Appendix 1 - The Metres used in the Abhijnana Sakuntalam

Sanskrit Prosody as in Greek has been carried to an extraordinary fineness. The earliest and the most important work in Sanskrit Prosody is "f"of the sage Pingala. The Agni-Purana also gives a complete system of Prosody. There are several other works on the subject such as vrttaratnakara, chandomanjari, srutabodha ( of Kalidasa ?) vrttakaumudi, vrttadarpana, vanibhusana &c. The first three are, however, the more popular works. Sanskrit verse is regulated by quantity and not by accent as in English. A stanza ( ( padya, sloka ) consists of four verses (pada ) or feet or quarters, and is either "are" or "fer" | The metre of '' is regulated by 's (number and position of syllables) in each 'q' or quarter; and that off by '' (or the syllabic instants i.e., the times taken in pronouncing a short vowel). A vrta is divided into three classes ( " sama mardha - samam vrttam visamanceti tat tridha " ) || (i) q-in which the construction of the four feet obeys one principal rule and hence the quarters are all similar, e.g. mandakranta, vasantatilaka | (ii) ardhasamavrtta - in which the alternate quarters are similar, eg puspitagra, viyogini | (ii) fan-in which the quarters are all dissimilar, c..g. ³ncf, udgatha | af is the pause or caesura in a part of a verse at which the reader is required to stop his breath and then proceed on. ( " yati jihvesta - visrama sthanam kavibhi rucyate " ) A syllable is short (5) or long ((*) according as its vowel is short or long. But short vowel becomes long in Prosody when it is followed by anusvara, visarga or by a conjunct consonant. The last syllable of a q is optionally long or short according to the exigence of the metre, whatever be its natural length.

268 APPENDIX I "samyuktadyam dirgham sanusvara - visarga- sammisram | vijneya maksaram guru, padantastham vikalpena || " Three successive syllables form a 'gana ' (triad); a short vowel is marked as ~, and a long one as. When expressed in these symbols, the different metres may be exhibited as follows:- ya A (Bacchius) - (Amphimacer ) - 1 * na 1 ) 1 ) 1 ) · | adi-laghu madhya-laghu (Anti-bacchius) - antya -laghu (Dactylus ) -- adi-guru (Amphibrachys) - madhya-guru (Anapoestus) - (Mollosus) - antya - guru tri-guru (Tri-brachys) - tri-laghu adi-madhya - 'vasanesu ya-ra-ta yanti laghavam | bhaja-sa gauravam yanti, manau tu gurulaghavam || A long syllable is sometimes denoted by 'T' and a short one by 'la' | In jaticchanda, 'one' matra (instant) is attached to a short vowel, 'two' to a long vowel and 'three' to a prolated (pluta ) vowel and 'half " matra to a consonant. ( "ekamatro bhaved hrasvo dvimatro dirsa ucyate | trimatrastu pluto seyo, vyanjanam carddhamatrakam | ) The following are the schemes of metres in this play. 'fe' which is usually indicated by the words in the definition standing in the instrumental case, is shown by Roman figures in brackets. I samavrta [ Equal Metres ] jneyam A. sloka or anustum (8 syllables in a quarter). "sloke sastham guru sarvatra laghu pancamam | dvi-catuh padayoh hasvam, saptamam dirgham manyayoh || ( 5 th short, 6 th long, 7 th alternately long and short). Kali's Raghuvamsha Cantos (I, IV, X, XII, XV) and Kumara-sambhava (II, VI), Shishupala-badha-Cantos (II, XIX), Kiratarjuniya "(XI, XV) and major portions of Maha, & Ram. & the Puranas are composed in this metre. There are several varieties of this metre. na

