1.11
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिताः ।
भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ॥
ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgam avasthitāḥ
bhīṣmam evābhirakṣantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi
The speech closes with an order.
The verse
Stationed in all your positions, each in his place, all of you must guard Bhīṣma (भीष्म) above all.
नेपालीमा
आफ्ना सबै ठाउँमा, आआफ्नो भागमा उभिएर, तपाईंहरू सबैले भीष्मलाई नै सबैभन्दा बढी रक्षा गर्नुपर्छ।
Where it sits
Duryodhana's speech, which began as "look at their army," ends as "do not let Bhīṣma (भीष्म) fall." Whether 1.10 was fear or pride, the practical sentence is the same. Bhīṣma (भीष्म) is the army. The next verse is Bhīṣma's (भीष्म) answer, and it is not a speech. It is a conch.
Split: अयनेषु + च + सर्वेषु + यथा-भागम् + अवस्थिताः + भीष्मम् + एव + अभिरक्षन्तु + भवन्तः + सर्वे + एव + हि
ayaneṣu + ca + sarveṣu + yathā-bhāgam + avasthitāḥ + bhīṣmam + eva + abhirakṣantu + bhavantaḥ + sarve + eva + hi
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अयनेषु | ayaneṣu | locative plural | in the positions, the marches, the places assigned for battle. |
| सर्वेषु | sarveṣu | locative plural | in all of them. |
| यथा-भागम् | yathā-bhāgam | adverbial accusative | according to each one's share. Each in his own place. |
| अवस्थिताः | avasthitāḥ | nominative plural | stationed, standing ready. |
| भीष्मम् | bhīṣmam | accusative | Bhīṣma (भीष्म). |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | alone, above all. |
| अभिरक्षन्तु | abhirakṣantu | imperative, 3rd plural | let them guard, they must guard. |
| भवन्तः | bhavantaḥ | nominative plural of bhavat (भवत्) | you, sirs. |
| सर्वे | sarve | nominative plural | all. |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | indeed, for. It leans on the order. |
The phrases
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागम् अवस्थिताः ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu yathābhāgam avasthitāḥ is the condition of the men: standing in all the positions, each where he was assigned.
भीष्मम् एवाभिरक्षन्तु bhīṣmam evābhirakṣantu is the order. Guard Bhīṣma (भीष्म). eva (एव) makes him the one who matters. अ + अ a + a inside एव + अभिरक्षन्तु eva + abhirakṣantu has become ā (आ), so you hear evābhirakṣantu (एवाभिरक्षन्तु).
bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi (भवन्तः सर्व एव हि) is who must do it. All of you. The grammatical subject is third-person plural, because bhavat (भवत्) works that way, and the meaning is "you."
Sanskrit in this line
Locative plural of an a (अ)-stem is --eṣu (एषु). ayana (अयन) becomes ayaneṣu (अयनेषु), sarva (सर्व) becomes sarveṣu (सर्वेषु). "In the positions, in all of them." One ending, learned once, used for the rest of the book whenever a group is the place something happens.
abhirakṣantu (अभिरक्षन्तु) is the imperative in the third person plural. The ending --antu (अन्तु) means "they must" or "let them." With bhavantaḥ (भवन्तः), "they" means "you, respectfully." You met the singular bhavān (भवान्) in 1.8. This is its plural, and it finally gives that word something to do.
Say it back
Where are the men standing, and what is the one order? भीष्मम् एव bhīṣmam eva has to stay in the answer.