महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-17, chapter-1, verse-24

न चैनमशकत्कश्चिन्निवर्तस्वेति भाषितुम् ।
न्यवर्तन्त ततः सर्वे नरा नगरवासिनः ॥२४॥

24. na cainamaśakatkaścinnivartasveti bhāṣitum ,
nyavartanta tataḥ sarve narā nagaravāsinaḥ.

24. na ca enam aśakat kaścit nivartasva iti bhāṣitum
nyavartanta tataḥ sarve narāḥ nagaravāsinaḥ

24. kaścit ca enam nivartasva iti bhāṣitum na aśakat
tataḥ sarve nagaravāsinaḥ narāḥ nyavartanta

24. And no one was able to tell him, 'Turn back!' Then, all the city-dwelling men returned from there.

Words meanings summery:

• न (na) - not, no

• च (ca) - and

• एनम् (enam) - him (the king) (him, this one)

• अशकत् (aśakat) - was able

• कश्चित् (kaścit) - anyone (in the negative sense: no one) (someone, anyone, a certain one)

• निवर्तस्व (nivartasva) - turn back, return

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

• भाषितुम् (bhāṣitum) - to speak, to say

• न्यवर्तन्त (nyavartanta) - they returned, they turned back

• ततः (tataḥ) - then, from there (then, from there, therefore)

• सर्वे (sarve) - all

• नराः (narāḥ) - men, people

• नगरवासिनः (nagaravāsinaḥ) - city-dwellers, inhabitants of the city

Words meanings and morphology

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negation.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

Note: Connective.

एनम् (enam) - him (the king) (him, this one)

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of ena

ena - this, that, he, she, it (demonstrative pronoun)

Note: Refers to Yudhishthira.

अशकत् (aśakat) - was able

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, imperfect (laṅ) of śak

Imperfect Active

Imperfect tense, 3rd person singular active.

Root: śak (class 5)

कश्चित् (kaścit) - anyone (in the negative sense: no one) (someone, anyone, a certain one)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kaścid

kaścid - someone, anyone, a certain one (indefinite pronoun)

Note: In conjunction with 'na', means 'no one'.

निवर्तस्व (nivartasva) - turn back, return

(verb)

2nd person , singular, middle, imperative (loṭ) of vṛt

Imperative Middle

Imperative tense, 2nd person singular middle voice.

Prefix: ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

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

(indeclinable)

Note: Marks the end of a quotation.

भाषितुम् (bhāṣitum) - to speak, to say

(verb)

active, infinitive (tumun) of bhāṣ

Infinitive

Infinitive form of the verb.

Root: bhāṣ (class 1)

Note: Acts as an object of 'aśakat'.

न्यवर्तन्त (nyavartanta) - they returned, they turned back

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, imperfect (laṅ) of vṛt

Imperfect Middle

Imperfect tense, 3rd person plural middle voice.

Prefix: ni

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: ni + avartanta → nyavartanta (y-sandhi from i + a).

ततः (tataḥ) - then, from there (then, from there, therefore)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverbial.

सर्वे (sarve) - all

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole

Note: Agrees with narāḥ and nagaravāsinaḥ.

नराः (narāḥ) - men, people

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of nara

nara - man, human being, person

Note: Subject of nyavartanta.

नगरवासिनः (nagaravāsinaḥ) - city-dwellers, inhabitants of the city

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of nagaravāsin

nagaravāsin - city-dweller, inhabitant of a city

Compound type : tatpurusha (nagara+vāsin)

• nagara – city, town
  noun (neuter)
• vāsin – dweller, inhabitant (from root 'vas' to dwell)
  noun (masculine)
  Agent noun
  Derived from root 'vas' (to dwell) with suffix -in.
  Root: vas (class 1)

Note: Agrees with narāḥ.