SANSKRIT PROSODY EXPLAINED.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

The vowels a, i, u, ri, lu, are short: as in fau atiśaya मिलित milita, युधि yudhi, रूप kripa. The rest are long.

hraswa, meaning

Short or breve is called lag-hu or 'light.' Long is called guru ‘heavy,' ordirgha 'long.' A breve becomes guru if followed by two consonants, as 'a' inf asti, or vakra. But the vowels Ri and Lri do not lengthen the preceding vowel. Thus a sǎkṛit.

A breve is marked with an upright line '' thus; a tribrach, which we write UUU is marked 111. The long mark is U which we use for a breve. In Devanagari the character resembles the Persian hamza (), in Bengali is similar to the number for six in that alphabet.

But the language is pronounced as it is written, and the quantity of each syllable is evident to the eye: the marks for long and breve are therefore seldom used.

The letter Y is always a consonant, and requires a vowel, as in दैत्य: dait-yah, कार्यं kar-yam, योगिन yogin, शय्या śayya. When the consonant M is final, as in a

+ abravit, it does not suffer elision. (Nala. iv. 1).

da Nalăm

ya mã

mā tā rā ja

ja / the

na va

(a gam 28 дам

Prosody is called chhandah, that is, 'fancy, will, pleasure.'

6

Sanskrit Prosody is measured with feet, called gana, denoted by letters, Ma, Ya, Ra, etc. fixed in days earlier than the Homeric age. M or Ma denoted a foot of three long syllables, as majestas' or 'Longini' or 'has sylvas.' Na is a tribrach of three breves like 'mulier' or 'avibus.' Eight such feet are give in the TT: or Table. To each I have added a Sanskrit and a Latin instance, having the same initial,

In the three columns thus arranged in ancient times, the first has a long and a breve alternately; the second has two of each; the third has four.

The dactyl, in the present pages, will be marked B. The spondee will be marked as in Latin.

To aid the memory, a learned German friend has given me the following sentence : मायावी यतात्मा रावणः सहसा तन्त्राणि जजाप भावय नइति 51 19 af "The deceitful, self-controlling Ravana uttered his spells in haste, beginning with Preserve us"" [from] death.

A long syllable is called Guru and a breve is la-ghu : and the initials, L, G, are thus used:

A line is called pāda or charaṇa, meaning a foot; four such form a padya or slok. A prosodial measure of two or three syllables is called gana because it is counted; we call it a foot.

‘Aksharam,' a 'letter,' also is a 'syllable.'

Sams

kru-tam, or Gir-vā-nam (another name of the language) are called tri-literal, or words of three syllables. So is Aksha-ram. ञ्यच as parini wo to have calle

All syllables are of a definite length, apparent to the eye; none are doubtful.

The last syllable of each line, in the uniform metres, is long by rule; but in practice is free.

"Pluta," denoting 'extension,' is the name given to a quaver or protracted sound, used in chaunting the Vedas. In prosody it is merely a long syllable.

The native treatises are crowded with numerical expressions

which make the art mysterious; but such devices merely impede the progress of the learner.

ON THE ANUshṬup.

The Tale of Nala commences thus: each line being divided into four parts.

आसीद् राजा । नलोनाम | वीरसेन । सुतोबली

उपपन्नो । गुणैर् इष्टै । रूपवान् अ । श्वकोविदः

Asíd rājā

Nalō nāma | Vīra sēna

sutō bali

Upapannō | guṇaír ishṭai | rūpavān aś | va kōvidah

अनुष्टुभ्

This is called the Anushṭup sloka which some consider the heroic metre. Each line contains sixteen syllables, and two lines are one slok, or couplet.

There are four syllables in each quarter. The first and third quarters are free from rule: the second usually is U-with a free syllable: the third has U-U with a free syllable. Marking the free syllables with x, the line stands thus :

The learner should read several pages aloud, pausing after each quarter: and he will soon perceive the rhythm. After he has accomplished this, he can proceed as follows:

:

The second foot has five varieties. One is already seen the others are exemplified in these passages of the same poem: Bk II. v. 6. न्यवेदयत्। ताम् अस्वस्थ nya vēdayat | tām aswasthām I. 3. अक्षप्रियः । सत्यवादी acsha priyah | satya vādi

I.

7. तस्मै प्रस | नो दमन : tasmai prasan | nô damanah UUU XIV. 18. ब्रह्मर्षिभ्य । चभविता brahmarshibhya | ścha bhavita

The five feet admissible in the second seat are Ma Ya Ra

Bha Na which may be recollected in the words Mayūra bhānuh.

In p. 436 of a volume on Sanskrit Grammar printed in 1847, a couplet is quoted from the Laws of Manu :—

Asid idam | tamo bhūtam | aprajnātam | a lakshaṇam a pratarkyam | a vijneyam | prasuptam i | vasarvatah.

And there is added, from the Rāmāyan,

Mā, Nishāda | pratishthām twam | agamah ṣā | ṣwatîh samāh Yat krauncha mi thunād ékam | avadhîh kā | ma mohitam

The explanation of the metre there given is erroneous: as are also those of two more instances, there shewn. The student should divide the lines into fours, and he will perceive the metre with ease.

The remaining remarks on the Anushṭup are not intended for beginners.

The rules already given will suffice for most of the slokas found in the Purāņas. The following rules are observed in the Poems. The instances were selected by a Pandit from the Amara Kosha.

Each half line having eight syllables; the first and last are free, marked ; but the other six are subject to rule. Rule regarding the first half.