महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-7, chapter-139, verse-12

के पृष्ठतोऽस्य ह्यभवन्वीरा वीरस्य युध्यतः ।
के पुरस्तादगच्छन्त निघ्नतः शात्रवान्रणे ॥१२॥

12. ke pṛṣṭhato'sya hyabhavanvīrā vīrasya yudhyataḥ ,
ke purastādagacchanta nighnataḥ śātravānraṇe.

12. ke pṛṣṭhataḥ asya hi abhavan vīrā vīrasya yudhyataḥ
| ke purastāt agacchantan nighnataḥ śātravān raṇe

12. hi ke pṛṣṭhataḥ asya vīrasya yudhyataḥ vīrā abhavan?
ke purastāt raṇe śātravān nighnataḥ agacchantan?

12. Who indeed were behind him, the brave warriors fighting? And who advanced in front, striking down the enemies in battle?

Words meanings summery:

• के (ke) - who?, which?

• पृष्ठतः (pṛṣṭhataḥ) - from behind, behind

• अस्य (asya) - of him (referring to the main warrior, Arjuna) (his, of him, to him)

• हि (hi) - indeed, surely, for, because

• अभवन् (abhavan) - they were, they became

• वीरा (vīrā) - heroes, brave men

• वीरस्य (vīrasya) - of the hero (referring to the principal warrior, Arjuna) (of the hero, of the brave one)

• युध्यतः (yudhyataḥ) - of the one fighting (referring to Arjuna) (fighting, warring)

• के (ke) - who?, which?

• पुरस्तात् (purastāt) - in front, before

• अगच्छन्तन् (agacchantan) - they went forward (they went, going)

• निघ्नतः (nighnataḥ) - striking down (the enemies) (striking, killing, slaying)

• शात्रवान् (śātravān) - enemies, foes

• रणे (raṇe) - in battle, in war

Words meanings and morphology

के (ke) - who?, which?

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kim

kim - who?, what?, which?

पृष्ठतः (pṛṣṭhataḥ) - from behind, behind

(indeclinable)

Derived from pṛṣṭha ('back') with suffix -taḥ

अस्य (asya) - of him (referring to the main warrior, Arjuna) (his, of him, to him)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this, he, she, it

हि (hi) - indeed, surely, for, because

(indeclinable)

अभवन् (abhavan) - they were, they became

(verb)

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

Root: bhū (class 1)

वीरा (vīrā) - heroes, brave men

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of vīra

vīra - hero, brave man, warrior, heroic

वीरस्य (vīrasya) - of the hero (referring to the principal warrior, Arjuna) (of the hero, of the brave one)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of vīra

vīra - hero, brave man, warrior, heroic

युध्यतः (yudhyataḥ) - of the one fighting (referring to Arjuna) (fighting, warring)

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, singular of yudhyat

yudhyat - fighting, warring

Present Active Participle

Derived from root √yudh (class 4) in the active voice

Root: yudh (class 4)

के (ke) - who?, which?

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of kim

kim - who?, what?, which?

पुरस्तात् (purastāt) - in front, before

(indeclinable)

अगच्छन्तन् (agacchantan) - they went forward (they went, going)

(verb)

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

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: The form `agacchantan` (from Devanagari `अगच्छन्त`) is a less common or archaic variant. It is most likely used here as a 3rd person plural imperfect verb, equivalent to `agacchan` ('they went'), agreeing with the plural subject `ke`. Grammatically, a present active participle in nominative plural masculine would be `gacchantas` (or `agacchantas`), making `agacchantan` unusual in that role without further context.

निघ्नतः (nighnataḥ) - striking down (the enemies) (striking, killing, slaying)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of nighnat

nighnat - striking, killing, slaying, destroying

Present Active Participle

Derived from ni-√han (class 2) in the active voice

Prefix: ni

Root: han (class 2)

शात्रवान् (śātravān) - enemies, foes

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of śātru

śātru - enemy, foe, adversary

रणे (raṇe) - in battle, in war

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of raṇa

raṇa - battle, fight, war, conflict