महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-9, chapter-18, verse-53

ते सर्वे तावकान्दृष्ट्वा महेष्वासान्पराङ्मुखान् ।
नाभ्यवर्तन्त ते पुत्रं वेलेव मकरालयम् ॥५३॥

53. te sarve tāvakāndṛṣṭvā maheṣvāsānparāṅmukhān ,
nābhyavartanta te putraṁ veleva makarālayam.

53. te sarve tāvakān dṛṣṭvā maheṣvāsān parāṅmukhān
na abhyavartanta te putram velā iva makarālayam

53. te sarve tāvakān maheṣvāsān parāṅmukhān dṛṣṭvā
te putram na abhyavartanta velā iva makarālayam

53. All of them, having seen your great archers turning away, did not approach your son, just as a shore does not approach the ocean.

Words meanings summery:

• ते (te) - they (referring to the Pandava forces) (they, those)

• सर्वे (sarve) - all, every, whole

• तावकान् (tāvakān) - your (Dhritarashtra's) soldiers (your (people/soldiers))

• दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) - having seen, having perceived

• महेष्वासान् (maheṣvāsān) - great archers, mighty bowmen

• पराङ्मुखान् (parāṅmukhān) - turning away, averted, retreating

• न (na) - not, no

• अभ्यवर्तन्त (abhyavartanta) - they did not approach / could not turn towards (they approached, they turned towards)

• ते (te) - they (referring to the Pandava forces, reinforcing the earlier subject) (they, those)

• पुत्रम् (putram) - your (Dhritarashtra's) son (Duryodhana) (son)

• वेला (velā) - shore, bank, limit, boundary

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

• मकरालयम् (makarālayam) - the ocean (abode of crocodiles/sea-monsters (i.e., the ocean))

Words meanings and morphology

ते (te) - they (referring to the Pandava forces) (they, those)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Subject.

सर्वे (sarve) - all, every, whole

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole, entire

Note: Agrees with 'te'.

तावकान् (tāvakān) - your (Dhritarashtra's) soldiers (your (people/soldiers))

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of tāvaka

tāvaka - your, thine, belonging to you (often used to refer to 'your people' or 'your side')

Note: Modifies 'maheṣvāsān' and 'parāṅmukhān'.

दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) - having seen, having perceived

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

From root 'dṛś' (to see)

Root: dṛś (class 1)

महेष्वासान् (maheṣvāsān) - great archers, mighty bowmen

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of maheṣvāsa

maheṣvāsa - great archer, mighty bowman

Compound type : Tatpuruṣa / Bahuvrīhi (mahat+īṣu+āsa)

• mahat – great, large, mighty
  adjective (masculine)
• īṣu – arrow
  noun (masculine)
• āsa – bow (from ās, to shoot), throwing
  noun (masculine)

Note: Object of 'dṛṣṭvā'.

पराङ्मुखान् (parāṅmukhān) - turning away, averted, retreating

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of parāṅmukha

parāṅmukha - turning away, having the face averted, retreating, fleeing

Compound type : Bahuvrīhi (parāñc+mukha)

• parāñc – turned away, facing backward
  adjective (masculine)
• mukha – face, mouth, front
  noun (neuter)

Note: Agrees with 'maheṣvāsān'.

न (na) - not, no

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates the verb 'abhyavartanta'.

अभ्यवर्तन्त (abhyavartanta) - they did not approach / could not turn towards (they approached, they turned towards)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, imperfect (Laṅ) of abhyavṛt

Prefixes: abhi+ava

Root: vṛt (class 1)

ते (te) - they (referring to the Pandava forces, reinforcing the earlier subject) (they, those)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Subject, reiterating the first 'te'.

पुत्रम् (putram) - your (Dhritarashtra's) son (Duryodhana) (son)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of putra

putra - son, child

Note: Object of 'abhyavartanta'.

वेला (velā) - shore, bank, limit, boundary

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of velā

velā - shore, bank, limit, boundary, tide, time

Note: Subject of the simile ('as a shore').

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

Note: Introduces a simile.

मकरालयम् (makarālayam) - the ocean (abode of crocodiles/sea-monsters (i.e., the ocean))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of makarālaya

makarālaya - abode of crocodiles/sea-monsters (the ocean)

Compound type : Tatpuruṣa (makara+ālaya)

• makara – sea-monster, crocodile, dolphin
  noun (masculine)
• ālaya – abode, dwelling, house, receptacle
  noun (masculine)

Note: Object in the simile ('approach the ocean').