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Vedic metre
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Vedic metre refers to the poetic metre in the Vedic literature. The study of Vedic metre, along with post-Vedic metre, is part of Chandas, one of the six Vedanga disciplines.[1]
Overview[edit]
| Metre | Syllable structure | No. of verses[3] | Examples[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gāyatrī | 8 8 8 | 2447 | Rigveda 7.1.1-30, 8.2.14[5] |
| Uṣṇih | 8 8 12 | 341 | Rigveda 1.8.23-26[6] |
| Anuṣṭubh | 8 8 8 8 | 855 | Rigveda 8.69.7-16, 10.136.7[7] |
| Bṛhatī | 8 8 12 8 | 181 | Rigveda 5.1.36, 3.9.1-8[8] |
| Pankti | 8 8 8 8 + 8 | 312 | Rigveda 1.80–82.[9] |
| Triṣṭubh | 11 11 11 11 | 4253 | Rigveda 4.50.4, 7.3.1-12[10] |
| Jagatī | 12 12 12 12 | 1318 | Rigveda 1.51.13, 9.110.4-12[11] |
In addition to these seven, there are fourteen less frequent ones syllable-based metres (Varna-vritta or Akshara-chandas):[12]
- - 8. Atijagati (13x4); 9. Śakkarī (14x4); 10. Atiśakarī (15x4); 11. Ashṭi (16x4);
- - 12. Atyashti (17x4); 13. Dhritī (18x4); 14. Atidhritī (19x4); 15. Kṛiti (20x4);
- - 16. Prakṛiti (21x4); 17. Ākṛiti (22x4): 18. Vikṛiti (23x4); 19. Śankṛiti (24x4);
- - 20. Atikṛiti (25x4); 21. Utkṛiti (26x4).
(Note: all metres have several varieties (from 2 to 30 depending on the case).
- There is also the metre called Dandaka which is the general name given to other metres of this class exceeding the measure (26x4) of Utkriti (Dandaka is the No. 22 on the list compiled by H.H. Wilson[13]).
Furthemore, there are several other minor metres found in the Vedas, of which the following are two examples:
Gāyatrī metre[edit]
The shortest and most sacred of Vedic metres is the Gāyatrī metre.[16] A verse consists of three octosyllabic sections (pāda).[16][17] The following is an example of the opening of a Rigvedic hymn in Gāyatrī metre:
The hymn:
इन्द्रमिद्गाथिनो बृहदिन्द्रमर्केभिरर्किणः इन्द्रं वाणीरनूषत ॥१॥
Transliteration in 3x8 format:
índram íd gāthíno br̥hád
índram arkébhir arkíṇaḥ
índraṃ vā́ṇīr anūṣata
Musical beats:
/ – ᴗ – – / ᴗ – ᴗ ᴗ /
/ – ᴗ – – / ᴗ – ᴗ – /
/ – – – – / ᴗ – ᴗ – /
/ DUM da DUM DUM / da DUM da da /
/ DUM da DUM DUM / da DUM da DUM /
/ DUM DUM DUM DUM / da DUM da DUM /
Translation:
The chanters have loudly chanted to Indra,
the singers have sung their songs to Indra,
the musicians have resounded to Indra.
The Gāyatrī metre is considered as the most refined and sacred of the Vedic metres, and one that continues to be part of modern Hindu culture as part of Yoga and hymns of meditation at sunrise.[18]
The general scheme of the Gāyatrī is a stanza of three 8-syllable lines. The length of the syllables is variable, but the rhythm tends to be iambic (ᴗ – ᴗ –), especially in the cadence (last four syllables) of each line. However, there is one rare variety, used for example in Rigveda 8.2.1–39, in which the cadence is trochaic (– ᴗ – x).[19] Another cadence sometimes found (especially in the first line of a stanza) is (ᴗ ᴗ ᴗ x). The last syllable of a line may be long or short indifferently.
The Gāyatrī metre makes up about 25% of the entire Rigveda.[20] The only metre more commonly used in Rigveda than Gāyatrī is the Tristubh metre. The structure of Gāyatrī and other Vedic metres is more flexible than post-Vedic metres.[21]
One of the best known verses of Gāyatrī is the Gayatri Mantra, which is taken from book 3.62.10 (the last hymn of the 3rd book) of the Rigveda.
When the Rig-Veda is chanted, performers traditionally recite the first two padas of Gāyatrī without making a break between them, in accordance with the generally used saṃhitā text. However, according to Macdonell, "there is no reason to believe that in the original text the second verse was more sharply divided from the third than from the first."[22][23] When the Gayatri Mantra is recited, on the other hand, a pause is customarily made after each pada.
