Sanskrit Metres Chandas

[Background: I asked the poet and scholar Shatavadhani Dr R. Ganesh for help on how
to read/recite some common metres. He generously agreed, and illustrated over 30
metres, choosing the example verses and reciting them mostly from memory (and a
couple which he composed on the spot).]

Videos collected at Shreevatsa R You Tube home page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsf8Uz7U3jU7f0XfFYXau4g
Includes many videos of discussions and recitations with Shatavadhani Dr.R. Ganesh.

Published on Aug 12, 2013

Sanskrit Metres: 01 AnushtupShloka

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL... ]
Anuup is technically a generic name for metres of eight letters, and among the
anuup varieties, it is the loka that is the most important, beautiful, and popular.
Such is its popularity that often every Sanskrit verse is termed as loka.
An anuup (loka) composed by Gagdev, the well-known poetess of Vijayanagar. It
is from her epic Vra-kampaa-rya-caritam or Madhur-vijayam. It is a verse in praise
of poet Vlmki.

cetaso 'stu prasdya satm prcetaso muni /

pthivym padya-nirma-vidyy prathamam padam //
One more verse in the same loka metre, composed by the great poet Babhaa in his
Haracaritam. The well-known benedictory verse:

namas-tuga-ira-cumbi-candra-cmara-crave /
trailokya-nagarrambha-mla-stambhya ambhave //
These two varieties indicate the complex structure of the metre with compounded
words. If anuup is composed in a simple manner without samss, we can see a
subhita

sujana vyajanam manye cru-vaa-samudbhavam /

tmna tu paribhrmya para-tpa-nivrakam //
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnsA9XWBXPI&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=1

Sanskrit Metres: 02 Arya

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL... ]
Another metre which is also very popular is ry.
There are many varieties in ry ry, gt, upagt, rygt and so on.
But the most popular one is ry, having: 12 mtrs in the first line, 18 in the second, 12
in the third, and 15 in the last line.
It has to be recited in such a way that it can be sung to rhythm / danced to rhythm.
A well-known verse from Klidsa's Abhijna-akuntalam
[Note: There is an error here in; the ardhas have been inverted. Until it is fixed, think of
what is recited here as 12-15-12-18 udgti metre instead. :-)]

balavadapi ikitnm
tmany apratyaya ceta
paritod vidu
na sdhu manye prayogavijna
To recite it to metre, we have to render it in one tla or another, either the eka-tla or
rpaka-tla of South Indian music. (Called eka-tl and tn-tl in north Indian music.)
I shall recite according to metre a verse taken from Nlakaha Dkita's Vairgya-ataka
[12-18-12-15 ry metre]

ntij niyatij
vdaj api bhavanti vedaj
brahmaj api labhy
svjna-jnino viral
[Sung in rpaka]

ntij niyatij
vdaj api bhavanti vedaj
brahmaj api labhy
svjna-jnino viral
[Sung in eka]
One more ry, taken from a very great saint-scholar of Mysore who composed a magnificent
work Alakra-mai-hra, the great sage of Parakla Maha, rka Brahmatantra Yatndra.
From his compositions, a beautiful verse
[12-18-12-18 Gti metre]

nindatu v nandatu v
mandaman niamya ktim etm
hara v mara v
sarapamtram api naiva vindema

[Sung in rpaka]

nindatu v nandatu v
mandaman niamya ktim etm
hara v mara v
sarapamtram api naiva vindema

[Sung in eka]

One more verse to indicate the intrinsic beauty of this metre, taken from the well-known
devotional hymn Mka-paca-at of Mka-kavi
[12-18-12-18 Gti metre]

kalamajula-vganumitagalapajara-gataukagrahautkahyt
amba radanmbara te
bimbaphala ambarri nyastam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZCkOFXPg9k&index=2&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

Sanskrit Metres: 03 Upajati

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GVkB... ]
After loka and rya, the vara-vtta metres.
In the vara-vttas, the pattern of guru and laghu is completely fixed.
If the pattern is the same in all the four lines, the vtta is called a sarva-sama-vtta.
If alternate lines are identical, then it is termed as ardha-sama.
Else (if the four lines are asymmetrical), it is called viama-vtta.
There are few popular ardha-sama-vttas, and only one well-known viama-vtta, but
all the rest of the well-known vttas are sama-vttas.
One of the most well-known sama-vttas is indra-vajr, another upendra-vajr. The
combination of the two yield several varieties of upajtis.
In these upajtis, there is a choice of whether the first syllable is guru or laghu; the rest
are fixed and identical.
Upajti is the staple food of many great Sanskrit poets. Klidsa, Avaghoa, and many
more have used this as the major metre in their epics, while Vysa and Vlmki have
taken asylum in the magnificent anuup variety loka. (Though they use upajti to an
extent, the major metre in their magnificent epics is anuup loka.)
A verse from Jaganntha Paitarja's Bhmin-Vilsa, in upajti.

tre taruy vadana sahsam

nre sarojasya milad-viksam
lokya dhvatyubhayatra mugdh
maranda-lubdhli-kiora-ml

I shall repeat it once again to indicate the subtlety of yati or caesura.

tre taruy vadana sahsam

nre sarojasya miladviksam
lokya dhvatyubhayatra mugdh
maranda-lubdhli-kiora-ml
Generally there is no specific yati in this metre. But if you are keen enough, we can notice that
there is a slight pause after the fifth letter: "tre taruy / vadana sahsam // nre saroja/sya
miladviksam".
But we should not split it in a jarring manner. That is why, in "nre sarojasya miladviksam"
[sung], we have to jump the pause while reciting.
Again, in "lokya dhvatyubhayatra mugdh", it has to be smoothly recited: "lokya
dhvatyubhayatra mugdh".
Similarly in "maranda-lubdhli-kiora-ml".
One more verse in the same metre from Klidsa's Raghuvaa.

ala mhipla tava ramea

pratyuktam apyastram ito vth syt
na pdaponmlana-akti raha
iloccaye mrchati mrutasya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVkBTBfNXk&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meWWvSEary_a&index=3

Sanskrit Metres: 04 Vamshastha

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPGdX... ]
Now we look at Vaastha, a well-known metre which has 12 syllables in every foot.
Klidsa and later poets have used it.
Popularly it is called Vaastha, and the technical name is Vaasthavila.
Bhravi is supposed to be adept in wielding this metre, and the maximum number of
sargas of his Kirtrjunyam are composed in Vaastha.
A verse from Bhravi's Kirtrjunya, from the 14th canto:

stuvanti gurvm abhideya-sampadam

viuddhi-mukter apare vipacita
iti sthitym prati-pruam rucau
sudurlabh sarva-manoram gira
Again:

stuvanti gurvm abhideya-sampadam

viuddhi-mukter apare vipacita
iti sthitym prati-pruam rucau
sudurlabh sarva-manoram gira
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPGdX0Dy6H0&index=4&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

