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Metre is another important element of poetic composition. The importance of metrical form of a composition is that it can easily influence a reader by its charming power as well as it plays the part of the 耻诲诲墨辫补苍补惫颈产丑腻惫补 which keeps the readers鈥� mind aloof from the worldly affairs and thus helps the readers in relishing the rasa.^[1] The art of the use of the proper metres in a drama is the main criterion of the quality of the author.While composing a verse the poet gives the physical form to his or her feelings through the arrangement of letters in a particular manner which gives rise to some sound is known as metre. The importance of metre in poetic composition is emphasised since the ancient times. It has been noticed that the early rhetoricians were very vague on the application of metres in a composition.

Having emphasizes on the importance of metre, Bharata opines that there is no word without metre and a metre cannot exist without word.^[2] 痴腻尘补苍补, in his 碍腻惫测腻濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉奴迟谤补惫峁泃迟颈, has said that chandoviciti is a science.^[3] Metre is an essential element for the proper recitation with correct pronunciation of the vedic verses. In as much as, it is said in the 叠峁沨补诲诲别惫补迟腻 that one who performs a sacrificial rite without knowing the 谤峁�i, chanda and 诲别惫补迟腻 (deity) concerned with the particular mantra he or she becomes sinful.^[4]

碍峁�e尘别苍诲谤补, in his 厂耻惫峁泃迟补迟颈濒补办补, rightly says that a poet should employ all the metres in their compositions only after considering their suitability to the rasas and the subject described.^[5] In the 辫腻峁噄苍墨测补艣颈办峁Ｄ�, the metre is treated as the feet of the 惫别诲补辫耻谤耻峁�a.^[6]

According to 笔腻峁噄苍颈 the word chanda i.e. metre is derived from the root 鈭�chand which means gladdening or pleasing while he says chandayati hl膩dayantiti 肠丑补苍诲补岣� cander膩de艣ca chah.

顿补峁囜笉墨, the famous prose writer recognizes the position of metre in the literary work. According to him metrical knowledge is the ship for crossing the deep sea of poetry. ^[7]

In case of Veda there are found seven metres viz.,

1. 驳腻测补迟谤墨,
2. 耻峁ａ箛颈办,
3. 补苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫,
4. 惫峁沨补迟墨 [产峁沨补迟墨],
5. 辫补峁卥迟颈,
6. 迟谤颈峁ａ弓耻辫 and
7. 箩补驳补迟墨.

Accordingly the 驳腻测补迟谤墨 metre consists of 24 syllables whereas four letters increases of the rest metres respectively.

The number of syllables in vedic metres can be shown here鈥�

1. 驳腻测补迟谤墨 - 24;
2. 耻峁ａ箛颈办 - 24+ 4 =28;
3. 补苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫 - 28 +4 =32;
4. 产谤丑补迟墨 - 32 +4 =36;
5. 辫补峁卥迟颈 - 36 +4 =40;
6. 迟谤颈峁ａ弓耻辫 - 40 +4 =44;
7. 箩补驳补迟墨 - 44 +4 =48.

In classical Sanskrit literature usually two kinds of metres are found namely:

1. 惫峁泃迟补 and
2. 箩腻迟颈.

骋补峁単腻诲腻蝉补, in his 肠丑补苍诲辞尘补帽箩补谤墨 says that a verse in the classical Sanskrit is known as padya, which may be called a stanza. Every padya has four divisions, each one is called as 肠补谤补峁嘺 or quarter, padya in the first place is deemed to have two varieties viz., 惫峁泃迟补 and 箩腻迟颈. A 惫峁泃迟补 is a stanza in which the metre is regulated by a number of syllables (ak峁�araras), on the other hand a 箩腻迟颈 is a stanza in which the metres are regulated by syllabic instances (尘腻迟谤腻蝉).^[8]

In the poetry,there are three 惫峁泃迟补s, namely:

1. sama惫峁泃迟补,
2. ardhasama惫峁泃迟补 and
3. 惫颈峁�a尘补惫峁泃迟补.

The sama惫峁泃迟补s or regular metres are those which contain all the four quarters of equal measure. The ardhasama vrttas or semi regular metres are those which are partially uniform in as much as they contain quarters of two types which may differ from one another and the third one i.e. 惫颈峁�a尘补 or irregular 惫峁泃迟补s are those where all the lines are dissimilar.^[9] The yati or pause is the point at which the tongue takes a break and it lies at the end of a quarter in a stanza.^[10]

A syllable consisting of a long vowel (诲墨谤驳丑补), or preceding a dipthong, or associated with 补苍耻蝉惫腻谤补 or followed by an aspirate (visarga) is necessarily long. It is however, left to the choice of the poet to treat the last syllable of a quarter of the verse long, even if it is in fact a short one. Again a syllable is short or long i.e. hrasva or 诲墨谤驳丑补 according to its vowel is short or long. But short vowel becomes long in prosody when it is followed by a conjunct consonant. The last syllable of a 辫腻诲补 is optionally long or short according to the exigense of the metre, whatever be its natural length.^[11] For the purpose of counting the number of syllables, they are always grouped in a set of three which is said to constitute a metrical foot or 驳补峁嘺. A short vowel is denoted by symbol 鈥樶礂鈥� whereas a long vowel is denoted by the symbol 鈥標椻��.

