महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-9, chapter-23, verse-56

नरान्नागान्समाहत्य हयांश्चापि विशां पते ।
अपतन्त रणे बाणाः पतंगा इव घोषिणः ॥५६॥

56. narānnāgānsamāhatya hayāṁścāpi viśāṁ pate ,
apatanta raṇe bāṇāḥ pataṁgā iva ghoṣiṇaḥ.

56. narān nāgān samāhatya hayān ca api viśām pate
apatanta raṇe bāṇāḥ pataṅgāḥ iva ghoṣiṇaḥ

56. viśām pate,
ghoṣiṇaḥ pataṅgāḥ iva bāṇāḥ narān nāgān hayān ca api samāhatya raṇe apatanta

56. O Lord of the people (viśāṃ pate), the arrows, which hissed and resembled moths or grasshoppers, struck men, elephants, and also horses, before falling down on the battlefield.

Words meanings summery:

• नरान् (narān) - men

• नागान् (nāgān) - elephants (in a battle context) (elephants, Nāgas (serpent deities))

• समाहत्य (samāhatya) - having struck well, having completely struck

• हयान् (hayān) - horses

• च (ca) - and

• अपि (api) - also, even

• विशाम् (viśām) - of the people, of the subjects

• पते (pate) - O lord, O master

• अपतन्त (apatanta) - they fell down, they alighted

• रणे (raṇe) - in battle, on the battlefield

• बाणाः (bāṇāḥ) - arrows

• पतङ्गाः (pataṅgāḥ) - moths, grasshoppers, flying insects

• इव (iva) - like, as, as if

• घोषिणः (ghoṣiṇaḥ) - roaring, sounding, hissing (referring to arrows' sound)

Words meanings and morphology

नरान् (narān) - men

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of nara

nara - man, person, male

Root: nṛ

Note: Object of `samāhatya`.

नागान् (nāgān) - elephants (in a battle context) (elephants, Nāgas (serpent deities))

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of nāga

nāga - serpent, cobra, elephant, a mountain

Note: Object of `samāhatya`.

समाहत्य (samāhatya) - having struck well, having completely struck

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (gerund)

Derived from root √han (to strike, kill) with prefixes 'sam-' and 'ā-' and suffix '-tya' (for gerund with prefixes).

Prefixes: sam+ā

Root: han (class 2)

Note: Expresses an action completed before the main verb.

हयान् (hayān) - horses

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of haya

haya - horse

Note: Object of `samāhatya`.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

अपि (api) - also, even

(indeclinable)

विशाम् (viśām) - of the people, of the subjects

(noun)

Genitive, feminine, plural of viś

viś - people, subjects, community, clan

Root: viś (class 6)

Note: First part of the vocative compound "viśām pate".

पते (pate) - O lord, O master

(noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of pati

pati - master, lord, husband, owner

Note: Second part of the vocative compound "viśām pate".

अपतन्त (apatanta) - they fell down, they alighted

(verb)

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

Imperfect

Imperfect, 3rd person plural, active voice. The 'a' prefix is the augment for past tense.

Root: pat (class 1)

रणे (raṇe) - in battle, on the battlefield

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of raṇa

raṇa - battle, war, conflict, strife

Root: raṇ (class 1)

बाणाः (bāṇāḥ) - arrows

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of bāṇa

bāṇa - arrow, reed

Root: baṇ (class 1)

Note: Subject of the verb `apatanta`.

पतङ्गाः (pataṅgāḥ) - moths, grasshoppers, flying insects

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, plural of pataṅga

pataṅga - moth, grasshopper, any flying insect, bird, sun

Literally 'one who flies' (pat-aṅga).

Root: pat

Note: Part of simile "like moths".

इव (iva) - like, as, as if

(indeclinable)

घोषिणः (ghoṣiṇaḥ) - roaring, sounding, hissing (referring to arrows' sound)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, plural of ghoṣin

ghoṣin - roaring, sounding, noisy, proclaiming

Derived from `ghoṣa` (sound, roar) with `in` suffix.

Root: ghuṣ (class 1)

Note: Modifies `bāṇāḥ`.