APPENDIX I 269 B. pabhyavastra - A variety of sloka | "yujoscaturthato jena pathyavaktram prakirtitam " [ja in samapada after the 4 th letter ]. C. indravajra - A variety of tristum [11 syllables in a quarter ], "ta vindravajra ja-ga-ga-nirukta " || [ ta, ta, ja, ga, ga, || & VI.] D. upajati ( alyanaki ) (akhyanako ) (i) Ordinarily a combination of indravajra & upendravajja | "upendravajra ja-ta- jaraca gau syat " -- [ ja, ta, X, 1, T || V & VI]. Kumara-sambhava -(I, III, VII), Raghuvamsha -(II. V, VI, VII, XIII, XIV, XVI, XVIII); Kiratarjuniya -(XVII) & Shishupala-badha-(III) are composed in this metre. E. upajatih (ii) -- Even if other metres are mixed up together in one stanza, the metre is still called 'upajati || P. 359, L. 16-18 Act. IV. "anantaro dirita-laksmabhaji padau yadiyavu- pajataya stah | ittham kilanyasvapi misritasu vadanti jatisvidameva nama ")| In Shishupala-badha XII. 1, there is a mixture of "indravamsa " and " vamsastha " - Read Mallinatha's remark on it. The Sloka 8. ( Act. IV) is of this type, as there is a combination of 'vatormi ' and 'salini ' | vatoma " vatormiyam gadita mbhau ta gau gah " | [ ma, bha, ta, ga, ga || IV & VII ]. In Rig-Veda I. 59.5, the first pada is exactly like the first in the text, but other cs are arranged differently as far at least as the seventh syllable. Kali. accustomed to the strictness of the Classical Sanskrit, produced a verse too irregular to come under any of the later metres, but too regular for a Vedic hymn. "There are 14 kinds "of upajati " - Siddhanta-Kaumudi P. 316. F. salini - A variety of tristubh [ 11 syllables in a quarter ] "vedah sailah salini masca to gau " [ma, ta, ta, ga, ga, 11 IV & VIl.] G. rathoddhata - "rau na-rau laghu-guru rathoddhata " | [ 11 syllables in a quarter ] [ ra, na, ra, la, ga || III; & VIll, or IV. & VIII]. H. drutavilambita - A variety of jagati - [12 syllables in a quarter ]. "dutavilambitamaha na bhi bha-rau " | [ na, bha, bha, ra || IV, VII & X ]. Ex. Sakuntala -(V. 27; VI. 8, VII. 3; II. 11; III. 17); Shishupala-badha-(VI); Raghuvamsha (IX). I. vamsastha - or vamsasthavila or vamsastanita-- [ 12 syllables in a quarter ] " vadanti vamsasthavilam jato jaro - [ja, ta, ja, ra | V & VII. ] Ex. (Sakuntala I. 17; Kumara-sambhava V; Raghuvamsha III; Shishupala-badha I).

