महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-3, chapter-179, verse-16

तेषां पुण्यतमा रात्रिः पर्वसंधौ स्म शारदी ।
तत्रैव वसतामासीत्कार्त्तिकी जनमेजय ॥१६॥

16. teṣāṁ puṇyatamā rātriḥ parvasaṁdhau sma śāradī ,
tatraiva vasatāmāsītkārttikī janamejaya.

16. teṣām puṇyatamā rātriḥ parvasandhau sma śāradī
tatra eva vasatām āsīt kārttikī janamejaya

16. O Janamejaya, for those dwelling right there, the most sacred (puṇyatamā) autumnal (śāradī) night, which coincided with a festival juncture (parvasandhau), was indeed the night of Kārttika.

Words meanings summery:

• तेषाम् (teṣām) - of them

• पुण्यतमा (puṇyatamā) - most sacred, most meritorious

• रात्रिः (rātriḥ) - night

• पर्वसन्धौ (parvasandhau) - at the juncture of a holy day/festival

• स्म (sma) - indeed

• शारदी (śāradī) - autumnal

• तत्र (tatra) - there, in that place

• एव (eva) - indeed, just, exactly

• वसताम् (vasatām) - of those dwelling/residing

• आसीत् (āsīt) - it was

• कार्त्तिकी (kārttikī) - relating to the month of Kārttika

• जनमेजय (janamejaya) - O Janamejaya

Words meanings and morphology

तेषाम् (teṣām) - of them

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it, they

पुण्यतमा (puṇyatamā) - most sacred, most meritorious

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of puṇyatama

puṇyatama - most sacred, most meritorious (superlative of puṇya)

Note: Superlative form.

रात्रिः (rātriḥ) - night

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of rātri

rātri - night

पर्वसन्धौ (parvasandhau) - at the juncture of a holy day/festival

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of parvasandhi

parvasandhi - juncture of a holy day, festival conjunction

Compound type : Tatpurusha (parvan+sandhi)

• parvan – knot, joint, section, festival, holy day
  noun (neuter)
• sandhi – juncture, union, connection, peace
  noun (masculine)

स्म (sma) - indeed

(indeclinable)

शारदी (śāradī) - autumnal

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śārada

śārada - autumnal, belonging to autumn

Note: Adjective modifying `rātriḥ`.

तत्र (tatra) - there, in that place

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, just, exactly

(indeclinable)

वसताम् (vasatām) - of those dwelling/residing

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, plural of vasat

vasat - dwelling, residing, inhabiting

Present Active Participle

from root vas (to dwell)

Root: vas (class 1)

Note: Modifies an implied group of people.

आसीत् (āsīt) - it was

(verb)

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

Root: as (class 2)

कार्त्तिकी (kārttikī) - relating to the month of Kārttika

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of kārttika

kārttika - belonging to Kārttika (a lunar month, roughly Oct-Nov)

Note: Adjective modifying `rātriḥ` (night of Kārttika).

जनमेजय (janamejaya) - O Janamejaya

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of janamejaya

janamejaya - Janamejaya (name of a king, son of Parikshit)