Sanskrit Metres: 05 Indravamsha

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu499... ]
Now we look at a 12-syllabled metre called Indravaa.
The only difference between Indravaa and Vaastha is in the first letter.
This is like the difference between Indravajr and Upendravajr. If the first letter in
Indravajr, the guru, is changed to laghu, it becomes Upendravajr. So in Vaastha,
when the first letter which is laghu is changed into a guru, it becomes Indravaa.
[His own composition]

v varey sphayavin
ptapinyurusaskriynay
bhydaloknubhavya bhvuk
pydamyvilavkchala jagat
In all these metres seen so far, we know that the yati or caesura is very feeble or weak,
and that is why such metres are called yati-durbala. They can be recited without
stopping at any specific point. We can recite the verse according to the breaking of the
words (according to the pada-yati). But in the case of metres which have a pronounced
caesura (yati-prbalya), there we have to recite with all care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu499Oo6Shc&index=5&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg
1pE7meWWvSEary_a

Sanskrit Metres: 06 Rathoddhata

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soxZA... ]
Now we look at a popular metre which has 11 letters in each foot: rathoddhat.
It was much popularised by Klidsa, and later every poet started adopting this,
especially for the description of sunset and moonrise.
A verse from Kumrasambhava's eighth canto:
[http://fiindolo.sub.uni-goettingen.de... Ks_8.63]

agulbhir iva keasacaya

sannighya timira marcibhi
kumalktasarojalocana
cumbatva rajanmukha a
agulbhir iva keasacaya
sannighya timira marcibhi
kumalktasarojalocana
cumbatva rajanmukha a
Here, though the metre is a vara-vtta, it has a "mtric" rhythm, a rhythm which is
comparable to the metres found in the mtr varieties (the jti-s, to use the stric
name).
Thus, though in terms of syllables the metre is 11-syllabled, we can view it as 8*2=16
mtras instead: the mtr varieties intrinsically divide in such a way that it creates a
harmonious blend of 3 and 5 matras in an array:

agu/lbhiriva / kea/sacaya
sani/ghya timi/ra ma/rcibhi
kuma/lktasa/roja/locana
cumba/tva raja/nmu/kha a
Or it can just as well be changed from 3 and 5, to 5 and 3:
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agul/bhir iva / keasa/caya

sannigh/ya timi/ra mar/cibhi
kumal/ktasa/rojalo/cana
cumbat/va raja/nmukha/ a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soxZABKUsU&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meWWvSEary_a&index=6

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Sanskrit Metres: 07 Svagata

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFT11... ]
With a slight difference, rathoddhat becomes svgat.
In the svgat metre, again 11-syllabled, similar to rathoddhat, we can identify the
movement of 3+5 matras, but at the end we have the 3+5 being equally divided into 4
and 4.
One verse from Naiadhya Caritam of rhara, who has used it extensively in his epic
poem. This svgat verse has been taken from the 5th canto of Naiadha.
[http://sanskritworld.in/naishadhiyach... ]

bhmaj ca hdi me paramste

jvitd api dhand api gurv
na svameva mama srhati yasy
oamapi kal kila norv
I shall repeat it in such a way that this varavtta can as well be realised as a mtrjti.

bhmaj ca hdi me paramste

jvitd api dhand api gurv
na svameva mama srhati yasy
oamapi kal kila norv
Here we can notice:
oam/api ka 5,3
l kila/ norv 4,4
oamapi kal kila norv
This is also something like a niryati metre, having very feeble caesura.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFT11y_iOJM&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=7

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13

Sanskrit Metres: 08 DrutaVilambita

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flS5G... ]
Now we look at Druta-Vilambita, the other beautiful variety among 12-syllabled metres
(the jagati genre).
A verse from Lluka's Kna-karmtam, known for its metrical melody and beauty
in meaning:

mada-ikhai-ikhaa-vibhaam
madana-manthara-mugdha-mukhmbujam
vraja-vadh-jana-locana-vachitam
vijayatm mama-vmaya-jvitam
Again:

mada-ikhai-ikhaa-vibhaam
madana-manthara-mugdha-mukhmbujam
vraja-vadh-jana-locana-vacitam
vijayatm mama-vmaya-jvitam
We can notice a beautiful dancing rhythm here. [sung]
It is verily danceable, and the name of the metre itself reveals the marvel of its
movement: druta and vilambita.
Druta means swiftness. Vilambita is slowing down the pace.
The combination of them yields druta-vilambita, the fast and slow tempos combined
together.
The laghus represent the druta-gati or the fast pace, and the gurus of course lead to a
slow pace. The combination yields druta-vilambita.

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mada-ikhai-ikhaa-vibhaam
madana-manthara-mugdha-mukhmbujam
vraja-vadh-jana-locana-vacitam
vijayatm mama-vmaya-jvitam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flS5GoBHW4g&index=8&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg
1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 09 Manjubhashini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j90Zu... ]
The next metre we look at is Majubhi, having 13 syllables in every foot.
Majubhi is a very beautiful but rarely used metre. Only a few poets like Mgha
and ivasvmi have employed it for many verses, but generally it used in plays here
and there.
It is a very beautiful metre.
I shall recite a verse from Lluka's Kna-karmta.

arudharmta-vieita-smitam
varulaynugata-vara-vaibhavam
taruravinda-dala-drgha-locanam
karulaya kam api blam raye
Those who have heard Rathoddhat would unfailingly identify that this is nothing but
Rathoddhat with two laghus in the beginning.
arudharmta-vieita-smitam here if we delete 'aru' in the first line, "dharmtavieita-smitam" becomes rathoddhat. So a leap can be identified here.
This is a variety of keeping the rhythm intact. The grip in the rhythm can be identified
here. Such marvels in music are called atta and angata varieties.
Here we can notice again the gati of 5+3 or 3+5. Here it is 5+3.

arudharmtavieitasmitam
varulaynugata-vara-vaibhavam
taruravinda-dala-drgha-locanam
karulaya kam api blam raye
Similarly if 2 laghus are added at the beginning of rathoddhat's cousin svgat that
is, svgat starting with two extra laghus then it becomes kalahasa, another metre
which is a very rarely used one.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j90Zuqea9Wo&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=9

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Sanskrit Metres: 10 Shalini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0c_1... ]
One more variety in the 11-syllabled genre (triup) of metres is lin.
lin is one of the beautiful metres which is very popular in the later poets like Mgha
and ivasvmi, but rarely used by the early masters like Klidsa and Bhsa. (It is used
mainly in some plays.)
This metre is very difficult to handle for beginners, because of the heavy gurus which
"bounce" in the beginning itself, five in number.
One lin from Mgha. A verse from the 18th canto of iuplavadha.
[http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/g...]

ghando nisvano diimnm

graiveym ravo brahmitni
metva pratyavocan gajnm
utshrtham vcamdhoraasya
This metre has a specifically pronounced caesura or yati after the fourth letter. After
four gurus we have a virma-sthna or pause, and then we have the remaining 7 letters.
The whole metre is pronouncedly guru-gambhra and that is why it is a very grave and
terse metre.
Here, we can notice: the later metres of bigger varieties like Mandkrnta, Sragdhar,
Sodana and many, have found a maternal force in this one.
The expansion of lin itself leads to Mandkrnta and Sragdhar, well-known bigger
varieties.
We don't know which came first, but we can say: in the Vedic metres too, here and
there, we do see the variety of lin, but not Mandkrnta or Sragdhar.
That is why historians of metre naturally declare that bigger varieties are later
explorations, while smaller ones have an antiquity.

