महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-6, chapter-51, verse-20

तानि नागसहस्राणि भूमिपालशतानि च ।
तस्य बाणपथं प्राप्य नाभ्यवर्तन्त सर्वशः ॥२०॥

20. tāni nāgasahasrāṇi bhūmipālaśatāni ca ,
tasya bāṇapathaṁ prāpya nābhyavartanta sarvaśaḥ.

20. tāni nāgasahasrāṇi bhūmipālaśatāni ca tasya
bāṇapatham prāpya na abhyavartanta sarvaśaḥ

20. tāni nāgasahasrāṇi bhūmipālaśatāni ca tasya
bāṇapatham prāpya sarvaśaḥ na abhyavartanta

20. Those thousands of elephants and hundreds of kings, upon reaching the range of his arrows, were utterly unable to turn back.

Words meanings summery:

• तानि (tāni) - those

• नागसहस्राणि (nāgasahasrāṇi) - thousands of elephants

• भूमिपालशतानि (bhūmipālaśatāni) - hundreds of kings, hundreds of earth-protectors

• च (ca) - and

• तस्य (tasya) - his, of him

• बाणपथम् (bāṇapatham) - arrow's path, range of arrows

• प्राप्य (prāpya) - having reached, having obtained

• न (na) - not

• अभ्यवर्तन्त (abhyavartanta) - they could not turn back (implies an inability or overwhelming force) (they did not turn back, they did not return)

• सर्वशः (sarvaśaḥ) - completely, in every way, from all sides

Words meanings and morphology

तानि (tāni) - those

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of tad

tad - that, those

नागसहस्राणि (nāgasahasrāṇi) - thousands of elephants

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of nāgasahasra

nāgasahasra - thousand elephants

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nāga+sahasra)

• nāga – elephant, serpent
  noun (masculine)
• sahasra – thousand
  noun (neuter)

भूमिपालशतानि (bhūmipālaśatāni) - hundreds of kings, hundreds of earth-protectors

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, plural of bhūmipālaśata

bhūmipālaśata - hundred kings, hundred earth-protectors

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bhūmipāla+śata)

• bhūmipāla – king, earth-protector
  noun (masculine)
• śata – hundred
  noun (neuter)

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

तस्य (tasya) - his, of him

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he

Note: Refers to the hero (e.g., Arjuna) whose arrows are being discussed.

बाणपथम् (bāṇapatham) - arrow's path, range of arrows

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of bāṇapatha

bāṇapatha - arrow's path, range of arrows

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (bāṇa+patha)

• bāṇa – arrow
  noun (masculine)
• patha – path, way
  noun (masculine)

Note: Used with prāpya (having reached).

प्राप्य (prāpya) - having reached, having obtained

(indeclinable)

gerund/absolutive

Formed from root āp + prefix pra

Prefix: pra

Root: āp (class 5)

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

Note: Negation for the following verb.

अभ्यवर्तन्त (abhyavartanta) - they could not turn back (implies an inability or overwhelming force) (they did not turn back, they did not return)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, active, imperfect past (laṅ) of vṛt

imperfect past tense, third person plural

From root vṛt (turn), with prefixes abhi (towards) + ava (down/back). The 'a' prefix for imperfect (laṅ).

Prefixes: abhi+ava

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: The prefix abhi can mean towards/against, ava means down/back. abhyavartanta means 'they turned back/returned'. With na, it implies they couldn't or didn't. Context implies inability due to intense battle.

सर्वशः (sarvaśaḥ) - completely, in every way, from all sides

(indeclinable)

suffix -śaḥ