When there is a pause, a short syllable at the end of a line can be considered long, by the principle of brevis in longo.
Although the Gāyatrī is very common in the Rigveda, it fell out of use early and is not found in Sanskrit poetry of the classical period. There is a similar 3 x 8 stanzaic metre in the Avestan scriptures of ancient Iran.[24]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ James Lochtefeld (2002), "Chandas" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, ISBN 0-8239-2287-1, page 140
- ↑ Tatyana J. Elizarenkova (1995). Language and Style of the Vedic Rsis. State University of New York Press. pp. 111–121. ISBN 978-0-7914-1668-6.
- ↑ Sharma 2000, pp. 232.
- ↑ Wilson 1841, pp. 418-422.
- ↑ Arnold 1905, pp. 10, 48.
- ↑ Arnold 1905, p. 48.
- ↑ Arnold 1905, p. 11, 50 with note ii(a).
- ↑ Arnold 1905, p. 48, 66 with note 110(i).
- ↑ Macdonell (1916), p. 440.
- ↑ Arnold 1905, pp. 48 with table 91, 13 with note 48, 279 with Mandala VII table.
- ↑ Arnold 1905, pp. 12 with note 46, 13 with note 48, 241-242 with note 251.
- ↑ The numbering given below follows that of H.H. Wilson in the cited work, pp.422-426.
- ↑ Wilson 1841, pp. 426.
- ↑ Ralph T. H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda, Appendix II. Metre, 1896. List of various Vedic metres , see « Viraj ». Template:Access-date.
- ↑ Ralph T. H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda, Appendix II. Metre, 1896. List of various Vedic metres , see « Kakup or Kakubh ». Template:Access-date.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Annette Wilke & Oliver Moebus 2011, pp. 392-394.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Frits Staal (2014). Gerald James Larson and Eliot Deutsch (ed.). Interpreting across Boundaries: New Essays in Comparative Philosophy. Princeton University Press. pp. 217–219. ISBN 978-1-4008-5927-6.
- ↑ Annette Wilke & Oliver Moebus 2011, pp. 393-394.
- ↑ Macdonell, A. A. A Vedic Grammar for Students, p. 439.
- ↑ A history of Sanskrit Literature, Arthur MacDonell, Oxford University Press/Appleton & Co, page 56
- ↑ Stephanie Jamison; Joel Brereton (2014). The Rigveda: 3-Volume Set. Oxford University Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 978-0-19-972078-1.
- ↑ Macdonell, A. A. A Vedic Grammar for Students, p. 438.
- ↑ See now however also Gunkel and Ryan (2018).
- ↑ Macdonell, A. A. A Vedic Grammar for Students, p. 438.
- Bibliography
- Arnold, Edward Vernon (1905). Vedic Metre in its historical development. Cambridge University Press (Reprint 2009). ISBN 978-1113224446. (Also here)
- Gunkel, Dieter and Kevin M. Ryan. (2018) "Phonological Evidence for Pāda Cohesion in Rigvedic Versification". In Language and Meter, ed. Dieter Gunkel and Olav Hackstein, 34–52. Leiden: Brill.
- Macdonell, A. A. (1916) A Vedic Grammar for Students. Appendix II. Vedic Metre (pp. 436–447).
- Müller, F. Max, Vedic Hymns, Part I (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 32)
- Mylius, Klaus (1983) Geschichte der altindischen Literatur, Wiesbaden.
- Oldenberg, H. Prolegomena on Metre and Textual History of the Ṛgveda, Berlin 1888. Tr. V. G. Paranjpe and M. A. Mehendale, Motilal Banarsidass 2005 ISBN 81-208-0986-6
- Sharma, Arvind (2000). "Of Śūdras, Sūtas, and Ślokas: Why is the Mahābhārata preeminently in the Anuṣṭubh Metre?". Indo-Iranian Journal. 43 (2000) (3): 225–278. doi:10.1163/000000000124994047. JSTOR 24663308..
- van Nooten, B. und G. Holland, Rig Veda, a metrically restored text, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England, 1994.
- Wilke, Annette; Oliver Moebus (2011). Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-018159-3.
- Wilson, Horace Hayman (1841). An introduction to the grammar of the Sanskrit language. Madden.
External links[edit]
- The Hymns Of The Rigveda V1, Volume 1 List of metres.
- Appendix II of Griffith's translation, a listing of the names of various Vedic metres, with notes.
- A.A. Macdonell on Vedic metre. (Contains only metrical appendix).
- Rigveda chanted. The hymn to Indra is at 12:28.
- Transliterated text of Rigveda book 1.
- Gayatri Mantra sung
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