The 驳补峁嘺s with their symbolic representations are shown below.

Name of 驳补峁嘺	Symbols	English Equivalent
ma驳补峁嘺	藯 藯 藯	Molossus
na驳补峁嘺	岽� 岽� 岽�	Tribrachys
bhaga	藯 岽� 岽�	Dactyl
ya驳补峁嘺	岽� 藯 藯	Bacchius
ja驳补峁嘺	岽� 藯 岽�	Amphibrach
ra驳补峁嘺	藯 岽� 藯	Amphimacre
sa驳补峁嘺	岽� 岽� 藯	Anapaest
ta驳补峁嘺	藯 藯 -	Anti-bacchius

When all the three letters are long, the 驳补峁嘺 is called ma驳补峁嘺; when all the letters are short the gana is called na驳补峁嘺; when the first letter is short it is ya驳补峁嘺; when the first letter is guru it is called bha驳补峁嘺; when the middle letter is guru it is called jagana; when the middle letter is laghu it is called ra驳补峁嘺; when the last letter is guru it is called sa驳补峁嘺 and when the last letter is laghu it is ta驳补峁嘺.^[12]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Vide,Chutia,L. Gogoi., A note on Kavisik峁Ｄ� in the studies in Indology,p.126

[2]:

chandoh墨no na 艣abdo鈥檚tina chanda艣ca艣abda varjitam /
狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补,XIV.47

[3]:

chandoviciter惫峁泃迟补sa峁兣沘yacheda岣�/
碍腻惫测腻濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉奴迟谤补惫峁泃迟颈,I.6

[4]:

aviditv膩 峁涐梗imcchando /
诲补颈惫补迟补峁� 测辞驳补峁� eva ca //
测辞鈥檇丑测腻辫补测别箩箩补辫别诲 惫腻辫颈 /
p膩p墨y膩n j膩yate tu sa岣� //
叠峁沨补诲诲别惫补迟腻,VIII.132

[5]:

厂耻惫峁泃迟补迟颈濒补办补, II.37

[6]:

肠丑补苍诲补岣� 辫腻诲补u to vedasya /
笔腻峁噄苍墨测补艣颈办峁Ｄ�,41,42

[7]:

chandovicity膩峁� sakalastatprapa帽co 苍颈诲补谤艣颈迟补岣�/蝉腻 惫颈诲测腻 苍补耻蝉迟颈迟墨谤峁Ｅ�峁嚹遽�� 驳补产丑墨谤补峁� k膩vyas膩garam /
碍腻惫测腻诲补谤艣补,I.12

[8]:

辫补诲测补峁� 肠补迟耻峁�p补诲墨 taccha 惫峁泃迟补峁� 箩腻迟颈riti 诲惫颈诲丑腻 /
v峁泃amak峁�arasa峁僰hy膩ta峁� 箩腻迟颈rm膩tr膩k峁泃膩 bhavet ///
颁丑补苍诲辞尘补帽箩补谤墨,I.4

[9]:

samamardha蝉补尘补峁� 惫峁泃迟补峁� 惫颈峁�a尘补帽ceti tat 迟谤颈诲丑腻 /
蝉补尘补峁� samacatu峁１枘寤宀贯箖 bhavatyardha蝉补尘补峁� puna岣� /
膩dist峁泃墨yavad yasya 辫腻诲补sturyo dvit墨yavat /
bhinnacihnacatu峁１枘寤宀贯箖 惫颈峁�a尘补峁� parik墨rtitam //
Ibid.,I.5

[10]:

yatirjihne峁ａ弓avi艣r膩masth膩na峁� kavibhirucyate /
Ibid.,I.12

[11]:

s膩nusv膩ra艣ca 诲墨谤驳丑补艣ca visargo ca gururbhavet /
惫补谤峁嘺岣� sa峁儁ogap奴rva艣ca tath膩 p膩d膩ntagoapi v膩 //
Ibid.,I.11

[12]:

mastrigurustrilaghu艣ca nak膩ro bh膩diguru岣� punar膩dilaghurya岣� /
jo gurumadhyagato ralamadhya岣� soantaguru岣� kathitoantalaghusta岣� /
Ibid.,I.7