इति । तथानुष्ठिते किञ्चिन् मार्ग गत्वा तेषां ज्येष्ठतरः प्राह । अहो अस्माकम् एकॅश चतुर्थी मूढः केवलं बुद्धिमान् । न च विद्यां विना राज्ञां प्रतिग्रहः केवलबुड्या लभ्यते । तद् अस्मै स्वोपार्जनाविभागं न दास्यामः । तद् एष निवृत्य स्वगृहं गच्छेतु । अथ द्वितीयेनाभिहितं । अहो संबुडे विद्याहीनस् त्वं । तद् गच्छे गृहं । ततस् तृतीयेनाभिहितं । अहो न युज्यते कर्तुम् एवं । यतो वयं बाल्यात् प्रभृत्येकँच क्रीडिताः । तद् आगच्छतु । महानुभावो ऽस्मंदुपार्जितस्य वित्तस्य संविभागी भवतु । तथानुष्ठिते तैर् मार्गम् अतिक्रामद्भिर् अटव्यां मृतसिंहास्थीनि दृष्टानि । ततखे केनी भिहितं । अहो पूर्वाधीत विद्यायाः प्रत्ययः क्रियते । किञ्चिद् एतन् मृतसङ्खं तिष्ठति । तत् सद्भ्यस्त विद्याप्रभावेण प्रत्युज्जीवयामः । ततश्चै केनाभिहितं । अर्हम् अस्थि सञ्चयं कर्तुं जानामि । द्वितीयेनाभिहितं । चर्ममांसरुधिरं प्रयच्छामि । तृतीयेनाभिहितं । अहं सञ्जीवनं करोमि । तत एकेना स्थिसञ्चयः कृतः । द्वितीयेन चर्ममांस, रुधिरैः संयोजितः । तृतीयो यावज्जीवितव्यं योजयितुं लग्नः । तावत् स बुद्धिमता निषिद्ध उक्तश्च । एष सिंहः । यद्येनं संजीवं करिष्यसि तत सवान अप्यस्मान् व्यापादयिष्यतीति । ततस् तेनाभिहितं । धिं मूर्ख नाहं विद्यां विफलतां नेष्यामि । ततश्च तेनाभिहितं । तर्हि क्षणं प्रतीक्षस्व यावद् अहम् एनं समीपतरुम् आरोहामि । तथानुष्ठिते यावत् संजीवः कृतैस् तावत् चयोऽपि ते तेनोत्थाय व्यापादिताः । स च बुद्धिमान् सिंहे स्थानान्तरे गते वृक्षाद् अवतीर्य गृहं गतः ॥

840

SCHEME OF THE MORE COMMON SANSKRIT METRES.

1st class of Metres, consisting of two lines, determined by the number of SYLLABLES in the half-line (Vṛitta).

Note-It may be useful to prefix to the following schemes of metres a list of the fourth part of a verse; T

technical prosodial terms:

= an instant or

a long syllable ~~= a pyrrhic = a molossus

&= a bacchic

an anapæst (~~); = an anti

bacchic (); an amphibrach (~ — ~).

Sloka or Anushṭubh (8 syllables to the half-line or Páda).

935. THE commonest of all the infinite variety of Sanskrit metres is the Sloka or Anushṭubh. This is the metre which chiefly prevails in the great epic poems.

It consists of four half-lines of 8 syllables or two lines of 16 syllables each, but the rules which regulate one line apply equally to the other; so that it is only necessary to give the scheme of one line, as follows::

Note-The mark denotes either long or short.

The 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th syllables may be either long or short. The 8th, as ending the half-line, and the 16th, as ending the line, are also common. Since the line is considered as divided into two parts at the 8th syllable, it is an almost universal rule that this syllable must end a word, whether simple or compound*.

The 5th syllable ought always to be short. The 6th may be either long or short; but if long, then the 7th ought to be long also; and if short, then the 7th ought to be short also. But occasional variations from these last rules occur.

The last 4 syllables form two iambics; the 13th being always short, the 14th always long, and the 15th always short.