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In this lin metre, we can see a strikingly Vedic vigour. If we remember Klidasa's
kuntala's k-chandas, which occurs in the fourth act, we can realise that there, in the
kchandas which is of the triup variety, we have one line of lin too.
Just to recapitulate for the memory of the listeners, from kuntalam:

am vedi parita kpta-dhiy

samidvanta prnta-sastra-darbh
apaghnanto durita havya-gandhair
vaitns tv vahnaya pvayantu
Here the last line "vaitns tv vahnaya pvayantu" is in lin.
In the Bhagavad-Gta, Mahbhrata too, we see here and there lines of lin, but not a complete
verse in lin.
[See also Mandkrnta, Sragdhar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0c_1eVIWHI&index=10&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 11 Praharshini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXMw... ]
Praharii is a 13-syllabled metre, very terse in nature.
Poet Bhravi is endearingly called by the name Chattra-Bhravi, for his well-known
verse from Kirtrjunyam's fifth canto, and this verse which yields "Chatra-Bhravi",
the attribute to him, is in Praharii.
Here the poet describes the beautiful whirls of winds which move on the lotuses so that
the pollen grains are collected, and they form the shape of an umbrella which is nothing
but a golden umbrella given to the goddess of the season arat.

utphulla-sthala-nalin-vand amumd
uddhta sarasijasambhava parga
vtybhir viyati vivartita samantd
dhatte kanakamaytapatralakmm
It also sounds verily Vedic. After the third letter we have the caesura or yati:
dhatte/kanakamaytapatralakmm.
**At this juncture, we can know that the yati-sthna or pause occurs only when we have
the asymmetric combinations of clusters of gurus and laghus joining at one particular
point.**
"dhatte" is a completely guru-pradhna phrase: the three-lettered word dhatte is
completely guru. All the measures are long.
"kanakamaytapatralakmm": here in "kanakamaya" we have four laghus, followed by
tapatralakmm, a combination of gurus and laghus.
But strikingly we have three gurus and four laghus joining at one point, and this
welding point is caesura or yati-sthna.
Where we have the combination of bhinna-gatis, there we realise yati. Where a metre
has combination of several varieties of gatis, there we are bound to have caesuras, one
or two at least. But where the whole foot is smooth or homogeneous, with a uniform
combination of gurus and laghus, we cannot realise a pronounced yati. And that is
20

why, in the upajti or in the beautiful metre vasantatilak or in the varieties like
campakamla, utpalamla which are very popular in Kannada and Telugu (these
metres are of course borrowed from Sanskrit), we don't find a pronounced or
identifiable yati.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXMwE4ZOjw&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=11

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Sanskrit Metres: 12 Jagati Stotra Metres

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffbqy... ]
Now we shall go to very rhythmic and enchanting metres of the 12-lettered variety (that
is, from the Jagati group/family).
We have four popular metres which are verily useful in composing stotra-kvyas or
devotional hymns.
But for a narrative epic, these metres are not advisable. The great scholar and
rhetorician/poetician Mammaa declares that such metres should never be employed by
a poet who is devoted to writing an epic.
Occasionally for variety in rare cases we may employ them, but because of their jingling
rhythm we are bound to get distracted from the core meaning of the verse, and that is
the main purpose of the poet.
We shall look at four varieties:
1. If all four gaas in a line are ya-gaa, it is called bhujaga-prayta. A ya-gaa has one
short and two long syllables. Thus we have: nann-nann-nann-nann...
2. If each line is made of four sa-gaa nanan-nanan-nanan-nanan the metre is
called toaka. (It is also called troaka, but its name toaka seems to be more appropriate,
for the 'toaka' name can be embedded in the metre itself, but troaka cannot be
accommodated for its gitvkara, the combination of two consonants, in the first letter.)
3. Four ra-gaas yield the sragvi metre: nnan-nnan-nnan-nnan....
4. The last one in this variety is jaloddhata gati. There we have a jagaa and a sa-gaa,
twice: nanna-nanan-nanna-nanan. The metre is very enchanting and danceable.
We shall recite an example each from the stotra-kavys, for these metres are wellknown for stotras.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffbqy_W76Co&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=12

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23

Sanskrit Metres: 13 Bhujanga Prayata

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOwJB... ]
akara, the great sage who propounded the philosophy of Advaita, has written many
Bhujaga-praytas. (Or at least, there are many Bhujaga-prayta stotras in his name.)
One such Bhujaga-prayta stotra from akara:

adagdi-vedo mukhe stra-vidy

kavitva ca gadya vicitra karoti
mana cen na lagna guror aghri-padme
tata ki tata ki tata ki tata ki
One more verse from his rad-bhujaga-prayta stotra:

lalmkaphl lasadgnalol
svabhaktaikalol yaarkapolm
purastugabhadr surastr-vinidr
bhaje radmbm ajasra madambm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOwJBDlQw5o&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=13

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Sanskrit Metres: 14 Totaka

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjPZV... ]
In Toaka, we have a verse from Vekatevara Suprabhta composed by Prativdi
Bhayakaran Aan.

ativelatay tava durviahair anuvelaktair apardhaatai |

bharita tvarita va ailapate paray kpay pariphi hare ||
I shall repeat.

ativelatay tava durviahair anuvelaktair apardhaatai |

bharita tvarita va ailapate paray kpay pariphi hare ||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjPZV5czHqM&index=14&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPA
cg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 15 Sragvini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXurJ... ]
For Sragvi, we shall go to Kakarta of Lluka.
A hymn of eight verses, often called Veugtaka, can be isolated from the second
chapter of Kakarta. From it:

bliktliktlalllay
sagasandaritabhrlatvibhrama |
gopikgtadattvadhna svayam
sajagau veun devaknandana || 2-41
One more verse:

crucmkarbhsabhmvibhu
vaijayantlatvsitorasthala |
nandabndvane vitmadhyaga
sajagau veun devaknandana || 2-40
But we can very clearly notice the amount of monotony involved in this verse.
Irrespective of the metrical melody, and the jingling sounds of the words, we cannot but
lose the marvel of meaning. That is why great masters like Mammaa and others have
restricted these metres only to stotra-kvyas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXurJvC838U&index=15&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 16 Pramitakshara

