1.21
अर्जुन उवाच
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥
arjuna uvāca
senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṃ sthāpaya me 'cyuta
Arjuna is speaking. This verse is one line. The next line of the speech is 1.22, a full verse. Recite 1.21 and do not pad it.
The verse
Arjuna said: Set my chariot in the middle of both armies, Acyuta.
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, हे अच्युत, मेरो रथ दुवै सेनाको बीचमा राख्नुहोस्।
Where it sits
He is giving an order to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). The name he chooses is acyuta (अच्युत), the one who does not fall, the one you can ask. A minute ago the narration called Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश), lord of the senses. Arjuna's own mouth says "unfallen." The request is still a warrior's request. He wants a better view of the men he means to fight. 1.22 says so.
Split: सेनयोः + उभयोः + मध्ये + रथम् + स्थापय + मे + अच्युत
senayoḥ + ubhayoḥ + madhye + ratham + sthāpaya + me + acyuta
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| सेनयोः | senayoḥ | genitive dual | of the two armies. |
| उभयोः | ubhayoḥ | genitive dual | of both. |
| मध्ये | madhye | locative, used as an adverb | in the middle. |
| रथम् | ratham | accusative | the chariot. |
| स्थापय | sthāpaya | imperative, causal | place it, make it stand. |
| मे | me | genitive/dative enclitic | my. For me. |
| अच्युत | acyuta | vocative | Acyuta. "Unfallen." Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) as the one who does not slip. |
The phrases
सेनयोर् उभयोर् मध्ये senayor ubhayor madhye is the place. In the middle of both armies. Two genitive duals, then "in the middle."
rathaṃ sthāpaya (रथं स्थापय) is the order. Set the chariot there.
me 'cyuta (मे ऽच्युत) is "my" plus the name he uses. मे + अच्युत me + acyuta drops the a (अ) and leaves the avagraha: me 'cyuta (मे ऽच्युत). The e (ए) stays.
Sanskrit in this line
The genitive dual of an ā (आ)-stem and of ubha (उभ) is --oḥ (ओः). senā (सेना) becomes senayoḥ (सेनयोः). ubha (उभ) becomes ubhayoḥ (उभयोः). "Of the two armies, of both." You had the dual ending --au (औ) for "two" as subject or object in 1.14. --oḥ (ओः) is "of the two." Same number, different case.
sthāpaya (स्थापय) is causal. The simple verb sthā (स्था) means "stand." The causal stem sthāpaya (स्थापय) means "make it stand, place." The imperative of that stem, said to one person, is sthāpaya (स्थापय) itself. He is not asking the chariot to stand. He is asking Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) to cause it.
ए + अ e + a drops the a (अ). The avagraha marks the spot. me acyuta (मे अच्युत) is the split. me 'cyuta (मे ऽच्युत) is the recitation.
Say it back
The place, the order, the name. Dual genitive for the armies.