma Purana — Shiva on Dharma: Nonviolence, Truthful Speech, Mental Discipline, and the Karmic Causes of Heaven and Longevity, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

शिव उवाच देवि धर्मार्थतत्त्वज्ञे धर्मनित्ये उमे सदा सर्वप्राणिहितः प्रश्नः श्रूयतां बुद्धिवर्धनः //

Translation

एतत् चतुर्थं श्लोकपदं ब्रह्मपुराणे पवित्रार्थं निर्दिशति।

Word by Word

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• dharma-artha-tattva-jñe: O knower of the truth of dharma and artha
• dharma-artha-tattva-jñe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + artha + tattva + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन) — addressing Umā

• dharma-nitye: O ever-steadfast in dharma
• dharma-nitye: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• ume: O Umā
• ume: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• sarva-prāṇi-hitaḥ: beneficial for all living beings
• sarva-prāṇi-hitaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + prāṇin + hita (प्रातिपदिक; √dhā/√hi? here hita as ‘beneficial/placed’ adjective)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) — qualifying praśnaḥ

• praśnaḥ: the question
• praśnaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• śrūyatām: let it be heard
• śrūyatām: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Passive/impersonal sense (कर्मणि/भावे) — ‘let it be heard’

• buddhi-vardhanaḥ: mind/intellect-increasing
• buddhi-vardhanaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: buddhi + vardhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) — qualifying praśnaḥ

Speaker

• Śiva to Umā