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuJAw... ]
Pramitkara is another metre of 12-syllabled variety, used for the first time by the poet
Bhravi in his Kirtrjunya.
Pramitkara too is similar to these four metres, but the pronounced rhythmic sense is
perhaps reduced to an extent because of one novel gaa which is introduced there.
The total structure of the metre can as well be realized in rya-gti, or skandhaka, or
kanda of Telugu and Kannada.
In Pramitkara we have a sa-gaa, then a ja-gaa, and two more sa-gaas.
"pramitkar tu sa-ja-sair udit" is the stra of this.
And here we can notice that
na-na-n-na-n-na-na-na-n-na-na-n
runs very smoothly, and that is why we don't have that much of pronounced
embellishment of sound here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuJAwptSXVM&index=16&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPA
cg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

27

Sanskrit Metres: 17 Vasantatilaka

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8g4B... ]
Vasantatilak is the most famous 14-syllabled metre.
Many poets have employed it in a commendable way. It is said by Kemendra in his
Suvtta-tilaka that the poet Ratnkara, in his great epic crossing 50 cantos in praise of
iva who destroys the demon Andhaksura, has composed many Vasantatilaks in
several cantos.
However it is the great king Bhoja who is known for beautiful Vasantatilak metres. I
shall recite a verse from Bhojarja's gra-praka, the benedictory verse itself.

acchinna-mekhalam-alabdha-dhopagham
aprpta-cumbanam avkita-vaktraknti
kntbhimira-vapua-kta-vipralambhasabhoga-sakhyam iva ptu vapu purre
I shall repeat it

acchinna-mekhalam-alabdha-dhopagham
aprpta-cumbanam avkita-vaktraknti
kntbhimira-vapua-kta-vipralambhasabhoga-sakhyam iva ptu vapu purre
MSS_0366 http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/g...
One more verse from Bhoja's Camp-rmyaa:

dukhe sukhe ca rajayeva babhva hetu

tdk vidhau mahati gautama-dharmapatny
yasmt guena rajas vikti gat s
rmasya pda-rajas prakti prapede
28

Here we can notice: without any break, every foot can be easily recited. This indicates
the niryatitva of the metre.
Haravijaya of Ratnkara of course has hundreds of vasantatilaks but Bhoja-rja with a
score of something like 50 or 60 vasantatilaks in his Camp-Rmyaa has become
immortal and this metre is also immortalized.
Most of our Suprabhts are composed in this metre. Klidsa started this tradition: in
his Raghuvaa's fifth canto, we have this metre being employed as suprabhta for the
first time. The poem starts:

"rtrir gat matimat vara muca ayy" [ Ragh_5.66 //

http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/g...]
And later this metre was specifically adopted for suprabhtam by Prativdi
Bhayakaran Aan who composed the well-known Vekatevara Suprabhta.

at praphulla-sarasruha-nrikelapgadrumdi-sumanohara-pliknm |
vpya mandam anila saha divya-gandhai
edri-ekhara-vibho tava suprabhtam ||
This is how the metre goes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8g4BGdza_M&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=17

29

Sanskrit Metres: 18 Malini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvQ_7... ]
Mlin, a metre of 15-syllables, is one of the most musical metres of the Sanskrit world.
Most of the poets have employed this, mainly for the sargntya. (At the end of every
canto, the metre has to be changed, per the convention laid by the aestheticians.)
Accordingly, starting from Klidsa, there are many poets who have used Mlin at the
end of their cantos.
However, starting from Mgha, this metre has been employed for the whole sarga too.
Even in the plays of master-poets like Bhsa, Bhavabhti, Vikhadatta and others, we
find Mlin, not to speak of poets like Klidsa and others.
A mlin from Uttara-rma-carita of Bhavabhti:

kimapi kimapi manda mandam saktiyogt

aviralita-kapola jalpator-akramea /
aithila-parirambha-vyptaikaikadoo
avidita-gata-ym rtrir eva vyarast //
One verse from Klidsa's kuntalam:

sarasijam anuviddha aivalenpi ramyam

malinam api himor lakma lakm tanoti /
iyam adhika-manoj valkalenpi tanv
kim iva hi madhur maana nktnm // KSak_1.18 //
http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/g...
There is a yati-sthna or caesura at the end of the 8th letter in the middle, and naturally
we have a yati-sthna or caesura at the end of every foot (line).
If these two yati-sthnas are managed with identical sounding words -- if we have
anuprsa, or if we have an internal rhyme -- the metre will be very beautiful to listen to.
And such measures can be found in many stotra-kvyas, and Lluka towers supreme.
30

A verse from Lluka's Kakarta:

praaya-pariatbhym prbhavlambanbhym
prati-pada-lalitbhym pratyaham ntanbhym |
prati muhur adhikbhym prasnuvallocanbhym
prabhavatu hdaye na prantha kiora || 1-13
Here, only in the last line we don't have anuprsa. But for that, the whole verse is very
melodious to listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvQ_7wac868&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=18

31

Sanskrit Metres: 19 Charuchamara

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWp7V... ]
The metre Crucmara is a very enchanting rhythmic piece which has a measure of 15
letters in every foot. This metre is well known in the stotra-kvyas.
A verse in description of the spring season. Such a description rarely happens in this
metre, as the metre is mainly employed for stotras rather than seasons' description.
[A verse by himself]

cru-caitra-msa-hsa-bhsavan manobharam
bhri-pupa-pra-vram kyam etad ujvalam |
dakinilo vilola-vallar vadh-vio
rakatva mdhavya mdhurmudetyasau ||
Again:

cru-caitra-msa-hsa-bhsavan manobharam
bhri-pupa-pra-vram kyam etad ujvalam |
dakinilo vilola-vallar vadh-vio
rakatva mdhavya mdhurmudetyasau ||
In this metre, one can strikingly notice the trira gati of Indian music. Or for that matter,
in any music we have the three-beats count.
And the trimtr gaa can as well be noticed: one guru and one laghu. It is as well
comparable with the Western pattern of trochee: one long and one short syllable, joined
and repeating in succession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWp7Vo_a0rs&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=19

