In Hinduism

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstra

Moṭanaka (मोटनक) is another name for Moṭaka, which refers to a type of syllabic metre (vṛtta), according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 16. In this metre, the first two, the fifth, the eighth, and the eleventh syllables of a foot (pāda) are heavy (guru), while the rest of the syllables are light (laghu).

⎼⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼¦¦⎼⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼¦¦
⎼⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼¦¦⎼⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼⏑¦⏑⎼¦¦

Moṭanaka falls in the Triṣṭup (Triṣṭubh) class of chandas (rhythm-type), which implies that verses constructed with this metre have four pādas (‘foot’ or ‘quarter-verse’) containing eleven syllables each.

context information

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).

Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)

Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature

Moṭanaka (मोटनक) refers to one of the 135 metres (chandas) mentioned by Nañjuṇḍa (1794-1868 C.E.) in his Vṛttaratnāvalī. Nañjuṇḍa was a poet of both Kannada and Sanskrit literature flourished in the court of the famous Kṛṣṇarāja Woḍeyar of Mysore. He introduces the names of these metres (e.g., Moṭanaka) in 20 verses.

context information

Chandas (छन्दस्) refers to Sanskrit prosody and represents one of the six Vedangas (auxiliary disciplines belonging to the study of the Vedas). The science of prosody (chandas-shastra) focusses on the study of the poetic meters such as the commonly known twenty-six metres mentioned by Pingalas.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Moṭanaka (मोटनक).—Crushing, pressing, grinding, breaking.

-naḥ Wind, air.

Derivable forms: moṭanakam (मोटनकम्).

See also (synonyms): moṭana.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Moṭanaka (मोटनक).—n.

(-kaṃ) 1. Destruction. 2. A species of the Anush'tubh metre.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Moṭanaka (मोटनक):—[from moṭaka] n. crushing, entire destruction, [Chandomañjarī]

2) [v.s. ...] a kind of metre, [ib.]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Moṭanaka (मोटनक):—(kaṃ) 1. n. Destruction.

[Sanskrit to German]

Motanaka in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Full-text: Motana, Motaka.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Motanaka, Moṭanaka; (plurals include: Motanakas, Moṭanakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Natyashastra (English) (by Bharata-muni)

Chapter XVI - Metrical Patterns (chandas)

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