Every Sloka, or couplet of two lines, ought to form a complete sentence in itself, and contain both subject and predicate. Not unfrequently, however, in the Rámáyaṇa and Mahá-bhárata, three lines are united to form a triplet.

936. In the remaining metres determined by the number of syllables in the half-line, each half-line is exactly alike (sama); so that

There are, however, rare examples of compound words running through a whole line.

it is only necessary to give the scheme of one half-line, or quarter

of the verse (Páda).

Note, that in printed books each quarter of the verse, if it consist of more than 8 syllables, is often made to occupy a line.

937.

Trishṭubh (11 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 22 varieties. The commonest are

There is generally a cæsura at the 5th syllable.

Note-The above 2 varieties are sometimes mixed in the same stanza; in which

case the metre is called Upajáti or Akhyánaki.

940. Rathoddhatá,

941.

Jagatí (12 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 30 varieties. The commonest are—

--

944.

11

Atijagati (13 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 16 varieties. The commonest are-

948. Šakvarí or Šakkarí or Šarkarí (14 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 20 varieties. The commonest is

950. Atisakvarí or Atisakkari or Atisarkarí (15 syllables to the

The mark - is meant to show that the last syllable is long at the end of the half-line, but long or short at the end of the line.

952.

Ashți (16 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 12 varieties; none of which are common.

953.

Atyashți (17 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 17 varieties. The commonest are

954. Sikharini,

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Cæsura at the 6th syllable.

955. Mandákrántá,

11

957.

Dhriti (18 syllables to the half-line).

Of this there are 17 varieties; one of which is found in the Raghu-vamsa

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

961.

Kriti (20 syllables to the half-line).

Of these there are 4 varieties; none of which are common.

Prakriti (21 syllables to the half-line).

962.

963. Sragdhará, -

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

51

Cæsura at the 7th and 14th syllables.

964. Of the remaining metres determined by the number of syllables in the half-line, Akriti has 22 syllables, and includes 3 varieties; Vikṛiti 23 syllables, 6 varieties; San kṛiti 24 syllables, 5 varieties; Atikṛiti 25 syllables, 2 varieties; Utkriti 26 syllables, 3 varieties; and Daṇḍaka is the name given to all metres which exceed Utkriti in the number of syllables.

965. There are two metres, however, peculiar to the Vedas, called Gayatri and Ushnih. The first of these has only 6 syllables to the quarter-verse, and includes II varieties; the second has 7 syllables to the half-line, and includes 8 varieties.

a. Observe, that when the half-line is so short, the whole verse is sometimes written in one line.

b. Observe also, that great license is allowed in Vaidik metres: thus in the 966.

Gáyatrí,

which may be regarded as consisting of a triplet of 3 divisions of 8 syllables each, or of 6 feet of 4 syllables each, generally printed in one line, the quantity of each syllable is very irregular. The following verse exhibits the most usual quantities:

but even in the b verse of each division the quantity may vary.

2d class of Metres, consisting of two lines, determined by the number of SYLLABLES * in the WHOLE LINE (each whole line being alike, ardha-sama).

967. This class contains 7 genera, but no varieties under each genus. Of these the commonest are

968.

I

969.

Vaitálíya (21 syllables to the whole line).

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

There is a cæsura at the 10th syllable.

Aupacchandasika (23 syllables to the whole line).

The scheme of this metre is the same as the last, with a long syllable added after the 10th and last syllable in the line; the cæsura being at the 11th syllable.

970.

I

Pushpitágrá (25 syllables to the whole line).

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

There is a cæsura at the 12th syllable.

3d class of Metres, consisting of two lines, determined by the number of FEET in the whole verse (each foot containing generally four instants or mátrás).

This class of metres is called Játi.

971. Note-Each foot is supposed to consist of four instants, and a short syllable is equivalent to one instant, a long syllable to two. Hence only such feet can be

* This class of metres is said to be regulated by the number of feet or instants in the line, in the same way as the 3d class. But as each line is generally distributed into fixed long or short syllables, and no option is allowed for each foot between a spondee, anapæst, dactyl, proceleusmaticus, and amphibrach, it will obviate confusion to regard this class as determined by syllables, like the 1st.