32

Sanskrit Metres: 20 Panchachamaram

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tdig... ]
The 16-syllabled metre Paca-cmaram is a close cousin of Cru-cmaram. This is again
meant for stotras, because the rhythm of 3 -- the trira gati -- is a very speedy move and
its fast succession naturally generates a lot of monotony. So for high spirits in rare
occasions this may as well be employed, but not at all times.
akara's Gaea-Pacaratnam has been composed in this particular metre. A beautiful
alliterating verse from that hymn:

nitnta-knta-danta-kntam antakntaktmajam
tvacintya rpam antahnam antarya-kntanam /
hdantare nirantara vasantam eva yoginm
tam ekadantam eva tam vicintaymi santatam //
We can notice how the melody of the metre has been fostered with variety.

nitnta-knta-danta-kntam antakntaktmajam
tvacintya rpam antyahnam antarya-kntanam /
hdantare nirantara vasantam eva yoginm
tam ekadantam eva tam vicintaymi santatam //
The start with laghu is a beautiful and striking novelty in this particular one. But for
this first laghu, there is no difference between this and the earlier Crucmaram. If a
laghu is added at the beginning of Crucmaram, it turns out to be Pacacmaram.
Here, its rhythmic pattern is comparable to the Western counterpart iambic metre. The
leap from laghu to guru is striking and easy to notice.

nitnta-knta-danta-kntam antakntaktmajam
tvacintya rpam antyahnam antarya-kntanam /
hdantare nirantara vasantam eva yoginm
tam ekadantam eva tam vicintaymi santatam //
33

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tdig_cn5P0&index=20&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1
pE7meWWvSEary_a

34

Sanskrit Metres: 21 Seventeen Syllabled

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtyI... ]
The class of 17-syllabled (atyai) metres has some 4 or 5 significant metres
(Mandkrnta, ikhari, Hari, Kokilaka, Pthv).
All are strikingly different. They are not at all rhythmic in the sense of music (meaning
that they cannot be employed to any tla), but the intrinsic rhythmic melody is striking,
and everything is triggered towards the meaning, which is why these metres are very
popular in plays. In the epics too, at the end of each section, generally to change the
metre, we see such metres.
In later stotra kvyas of akara, Jaganntha, Vedanta-Deika, Mkakavi and others,
where a lot of poetic fancy and imagination is involved, such metres are profusely
employed.
The main metres in this section are Mandkrnta, ikhari, Hari, Kokilaka (or
Narkuaka or even called Nardaaka), and lastly Pthv. These five metres can as well be
recognized as paca-ratnas in this particular variety, atyai (17-syllabled metres).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtyIaTXYY&index=21&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

35

Sanskrit Metres: 22 Mandakranta

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsSW9... ]
Mandkrnta.
This metre is absolutely immortalized by Klidsa in his Meghadta. The very first
verse itself can be recollected:

kacit knt-viraha-guru svdhikrt pramatta

penstagamita-mahim vara-bhogyea bhartu
yaka cakre janaka-tanay-snna-puyodakeu
snigdhacchy-taruu vasati rmagiryrameu // 1.1 //
One more verse from the same lyric Meghadtam:

tasminn adrau katicid abal-viprayukta sa km

ntv msn kanaka-valaya-bhraarikta-prakoha
hasya prathama-divase megham lia-snu
vapra-kr-pariata-gaja-prekaya dadara // 1.2 //
Here the pauses come at two places in every foot: after the 4th and after the 10th.
"kacit knt" after 4 letters, a caesura.
"viraha-guru" after 6 more letters (totally 4 + 6 = 10).
"svdhikrt pramatta" And the end of the pda is a yati, as pdnta-yati is
invariably the case in Sanskrit metres.
Thus the metrical rendition of the first line will be:
kacitkntvirahagurusvdhikrtpramatta
Here again we notice how all three varieties are combined here: the guru-pracura gati in
the first unit, the laghu-pracura gati in the second unit and then the mira-gati in the
third unit.

36

They yield two joints respectively, which correspond to the two yatis in the pdamadhya (inside the pda/line), and at the pdnta (end of the foot), we have one more
yati.
And we can also identify that, because of the scope and length of these metres, different
gatis are employed. Unlike the smaller measures like Druta-vilambit, or Rathoddhat
or even Upajti where not more than 11 or 12 syllables are accommodated in every foot,
here it is 17. Because of that, a judicious management and accommodation of all the
three possible gati varieties (druta, vilambita, and mira, or guru-pracura, laghupracura and guru-laghu-pracura) is possible. The admixture has yielded many varieties,
and in these varieties one can realize the aesthetic taste of the masters of metre of
Sanskrit.
Generally in the lakaa-granthas while mentioning the doa-prakaraa (i.e., dealing
with the blemishes of poetry how good poetry should not be composed) one of the
blemishes is yati-bhaga-doa. To indicate the violation of caesura they generally use
such metres as mandkrnt, sragdhar, lin, mlin, hari, ikhari... and not
vasantatilak or upajti or druta-vilambit or rathoddhat..., because only in metres
where the yati is a pronounced one can we show whether the yati employed is right or
wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsSW9EvsOpo&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=22

37

Sanskrit Metres: 23 Shikharini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWDAs... ]
ikhari
ikhari has been hailed as the home pitch of the great playwright Bhavabhti, but
akara's ikhari in Saundarya-lahar is unparalleled in any measure. And he has
been justly imitated by a great and arrogant poet like Jaganntha too.
So we shall go to ivnanda-lahar and Saundarya-lahar of akara. The first verse
from ivnanda-lahar:

kalbhym clakta-ai kalbhy nija tapaphalbhy bhaktn prakaita-phalbhy bhavatu me |

ivbhy-astoka-tribhuvana ivbhy hdi punarbhavbhym nanda sphuradanubhavbhy natiriyam || 1 ||
I shall repeat

kalbhym clakta-ai kalbhy nija tapaphalbhy bhaktn prakaita-phalbhy bhavatu me |

ivbhy-astoka-tribhuvana ivbhy hdi punarbhavbhym nanda sphuradanubhavbhy natiriyam || 1 ||
I shall take Saundarya-lahar of akara as one more example:

kalaka kastr rajanikara-bimba jalamaya

kalbhi karprair marakatakaraa nibiitam /
atas tvadbhogena pratidinam ida riktakuhara
vidhir bhyo bhyo nibiayati nna tava kte // Saul_95 //
ikhari indicates gradually moving higher and higher. We can notice this in the
rendition itself:
38

kad kle mta kathaya kalitlaktakarasa

pibeya vidyrth tava caraa-nirejanajalam /
prakty mknm api ca kavit-kraatay
kaddhatte v-mukha-kamala-tmbla-rasatm // Saul_90 //
Here we can notice how the metre is ascending gradually, indicating the effect of
ikhari.
If a rhyme is brought out at the point of caesura, the metre becomes very musical to
hear. And this natural appreciation of rhyme is employed by several people we can
take an example from ivnanda-lahar to show this:

tray-vedya hdya tripuraharam dya tri-nayana

ja-bhrodra caladuragahra mgadharam
mah-deva deva mayi sadayabhva paupati
cidlamba smba ivam-ati-viamba hdi bhaje || 3 ||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWDAst2sDdY&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=23

