Chapter 27 - Introduction to Chandah-Shastra (prosody)

Prosody is counted among the six constituent parts, sadangas, of the Veda. The Sanskrit literature is predominantly in verses of different formations called metres. It was but natural that there should be a text explaining those formations called by different names. The Vedas have a set of metres which differs from that of the classical Sanskrit. The Vedic metres have been explained in the Brahmana texts and the other Vedic texts like the Sankhayana-srautasutra, Nidanasutra, Rkpratisakhya and the Anukramani of Katyayana. As the language underwent change so did the metres. Coming to the time of classical Sanskrit the metres came to develop two forms of Vrtta and Jati. In the VTtta category the metre is determined by groups, ganas, of threesyllabic feet. The syllable could be short, laghu or long, guru; the short, laghu being determined by a short vowel while the long, guru being determined either by the long vowel or conjunct consonants facing the short which may give the character of guru to it. The same is the case with anusvara and visarga, as in gandham or gandhah where ndha with anusvara and with visarga will be considered guru. The final syllable in a metrical composition even short is given the character of long, padantyo guruh. The whole thing is summed CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Demed up in the following verse:

sanusvaras ca dirghas ca visargi ca gurur bhavet/ varnah samyogapurvas ca tatha padantago'pi va// These syllabic feet, ganas, consisting of three syllables are eight in number. They have technical names of Magana, Nagana, Bhagana, Yagana, Jagana, Ragana, Sagana and Tagana often referred to by the first syllable ma, na, bha, ya, ja, ra, sa and ta the difference in them is due to the syllables which could be either all long or all short or short and long in varying order. The magana has all three syllables long, guru while nagana has all of them short, laghu. In bhagana the initial one is guru the rest laghu. Conversely in yagana the initial one is laghu while the rest are guru. In jagana the first and the third are laghu while the middle one is guru. Conversly in ragana the first and the third are guru while the middle one is laghu. In Sagana the third one is while the first two are laghu while in tagana the guru third one is laghu and the rest are gurumastrigurus trilaghus ca nakaro bhadiguruh punar adilaghur yah/ jo gurumadhyagato ralamadhyah so'ntaguruh kathito 'ntalaghus tah// sidi sedlo sdi The laghu and guru are expressed in symbols (the symbol U denoting laghu and-denoting guru). The different Ganas may be represented in symbolic form as follows :- ya bodi ed gni (Bacchius) -- (Amphimacar) ==U (Anti-bacchius) - (Dactylus) (Amphibrachys) sa CU (Anapaestus) ma --- (Mollosus) (Tribrachys) dside

Similarly (U) is used to denote a short syllable, and (-) a long one. per The length of the syllables varies from metre to metre. There are metres like AnusTubh which have eight syllables quadrant and metres like Dandaka which have 27 syllables per quadrant. Further, there are half equal metres ardhasamavrtta like Puspitagra where odd quarters and even quarters have different sets of syllables. There are unequal metres like Udgata where each quadrant has a different set of syllables. In the Jati category, the matra or the syllabic instant is considered to be the determining factor, the short vowel being given the character of one matra or the syllabic instant and the long one the two matras, syllabic instants. The best example of this is the Arya metre which has a number of varieties going under different names of Giti, Upa-giti, Udgiti, Aryagiti. The oldest work on Sanskrit prosody analyzing metres used in post-Vedic Sanskrit literature is the Chandahsutra of Pingala or Pingalanaga composed in aphoristic style (sutrapaddhati). It deals with metres used in both types of literature, the Vedic and the Classical. Scholars are of the opinion that this work is older than the portion of the Natyasastra of Bharatamuni which deals with the subject in its fourteenth and fifteenth chapters and the Agni-purana. Pingala had also dealt with the metres in Prakrit literature in his work called the Prakrtapingala which according to scholars is a later work. There are two works the Vrttaratnavali and the Srutabodha which are ascribed to Kalidasa. The Srutabodha is also ascribed to Varuruci. The Brhatsamhita of Varahamihira (587 A.D.) has a chapter on metres. The Chandoviciti of Janasraya (500 A.D.) has illustrations from the works of earlier writers for explaining the metrical rules. Ksemendra in his Suvrttatilaka explains metres with illustrations from his own works. He has also discussed the subject of metrical deficiency and inappropriateness by S 3 Foundation USA

and has said that the metres should conform to the subject matter of the works, like the Mandakranta which is appropriate to voice adversity and separation: vyasane virahe caiva mandakranta virajate. The Chandonuasasna of Hemacandra (1172 A.D.) is another noteworthy work on prosody. A better known work which is very much in use these days is the Vrttaratnakara of Kedarabhatta of the first part of the 15 th century. It deals with 136 metres. Among other works on prosody are the Chandomanjari of Gangadasa (15 th century A.D.), the Vanibhusana of Narayana (16 th century A.D.) and the Vagvallabha of Duhkhabhanjanakavi.