महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-125, verse-16

मुख्यश्चैवैष नो धर्मः क्षत्रियाणां जनार्दन ।
यच्छयीमहि संग्रामे शरतल्पगता वयम् ॥१६॥

16. mukhyaścaivaiṣa no dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṁ janārdana ,
yacchayīmahi saṁgrāme śaratalpagatā vayam.

16. mukhyaḥ ca eva eṣaḥ naḥ dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇām
janārdana yat śayīmahi saṃgrāme śaratapalpagatā vayam

16. And this, O Janardana, is indeed our primary natural law (dharma) as Kṣatriyas: that we should lie down in battle, fallen upon a bed of arrows.

Words meanings summery:

• मुख्यः (mukhyaḥ) - principal, chief, primary

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• एषः (eṣaḥ) - this (duty) (this (masculine nominative singular))

• नः (naḥ) - our, to us

• धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - the specific duty (dharma) of a Kṣatriya (duty, natural law, intrinsic nature)

• क्षत्रियाणाम् (kṣatriyāṇām) - as Kṣatriyas (referring to their caste/class duty) (of Kṣatriyas, for Kṣatriyas)

• जनार्दन (janārdana) - O Krishna, the remover of the distress of men (O Janardana)

• यत् (yat) - introduces a subordinate clause explaining the nature of the dharma (that, which)

• शयीमहि (śayīmahi) - we should lie down

• संग्रामे (saṁgrāme) - in battle, in conflict

• शरतपल्पगता (śaratapalpagatā) - fallen upon a bed of arrows (i.e., killed in battle) (having gone to a bed of arrows, lying on a bed of arrows)

• वयम् (vayam) - we

Words meanings and morphology

मुख्यः (mukhyaḥ) - principal, chief, primary

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of mukhya

mukhya - principal, chief, primary, important

Note: Agrees with `dharmaḥ`.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

एषः (eṣaḥ) - this (duty) (this (masculine nominative singular))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

demonstrative pronoun

Note: Refers to `dharmaḥ`.

नः (naḥ) - our, to us

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we

enclitic form of the pronoun 'we'

Note: Functions as a genitive 'our'.

धर्मः (dharmaḥ) - the specific duty (dharma) of a Kṣatriya (duty, natural law, intrinsic nature)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dharma

dharma - natural law, intrinsic nature, duty, righteousness, constitution, sacred law

from √dhṛ

Root: dhṛ (class 1)

क्षत्रियाणाम् (kṣatriyāṇām) - as Kṣatriyas (referring to their caste/class duty) (of Kṣatriyas, for Kṣatriyas)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, plural of kṣatriya

kṣatriya - warrior, member of the Kṣatriya (warrior/ruling) class

जनार्दन (janārdana) - O Krishna, the remover of the distress of men (O Janardana)

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of janārdana

janārdana - one who agitates or punishes men; a name of Vishnu/Krishna

from jana (men) + √ard (to vex, trouble)

Root: ard

यत् (yat) - introduces a subordinate clause explaining the nature of the dharma (that, which)

(indeclinable)

relative pronoun used here as a conjunction

शयीमहि (śayīmahi) - we should lie down

(verb)

1st person , plural, middle, optative (liṅ) of śī

optative mood

from √śī, ātmanepada

Root: śī (class 2)

संग्रामे (saṁgrāme) - in battle, in conflict

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of saṃgrāma

saṁgrāma - battle, conflict, war

from sam + √gram (to go) or √grābh (to seize)

Prefix: sam

Root: gram (class 1)

शरतपल्पगता (śaratapalpagatā) - fallen upon a bed of arrows (i.e., killed in battle) (having gone to a bed of arrows, lying on a bed of arrows)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of śaratapalpagata

śaratapalpagata - gone to a bed of arrows, lying on a bed of arrows

Compound type : tatpurusha (śara+talpa+gata)

• śara – arrow
  noun (masculine)
  Root: śṛ
• talpa – bed, couch
  noun (masculine)
• gata – gone, arrived, attained
  participle (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  from √gam
  Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Though morphologically resembling a feminine singular form, contextually it refers to the masculine plural subject 'vayam', implying a metrical or poetic variant of `śaratapalpagatāḥ`.

वयम् (vayam) - we

(pronoun)

Nominative, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we