39

Sanskrit Metres: 24 Harini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THTI... ]
Hari is a close cousin of ikhari. If we unstich the matrix we can know that Hari
and ikhari are like remixes of the same commodity.
One example of Hari, from the fifth act of Pratim-naka supposed to be penned by
Bhsa:

bhramati salila vkvarte sa-phenam avasthita

tita-patit naite klia pibanti jala khag
sthalam abhipatanty rdr k bile jala-prite
nava-valayino vk mle jala-kaya-rekhay
[http://www.bhasa.indologie.uni-wuerzb...]
We can notice: ikhari starts with one laghu followed by five gurus. Hari starts with
five laghus followed by five gurus, with the yati-sthna after the first guru itself.
Here we can notice how differently they are managed.
bhramati salila vkvarte / sa-phenam avasthita
We can see the leap: "saphena-mavastitha"...
"bhramati salila" ... "vkvarte"... "saphena-mavastitha".
Nowhere can we identify monotony. And that is the marvel of Sanskrit metres. These
are called the laya-rahita metres or alaynvita metres and they have profound power
and vigour.
Hari the name itself reveals that it is a deer (a she-deer). And the leap of the deer
can be realized in the flow of the metre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THTIR9FHAs&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=24

40

41

Sanskrit Metres: 25 Prthvi

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHxH... ]
Pthv is the most melodious and beautiful metre in the whole range of such varieties.
Pthv has been immortalized by Jaganntha in some of his verses. From his ntivilsa, a devotional verse on his personal god Ka.

smtpi tarutapa karuay harant nm

abhaguratanutvi valayit atair vidyutm |
kalinda-giri-nandin-taasuradrumlambin
madya-mati-cumbin bhavatu kpi kdambin ||
This has been taken as a benedictory verse in his Rasa-gagdhara too. I shall repeat.

smtpi tarutapa karuay harant nm

abhaguratanutvi valayit atair vidyutm |
kalinda-giri-nandin-taasuradrumlambin
madya-mati-cumbin bhavatu kpi kdambin ||
One more verse from the same nti-vilsa.

vila-viayav-valaya-lagnadvnalaprasatvara-ikhval-vikalita madya mana |

amandamiladindire nikhilamdhurmandire
mukunda-mukha-candire ciram ida cakoryatm ||
Earlier Pthv's yati-sthna was not noticed. Later it was fixed as being after the eighth
letter. Before that, even such great poets as Klidsa and Bharthari have erred in
identifying the pause that creates a lot of melody in this metre. For example, take
Bharthari's Ntiataka where in one well-known Pthv, the yati-sthna has been
violated three times. I shall recite the verse and you yourself can notice:

42

labheta sikatsu tailam api yatnata payan

pibec ca mga-tiksu salila pipsrdita |
kadcid api paryaan aa-viam sdayet
na tu pratinivia-mrkha-jana-cittam rdhayet || BharSt_1.5 ||
I think you would have noticed a jarring sound while recitation of the three lines.
Except for the third, in the remaining three lines we have a jarring sound.
"labheta sikatsu tailam api yatnata payan" Here the word has been
unwarrantedly cut: "taila" has been cut as "tai" and "la": "labheta sikatsu tailam api" - it should not be the case.
"labheta sikatsu tailam api yatnata payan" -- so it has to be read for clarity of
meaning. But for clarity of meaning if we violate the yati-sthna, then it will not be
pleasing to the ears.
"pibec ca mgatiksu salila pipsrdita" -- here again there is an unwarranted
cut.
"kadcid api paryaan aa-viam sdayet" -- no problem here; very smooth.
"na tu pratinivia-mrkha-jana-cittam rdhayet". Again there is an unwarranted
cut.
This is because of the wrong identification of the yati-sthna. Or, perhaps, those masters
like Klidsa and Bharthari had never thought that there is a yati-sthna in this variety
of metre Pthv. But the later poets have unfailingly noticed where the melody lies and
accordingly they have worked out this metre.
In Mka-kavi's Mka-paca-at, we can see 100 beautiful pthv verses. Thus have later
devotional poets and playwrights excelled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHxHvKmEIw&index=25&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahP
Acg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

43

Sanskrit Metres: 26 Kokilaka

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdOQf... ]
Kokilaka or Narkuaka, also called Nardaaka, is a rarely used metre. Only ivasvmi
has employed this metre for a complete sarga in his Kapphibhyudaya. Except for
that, many poets have used this metre only here and there, mostly in their plays, that
too very rarely. Master poets like Klidsa, Bhsa, Bhavabhti have not at all employed
this. Just to show the flow of this, I shall quote two lines from Guruntha-parmara of
Madhurja, who was a devout student of Abhinavagupta. His devotion for his master
was so great that he declared

abhinavaguptapda-likhita likhita hdaye

tad-itara-dhra-vnda-likhita likhita salile
It resembles very closely the Sarasi metre, later known as Campaka-mla in Kannaa
and Telugu. Sarasi was employed by Mgha in his iupla-vadha's third canto as the
concluding verse. Overall, this metre is very rarely used.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdOQfud9DGM&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7m
eWWvSEary_a&index=26

45

44

Sanskrit Metres: 27 Mallikamala

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS_2g... ]
Mallikml is an 18-syllabled metre, also known as Mattakokilam in Telugu and in
some of the "Chandograntha"s of Kannaa as well.
It is a very smooth rhythmic metre, which can be adopted easily to Mira-chpu of
Carnatic music / Dpchandi tl of Hindustani music.
The mtrika variety or the rhythmic pattern according to the mtr-jti can be realized
after every 3 and 4 syllables [.. and so on]
It is a vara-vtta, yet it has laynvita-gati.
The rhythm can very easily be managed to tla. This is unlike ikhari, Hari and
others which can never be employed under the rate of any tla.
Here again we have to resort to the devotional hymns. One refrain from Mrkaeya's
iva-stuti "Candraekharaka"

candraekhara candraekhara candraekhara phi mm

candraekhara candraekhara candraekhara raka mm
This is how the metre goes.

candraekhara candraekhara candraekhara phi mm

[...]
But in this particular composition, the yati-sthna is not taken care of: it has been
rendered according to the rhythm of the mtras. Instead, to avoid the monotony, our
masters of metre have placed yati-sthna in a peculiar manner. To illustrate that, we can
take one line from the same candraekharaka of Mrkaeya:

