Chapter 57 - The Description of Prosody (Candas)

[Full title: The Description of Prosody (saṅkṣipta-chandas-varṇana) (saṅkṣiptacchandovarṇanaṃ) ]

Sanandana said:

1. Metres (chandas) are of two varieties (dvividha): (1) those of the Vedas (vaidika) (2) those of secular (laukika) or classical literature. Again metres can be divided into two classes: Mātrā-Vṛtta—a metre regulated by the number of prosodial instants in it and (2) a metre regulated by number of syllables it contains.

2. MA and YA (standing for Magaṇa and Tagaṇa. These and others are explained in later verses,) RA and SA, TA and JA, BHA and NA, the GURU (i.e. long) and the LAGHU (short), O Brāhmaṇa, these are said to be the basis in prosody as explained by experts in the science of Prosody.

3. Magaṇa is that set of three syllables where all are long ones (— — — Mollosus). Yagaṇa is that set of three syllables where the first syllable is short (v — — Bacchius). The Ragaṇa is that set of three syllables), in which the middle one is short (— v — Amphimacer), and the Sagaṇa is that set of three syllables in which the last one is long (v v — Anapestus).

4. The Tagaṇa is that set in which the last one is short (— — v Antibacchius). The Jagaṇa is that set of three syllables in which the middle one is long (v — v Amphibrachys) and the Bhagaṇa is that set of three syllables in which the first one is long (— v v Dactylus.) The Nagaṇa is said to consist of three short syllables (v v v Tribrachys). O sage, the Gaṇas or sets of syllables contain three in each.

5-6. Five Gaṇas are mentioned with four short syllables. They are admitted ṃ the Āryā and other metres. If a conjunct consonant, the aspirate Visarga or the Anusvāra comes after a short syllable that short syllable is considered to be prosodially long. The abbreviated term for a long syllable is GU and that for a short syllable is LA. A fourth of a verse is called a Pāda (foot). A break in the middle is called a Yati (Caesura).

7. O Nārada. a Vṛtta (metre) is classified into three: Sama, Ardhasama and Viṣama. If all the four feet have the same characteristics, the metre is called Sama.

8. If the first and the third feet have one set of characteristics (i.e. combination and arrangement of the Gaṇas) and the second and the fourth feet have another set of characteristics, the metre is called Ardhasama. If all the four feet have different characteristics it is called Viṣama.

9. There are verses with one syllable in each foot. This number is increased one by one upto twenty-six syllables. Each one thus constitutes a separate metre.

10. Beyond that the metres evolved are called Daṇḍakas the first of which is Caṇḍavṛṣṭi Prapāta. If each verse consists of three feet or six feet it is called a Gāthā. Now listen to the names of the metres in order.

11-13.

Name of the metre	No. of syllables in each foot
Uktā	One
Atyuktā	Two
Madhyā	Three
Pratiṣṭhā	Four
Supratiṣṭhā	Five
Gāyatrī	Six
Uṣṇik	Seven
Anuṣṭubh	Eight
Bṛhatī	Nine
Paṅkti	Ten
Triṣṭubh	Eleven
Jagatī	Twelve
Atijagatī	Thirteen
Śakvarī	Fourteen
Atiśakvarī	Fifteen
Aṣṭi	Sixteen
Atyaṣṭi	Seventeen
Dhṛti	Eighteen
Vidhṛti (? Atidhṛti)	Nineteen
Kṛtī	Twenty
Prakṛti	Twenty-one
Ākṛti	Twenty-two
Vikṛti	Twenty-three
Saṃkṛtī (? Saṃskṛti)	Twenty-four
Atikṛti	Twenty-five
Utkṛti	Twenty-six

14-15. These are the names of the different metres. By means of Prastāra^[1] they may have many combinations. In the Prastāra for each metre, first take one foot with all long syllables. Beneath the first long syllable put a short syllable. All the remaining syllables must be as they are above. In the next line do like-wise until all of them become short.

16-20. (These verses form a group requiring arithmetical calculations. An explanatory translation with illustrations is necessary in stead of a literal one. Here Prastāra, Naṣṭa, Uddiṣṭa, Ekadvyādi-la-ga-kriyā, Saṅkhyāna and Adhva-yoga are the technical terms in Sanskrit Prosody.^[2] These are retained as the explanation of these terms will be more useful than their word- to-word rendering.)

