Sutra 6
Devanagari script
प्रतिहतहताग्रवेगयोः प्रतिहतमग्रपातभग्नं प्रवीरपुरुषसंहतं युध्येत न हताग्रवेगमग्रपातहतवीरम् ॥ कZ_०८.५.०६ ॥
Transliteration
pratihatahatāgravegayoḥ pratihatam agrapātabhagnaṃ pravīrapuruṣasaṃhataṃ yudhyeta na hatāgravegam agrapātahatavīram
Translation
Between a checked force and one whose forward momentum is destroyed, he should fight the checked force—whose first onset is broken yet whose brave men remain cohesive; he should not fight the one whose vanguard momentum is destroyed and whose leading heroes are slain in the first clash.
Word by Word
प्रतिहत-हत-अग्र-वेगयोःof the two (forces/conditions): (one) with vanguard momentum checked and (one) with vanguard momentum destroyed
प्रतिहत-हत-अग्र-वेगयोः:
TypeNoun (compound)
Rootप्रतिहत (ppp √हन्), हत (ppp √हन्), अग्र, वेग
Formषष्ठी-द्विवचन; समासपद (द्वन्द्व): (प्रतिहतहताग्रवेग) = ‘whose vanguard-impetus is checked and whose vanguard-impetus is destroyed’; overall genitive dual ‘of the two (cases/forces) …’
प्रतिहतम्checked; repulsed
प्रतिहतम्:
TypeAdjective (PPP used substantively)
Root√हन् (ppp प्रतिहत)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextually object-qualifier); ‘checked/repulsed’
अग्रपात-भग्नम्broken due to a forward collapse/charge-fall at the front
अग्रपात-भग्नम्:
TypeNoun/Adjective (compound)
Rootअग्रपात, √भञ्ज् (ppp भग्न)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया; ‘broken in/at the अग्रपात’
प्रवीर-पुरुष-संहतम्a compact formation/body of elite fighting men
प्रवीर-पुरुष-संहतम्:
TypeNoun/Adjective (compound)
Rootप्रवीर, पुरुष, √हन्/√हृ? (संहत = ppp √हन्? actually √हन् not; here ‘संहत’ from √हन् is unlikely; standard ‘संहत’ = ‘assembled/compacted’ from √हन्? better: from √हन् is ‘हत’; ‘संहत’ is adjectival ‘compact’ from √हन्?; lexically ‘saṃhata’ = ‘collected/compact’ from √हन्/√हृ is not right; treat as adjective stem संहत-
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया; ‘a compact body/mass of elite warriors/men’
युध्येतone should fight
युध्येत:
TypeVerb
Root√युध्
Formलिङ् (विधिलिङ्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should fight’
नnot
न:
TypeParticle (negation)
Rootन
Formनिषेध
हत-अग्र-वेगम्(a force) with its vanguard momentum destroyed
हत-अग्र-वेगम्:
TypeNoun (compound)
Root√हन् (ppp हत), अग्र, वेग
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया; ‘(one) whose vanguard momentum is destroyed’
अग्रपात-हत-वीरम्(a force) whose warriors are killed due to a front-line collapse/forward fall
अग्रपात-हत-वीरम्:
TypeNoun (compound)
Rootअग्रपात, √हन् (ppp हत), वीर
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextually army/force as neuter), एकवचन, द्वितीया; ‘(one) whose heroes are slain due to the front-collapse/forward fall’
Entities Mentioned
E
enemy vanguardE
elite fighters (vīra)FAQs
A cohesive enemy can be fixed and decisively defeated; a collapsing one may fragment, flee, or turn into dispersed violence—raising costs of pursuit and control.