46

candraekharam raye / mama ki kariyati vai yama

candraekharam raye mama / ki kariyati vai yama
These are the two ways of rendition.
In the first way you can see "candraekharam raye / *mama* ki kariyati vai
yama" there is a "leap and twist" and with this, which is called in the musical
terminology as euppu in Tamil (or ettugae in Kannaa, ettugaa in Telugu, "graha" in
the Sanskrit technical terminology), we can notice how the monotony of 3 and 4,
regularly occurring, has been deviated from in a skilful manner.

candraekharam raye / mama ki kariyati vai yama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS_2gomxCdE&index=27&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

47

Sanskrit Metres: 28 Shardulavikridita

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TykW2... ]
Now we shall go to the most magnificent metre in the whole range of Sanskrit
literature, the 19-syllabled rdla-vikritam.
rdlavikritam is the most majestic metre and it has the yati-sthnam after the 12th
letter. Starting from Klidsa, all great poets have used.
In Sanskrit, three metres can be treated as all-round metres:
the smallest is loka,
the medium is vasanta-tilaka,
and the biggest is rdla-vikrita.
We can as well count upajti in this section, but these three metres have an unfailingly
striking marvel in their diction and melody, while in upajti there is an element of
monotony and boredom because of the mtrika variety which can as well be read here
and there. It goes in the sakra-gati [...] or [...] like that: viloma-sankra and because
of that there is an element of monotony.
But we can never feel the monotony in these three metres like loka, vasanta-tilaka and
rdla-vikrita for they nowhere accommodate any tla.
Now going to rdla-vikrita.
Bharthari has really immortalized rdla-vikrita in his Vairgya-ataka. However,
Kemendra declares in his Suvtta-tilaka that Rjaekhara is too well known for this
metre, and there are many many stalwarts who have wielded their pen wonderfully in
handling rdla-vikritam.
The meaning of the metre itself is majestic: the gait or play of a tiger. Our national
animal.
A magnificent verse from Bhathari's Vairgya-ataka.

48

mtar medini tta mruta sakhe teja subandho jala

bhrtar vyoma nibaddha ea bhavatm antya pramjali |
yumat-saga-vaopajta-sukta-sphra-sphuran-nirmalajnpsta-samasta-moha-mahim lye para-brahmai || 100 ||
Here, an unbroken compound word extending to the fourth line (starting from the third
line to the middle of the fourth line) is the stamp of Bharthari and there lies the beauty
of this metre too. I shall repeat it:

mtar medini tta mruta sakhe teja subandho jala

bhrtar vyoma nibaddha ea bhavatm antya pramjali |
yumat-saga-vaopajta-sukta-sphra-sphuran-nirmalajnpsta-samasta-moha-mahim lye para-brahmai || 100 ||
One more verse, from Bharthari's Nti-ataka:

kut-kmo 'pi jar-ko 'pi ithila-pryo 'pi ka dam

panno 'pi vipanna-ddhitir iti preu mucatsv api |
mattebhendra-vibhinna-kumbha-piita-grsaika-baddha-spha
ki jra tam atti mna-mahatm agresara kesar ||
BharSt_1.29 ||
To explain the beauty of this verse, we may take 15 minutes or so!
But we are not going to that. However, to reveal the beauty of the content, to what
extent a metre can contribute can as well be realized in this particular example itself.
Here the compounding of words and uncompounding of the words and the sounds in
the form of both vowels and consonants everything have yielded wonder beauty
majesty and sublimity. To speak in the words of Anandavardhana: every utterance is a
vyajaka-smagri in this particular verse and much of it goes to the credit of rdlavikrita.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TykW2r8UcIs&index=28&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAc
g1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 29 Sragdhara

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3YK5... ]
Sragdhar is perhaps the biggest measure generally employed in Sanskrit poetry.
Sragdhar literally means a maiden with a garland: "srag dharati iti sragdhar".
Sragdhar is a yati-prabala metre. After every 7 letters, a caesura occurs. So its 21
syllables are divided into 3: the caesura is at three places (including the pdnta yati).
A verse from Vekadhvari's Viva-gudara-camp in praise of Rma and his name.

kalyollsa-sm kalayatu kuala kla-meghbhirm

kcit sketa-dhm bhava-gahana-gati--klnti-hri-pram /
saundarya-hra-km dhta-janaka-sut--sdarpga-dhm
diku prakhyta-bhm diviadabhinut devat rmanm //
I shall repeat

kalyollsa-sm kalayatu kuala kla-meghbhirm

kcit sketa-dhm bhava-gahana-gati--klnti-hri-pram /
saundarya-hra-km dhta-janaka-sut--sdarpga-dhm
diku prakhyta-bhm diviadabhinut devat rmanm //
When a bombastic verse is needed, sragdhar is made for it. A verse from iimabhaa, a court poet of Vijayanagar kings.
ukti-pratyukti-mrga-krama-paricayavn asti kacid vipacid
yadyasmin svasti tasmai budha-vara-samitau bibhyad abhygato bht |
bhkurvat bheka-kuki-bhariu bhaya-bharodbhrnta bhogndra subhrbhra-bhra kim ambhaphaiu patagar sambhram bambhramti ||
So mouthful utterances can be realized in Sragdhar.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3YK5aRIJWY&index=29&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPA
cg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 30 Viyogini

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGqpR... ]
Now we have few ardha-sama metres.
The most popular is Viyogin. Sometimes called Vaitlya, but Vaitlya is another
variety of prkta metres, so Viyogin is the best-suited metre.
Viyogin has been employed by Vlmki too. Since then we have many poets who have
wielded their pen successfully in it.
Taking a verse from Bhravi's Kirtrjunya, a well-known verse indeed:

sahas vidadhta na kriym

aviveka param pad padam /
vate hi vimyakrio
gualabdh svayam eva sampada // 2.30 //
I shall repeat

sahas vidadhta na kriym

aviveka param pad padam /
vate hi vimyakrio
gualabdh svayam eva sampada // 2.30 //
Here none can feel any pause in any of the feet, and so it is a niryati metre. Beautiful
and employable for narration, but the ringing sound of the Vedic measure cannot be
realized here unlike in the case of triup and jagati varieties like lin or upajti or
vaastha or indravaa. It is soft and musical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGqpRy6udO4&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=30

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Sanskrit Metres: 31 Aupacchandasika

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF1xV... ]
If one guru is added to the end of viyogini, it becomes aupacchandasika.
Aupacchandasika is also a popular metre mostly popularised by Bhravi, Mgha and
others. Klidsa has not employed this in any of the epics for the complete rendition of
a canto, but here and there in his plays and even in the epics at the end perhaps, he has
employed it as variety.
One example of this can be cited from a cu (a witty verse) of Jaganntha Paitarja:

yavan navanta-komalg
ayanye yadi nyate kadcit
avan-talam eva sdhu manye
navanmghavan vinoda-hetu
I shall repeat

yavan navanta-komalg
ayanye yadi nyate kadcit
avan-talam eva sdhu manye
navanmghavan vinoda-hetu
One can enjoy the melody of composition itself, whether you understand the lyric or
not. The sound itself is so soul-stirring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF1xVDxgXpE&index=31&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPA
cg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 32 Aparavaktra