Prastāra means “A representation or enumeration of all the possible combinations of certain given numbers or of short or long syllables in a metre”. If a Prastāra is Naṣṭa (lost) and needs ascertainment of the ‘lost’ Vṛtta, the procedure is called Naṣṭa-prtayaya. The variety (Bheda) of Prastāra is determined in the following way:

If the Naṣṭa number be even, one should record a Laghu (v) for it. The number is to be halved and if it be still even, one is to record another Laghu (v) for it. If the Naṣṭa number is odd (not divisible by 2), record a Guru (—) for it. Add one to that odd number and divide it half. If that number be uneven, record a Guru (—) for it. This should be continued till the number of syllables in that foot is completed.^[3]

If the type or Bheda of a Prastāra is known but not the number of its variety Uddiṣṭāṅka), it is ascertained as follows:

In the Uddiṣṭa, there are signs of Laghu and Guru (in a certain arrangement). One should write the number 1 over the head of the first syllable and go on doubling the numbers over the heads of the subsequent syllables. One should add number 1 to the number above the Laghu (v) syllable and that is the number of the Uddiṣṭa or variety of that Prastāra.

(For example: We want to know the number of a variety of a four-syllabled metre with the following distribution of Laghu- Guru syllables in its metrical foot:

1	2	4	8
Guru	Guru	Guru	Laghu /

As the number 8 is above the head of Laghu, we should add 1 to it. And 8 + 1 = 9 is the Uddiṣṭāṅka of the variety of the metre.)

The next two processes are a bit complicated. But briefly they are as follows:)

Eka-dvyādi-la-ga-kriyā is the method of ascertaining the complete number of Prastāras of a particular Chanda. It is called calculation or Saṅkhyāna. We hereby know the number of Laghus and Gurus in a Prastāra. Thus in a Prastāra of a metre with four-syllabled foot, there will be the following varieties:

(1) All the four syllables Laghu... No. 1
(2) One Guru + three Laghu syllables... No. 4
(3) Two Gurus + Two Laghus... No. 6
(4) Three Gurus + One Laghu... No. 4
(5) All four Guru Syllables... No. 1
Total: 16 Vṛttas

Thus 16 is the total number of Prastāras according to the Saṅkhyāna.

This total can be arrived at by adding one to the Uddiṣṭāṅka. As noted above the numbers of Uddistas are: 1 + 2+ 4 + 8 = 15 + 1 =16

By deducting one from doubling the number of Prastāra is also called Adhva by the wise people.^[4]

21. O sage! I have lightly indicated to you the characteristics of Chandas Śāstra (the Science of Prosody). The details of subtle varieties of Prastāras are infinite.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Prastāra—A tabular representation of the long (Dīrgha) and short (Laghu) syllables of a metre with all possible varieties,

[2]:

prastāro naṣṭam uddīṣṭam eka-dvyādi-la-ga-kriyāḥ /
saṅkhyānam adhva-yogaś ca ṣaḍ ete pratyayāḥ smṛtāḥ //
—Vṛtta-ratnākara VI-I.

[3]:

For example: The 6th type of a four-syllabled (footed) metre will give us the arrangement of the syllables in its foot as follows:

Now the number 6 is even, so it is to be marked as Laghu (v). Its half: 6 / 2 = 3, an odd number and hence is to be marked as Guru (—). No. 3 being an odd number 1 is to be added and the total is to be divided by 2. It is ((3 x 1) / 2) = 2. This being an even number is to be noted as a Laghu (v). Further this 2 / 2 = 1 which is an odd number and should be marked as a Guru (—).

Thus this 6th variety of a four-syllabled metrical foot will be: Laghu- Guru-Laghu-Guru as the arrangement of syllables per foot.

[4]:

These last 5 verses of this Chapter of the Nārada-purāṇa are the same as those in Kedāra Bhaṭṭa’s Vṛtta Ratnākara. It appears that both Nārada-purāṇa and Kedāra Bhaṭṭa used a common source. For the interpretation of above verses, I have used the commnetary Vṛttaratnākara-pañcikā on Vṛtta Ratnākara by the Simhali scholar Śīlaskandha Mahā Sthavira (Nirnaya Sagar Edt., 1908).