महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-5, chapter-151, verse-2

अस्मिन्नभ्यागते काले किं च नः क्षममच्युत ।
कथं च वर्तमाना वै स्वधर्मान्न च्यवेमहि ॥२॥

2. asminnabhyāgate kāle kiṁ ca naḥ kṣamamacyuta ,
kathaṁ ca vartamānā vai svadharmānna cyavemahi.

2. asmin abhyāgate kāle kim ca naḥ kṣamam acyuta
katham ca vartamānā vai svadharmāt na cyavemahi

2. acyuta asmin abhyāgate kāle naḥ ca kim kṣamam ca
katham vartamānāḥ vai svadharmāt na cyavemahi

2. O Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa), in this approaching time, what is suitable for us? And how, by acting, can we indeed avoid deviating from our own intrinsic nature (sva-dharma)?

Words meanings summery:

• अस्मिन् (asmin) - in this, on this

• अभ्यागते (abhyāgate) - having arrived, having come near, approaching

• काले (kāle) - in this current time/era (in time, at the time)

• किम् (kim) - what (is suitable) (what, which)

• च (ca) - and, also

• नः (naḥ) - for us (Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers) (to us, for us, our)

• क्षमम् (kṣamam) - suitable, proper, beneficial, capable

• अच्युत (acyuta) - O Kṛṣṇa (unfailing, immutable, Acyuta (an epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa))

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

• च (ca) - and, also

• वर्तमाना (vartamānā) - by acting, by being engaged (in our duties) (being, existing, acting, engaged)

• वै (vai) - indeed, certainly, verily

• स्वधर्मात् (svadharmāt) - from our own intrinsic nature (sva-dharma) (from one's own dharma, from one's own intrinsic nature)

• न (na) - not

• च्यवेमहि (cyavemahi) - we might deviate, we might fall

Words meanings and morphology

अस्मिन् (asmin) - in this, on this

(pronoun)

Locative, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this

Note: Agrees with 'kāle'.

अभ्यागते (abhyāgate) - having arrived, having come near, approaching

(adjective)

Locative, masculine, singular of abhyāgata

abhyāgata - approaching, arrived, come

Past Passive Participle

Root gam (to go) with upasargas abhi + ā; past passive participle form

Prefixes: abhi+ā

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Agrees with 'kāle'.

काले (kāle) - in this current time/era (in time, at the time)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of kāla

kāla - time, season, era

किम् (kim) - what (is suitable) (what, which)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - what, which, why

Note: Refers to the unknown suitable action.

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

Note: Conjunction.

नः (naḥ) - for us (Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers) (to us, for us, our)

(pronoun)

Dative, plural of asmad

asmad - we, us

Note: Also can be genitive or accusative, but dative fits 'suitable for us'.

क्षमम् (kṣamam) - suitable, proper, beneficial, capable

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kṣama

kṣama - capable, suitable, fit, beneficial

Note: Agrees with implied 'kim'.

अच्युत (acyuta) - O Kṛṣṇa (unfailing, immutable, Acyuta (an epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa))

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of acyuta

acyuta - unfailing, immutable; an epithet of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa

Past Passive Participle (negative)

a- (not) + cyuta (fallen, moved); root cyu (to move, fall)

Compound type : nañ-tatpuruṣa (a+cyuta)

• a – not, non-
  indeclinable
• cyuta – fallen, moved, deviated
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root cyu (to move, fall)
  Root: cyu (class 1)

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

(indeclinable)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

Note: Conjunction.

वर्तमाना (vartamānā) - by acting, by being engaged (in our duties) (being, existing, acting, engaged)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of vartamāna

vartamāna - being, existing, acting, current

Present Active Participle

Root vṛt (to be, to exist, to turn), present active participle form

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Refers to 'we' (implied subject of cyavemahi).

वै (vai) - indeed, certainly, verily

(indeclinable)

Note: Emphatic particle.

स्वधर्मात् (svadharmāt) - from our own intrinsic nature (sva-dharma) (from one's own dharma, from one's own intrinsic nature)

(noun)

Ablative, masculine, singular of svadharma

svadharma - one's own dharma, one's intrinsic nature, one's duty

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (sva+dharma)

• sva – own, self
  pronoun (masculine)
• dharma – constitution, natural law, intrinsic nature, righteousness, duty
  noun (masculine)
  From root dhṛ (to uphold, sustain)
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Source from which one does not deviate.

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

Note: Negative particle.

च्यवेमहि (cyavemahi) - we might deviate, we might fall

(verb)

1st person , plural, ātmanepada, optative (liṅ) of cyu

Optative Active

Root cyu, 1st person plural, Optative Active, ātmanepada form (inherently)

Root: cyu (class 1)