270 APPENDIX I J. praharsini-- A variety of atijagati - [ 13 syllables in a quarter ] "tryasa . bhi rma-na-ja-ra-gah praharsiniyam " - [ma, na, ja, ra, ga || III & X]. Ex. (Sakuntala VI. 27; 30; Raghuvamsha IV, 88; Shishupala-badha VIII; Kiratarjuniya VII). K. rucira - or prabhavati - [ 13 syllables in a quarter ] "ja-bhau sa-jau giti rucira caturgrahaih ' | (ja, bha, sa, ja, ga 11 ) [ IV & Ix]. Ex. (Sakuntala VII. 35; BK. I. 1; Shishupala-badha XVII). || L. vasantatilaka - Also called ( vasantatilaka, sihonnata, uddharsini ) - A variety of sakkari [ 14 syllables in a quarter ]- [ " tat syat vasanta- tilakam ta-bha-jah jagau gah " (ta, bha, ja, ja, ga, ga, || VIII & VI]. Shishupala-badha V. M. malini - Also called manini | A variety of atisakkari - [15 syllables in a quarter ]. "yadi na-na-ma-ya-yah syurmalini naga-saileh " | [na, na, ma, ya, ya || VIII & VII]. Raghuvamsha VI. 85; Shishupala-badha XI. N. mandakranta -- A variety of atyasti - [17 syllables in a quarter.] " mandakranta ma-bha-na-ta-ga gah samudra-tu-saileh " ( ma, bha, na, ta, ta, ga, ga II IV, VI & VII ] or "mandarkantambudhi-rasanagaih mo bha-nau go ya-yugmam " [ma, bha, na, ga, ga, ya, ya ) | Whole of Meghaduta & Parsvabhyudayam - 0. sikharini "rasaih rudrairichanna ya-ma-na-sa-bha-la gah sikharini " - [17 syllables in quarter ] - [ ya, ma, na, sa, bha . la, ga, || VI & XI ]. P. harini - " nasa-ma-ra-sa-la gah sad-bamda rhayaih harini mata " - [ 17 syllables in quarter ]- [na, sa, ma, ra, sa, la, ga || VI, IV & VII ]. Q. sardulavikriditam - A variety of ativrti - [ 19 syllables in a quarter ]. " suryasvaistu masau jasau ca tata-gah sardulavikriditam " [ma, sam, ja, sa, ta, ta, ga, | XII & VII ]. R. khambara - A variety of prakrti - [ 21 syllables in a quarter ]. "vipraih sailaih ksitighaih ma-ra-bha-na-ya-yayah sragdhareti prasiddha " (ma, ra, bha, na, ya, ya, ya || VII. VII & VII ]. Sakuntala I. 1; 7. II ardha- sama-vrtta ( Half-equal Metres) S. aparavapatra -- "na-na-ra-la-ga krtayujam same tu yadaparavasvatramidam naji jari " [ Odd quarter -na, na, ra, la, ga | Even quarter-na, ja, ja, ra ]. T. puspitadha -- "na-na-ra-ya-vihita yada'yujoh syat | na-ja-ja-ra-gaih samayosca puspitagra " - [ Oddquarter, na, ra ya || Even quarter- na, ja, ja, ra, ga ], Kumara-sambhava IV. 46; Shishupala-badha VII, Sakuntala II, 3; VI, 11; 1. 29.

APPENDIX I 271 U. sundari - Also called viyogini | "ayujoryadi sau jagau same sa-bha- ra lagau yadi sundari tada " [ Odd quarter - sa, sa, ja, ga| Even quarter -, X. 7, ]-Kiratarjuniya II. 1-56; Raghuvamsha VIII; Kumara-sambhava IV, Sakuntala II. 18, VI. 1; VII. 1. V. malabharini - Also called "kalabharini " - - " visame sa-sa-ja guru, same cet sa-bha-ra yena tu mala - (kala - ) bhariniyam " - [Odd quarter-sa, sa, ja, ga, ga, | Even quarter sa, bha, ra, ya ) III arya (Metres regulated by the number of matra ) w. arya or gatha -- " yasyah pade prathame dvadasamatra statha trpiye'pi | astadasa dvitiye caturthake pancadasa sa'rya " | [ The four pada s contain 12, 18, 12, 15 respectively ]. X. samen (ritfa)-Vide Remark [100 n.]. It is a variety of arya in which dvitiyardha corresponds to prathamardha (i.e. containing 30 = 12+18) 3/4 in each half. In the 1 st half of [ $l. 4, Act. I ], we have 31 (12+ 19) altogether, but the 1 st syllable of the second foot() should be considered short by a license peculiar to Prosody (Vide Colebrooke's Essays, New Ed. Vol. II. p. 651, note). Remark: If treated in scheme, it will be noticed that 'sundari ' and 'aparavaktra ' become particular cases of 'vaitaliya ' and 'puspitagra ' and 'kalabharini ' of 'aupacchandasika ' | In the former, the first and the third quarters contain fourteen short syllables and six syllabic instants and the 2 nd and the 4 th, 16 short syllables and eight syllabic instants, followed by a ( ) and a short and long vowel (~ ). 'aupacchandasika ' is the same as 'vaitaliya ' with a 'ra-gana ' and 'gana ' (~ - ~~) at the end of each quarter instead of '' and '' and '' | In other words it is the same as with only a long syllable added - at the end of each pada | Vide (Act. 1. p. 215, line 1); (p. 6, Act. VI. line 10); (p. 143, line 32, Act. VII); (p. 291, line, 29, Act. III).