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHw_... ]
Then we have two more ardha-sama-vttas, Aparavaktra and Pupitgra.
Aparavaktra and Pupitgra are very close cousins, like Viyogin and
Aupacchandasika. Adding one guru to the end of Aparavaktra turns it into Pupitgra.
Here, as in the earlier ardha-sama-vtta metres, the odd lines are similar to each other,
and the even lines are similar to each other.
One example of Aparavaktra, from Klidsa's kuntalam, from the fourth act:

anumata-gaman akuntal
tarubhir iya vana-vsa-bandhubhi /
paribhta-viruta kala yath
prativacan-ktam ebhir dam // 4.10 //
I shall repeat

anumata-gaman akuntal
tarubhir iya vana-vsa-bandhubhi /
paribhta-viruta kala yath
prativacan-ktam ebhir dam // 4.10 //
Here also there is no yati.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHw_60vwDI&index=32&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPA
cg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 33 Pushpitagra

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQUc... ]
The last of our popular ardha-sama metres is Pupitgra.
Pupitgra is far more popular than Aparavaktra, its close cousin, or Aupacchandasika.
Here from the first act of Klidsa's Mlavikgnimitram, we have an example:

na ca na paricito na cpyaramyacakitamupaimi tathpi prvamasya /

salilanidhir iva pratikaa me
bhavati sa eva navo navo'yamako //
To show the rhythmic manner in which it can be sung even to tla:

na ca na paricito na cpyaramyacakitamupaimi tathpi prvamasya /

salilanidhir iva pratikaa me
bhavati sa eva navo navo'yamako //
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQUcuf2flw&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=33

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Sanskrit Metres: 34 Udgata

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H-9V... ]
The only popular Viama-vtta is udgata.
This particular metre, Udgata, has been employed by an early poet like Avaghoa too,
but Klidsa has never touched this.
From Mgha onwards we see the employment of this metre, but Mgha perhaps is the
only poet who has used it in a very efficient manner.
The whole of the fifteenth canto of iuplavadham is in udgata.
Udgata is a very rhythmic metre. Hence in spite of its Viamatva, it has samatva as far
as the music is concerned.
An example from the 15th canto of Mgha:

kaamea rjasatayaiva
jagad-udaya-daritodyati /
sattva-hita-kta-mati sahas
tamas vinayati sarvam vta //51//
I shall repeat

kaamea rjasatayaiva
jagad-udaya-daritodyati /
sattva-hita-kta-mati sahas
tamas vinayati sarvam vta //51//
kaamea rjasatayaiva
jagad-udaya-daritodyati /
sattva-hita-kta-mati sahas
tamas vinayati sarvam vta //51//
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One can notice a plain Majubhii foot coming in the last line: "tamas vinayati
sarvam vta".
Thus we can realize that the whole metre is in the santulita-madhyvarta-gati of 3+5
breaking into 4+4 too at different intervals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H9VD30PTQ&index=34&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meWWvSEary_a

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Sanskrit Metres: 35 Ashwadhati

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwaGo... ]
Just for the sake of revealing the variety of satla or laynvita metres of bigger
measures, we can cite two examples.
The first is the well-known avadh, perhaps first popularized by akara it seems in
his Ambstava, and later adopted by many people for different stotras.
One example here:

amb sudh-madhura-bimbdhara-smita-kadambrucca rucir

lambla kmayaku jambla tm haratu smbnugnaga sut
ambsurgua kurumbdi mraaka lambnvitnatapar
amblik iv kuumbyit pthuni tambvatu rutidhar
Here we can notice

amb sudh-madhura-bimbdhara-smita-kadambrucca rucir

lambla kmayaku jambla tm haratu smbnugnaga sut
ambsurgua kurumbdi mraaka lambnvitnatapar
amblik iv kuumbyit pthuni tambvatu rutidhar
Thus at every unit of tlvarta (every unit of beat being taking off), we see a rhyme.
This rhyming is very important in this metre: though it is not a metrical constraint, it
has been made so. Hence composition of verses in this metre is rather difficult, as
similarly sounding words have to be sought and they have to be arranged according to
the meaning. Every line has three such rhymes, and totally 12 identical sounds have to
be produced: here, amb, bimb, kadamb, lamb, jamb, smb, amb, arumb,
kalamb, amb, kuumb, nitamb. All these things tax the scholastic nature of the
poet. If a poet is well accomplished with words he can manage this, but a poet should
be primarily accomplished with intuition. Thus such metres are popular only in
devotional hymns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwaGoqaJru0&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=35
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Sanskrit Metres: 36 Shivatandava

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj1I7... ]
And one more example of such sophisticated structure: we have ambhu-naanam.
The very nature itself indicates: ambhu-naanam means the dance of iva.
Ava-dhi: it represents the movement of a horse, the gallopping horse movement. So
here it is the Tava of iva.
It is from Patajali-kta iva-tava-stotra:
sadacita-mudacita-nikucita-pada jhalajhalacalita-maju-kaakam
patajali dgajana manajana macacalapada janana bhajana karam |
kadamba-rucim ambaravasa paramambuda kadamba kaviambaka kagalam
cidambudhi mai budha hdambuja ravi para cidambara naa hdi bhaje || 1||
I shall repeat
sadacita-mudacita-nikucita-pada-jhalajhalacalita-maju-kaakam
patajali dgajana manajana macacalapada janana bhajana karam |
kadamba-rucim ambaravasa paramambuda kadamba kaviambaka kagalam
cidambudhi mai budha hdambuja ravi para cidambara naa hdi bhaje || 1||
This type of metre is very difficult to manage for its length and alliteration which is
very essential to have an ambience of its own.
So this has again restricted only to stotra-kvyas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj1I7g7xheY&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7meW
WvSEary_a&index=36

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Sanskrit Metres: 37 Concluding Remarks

[This video in sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ov2g... ]
These are only a few main varieties of metres found in Sanskrit. There are many more.
But much of the Sanskrit literature, much of the cherished literature in it, is enshrined in
these few metres. In spite of all this, one can boldly declare that Sanskrit is the only
language bestowed with so many varieties of metre and no other language of this world
has ever seen or realized such a great variety both in quality and quantity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ov2gQ1MpV0&list=PL6IjPXllPG4ahPAcg1pE7me
WWvSEary_a&index=37

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