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{{Short description|Indian poetic metre}}
{{About|poetic mantra in the Vedas|metre in Sanskrit poetry|Sanskrit prosody|the Kannada and Telugu poetry|Chandas (poetry)|the quatrain poetic form of North India and Pakistan|Chhand|the computer typeface|Chandas (typeface)|other uses|Chanda (disambiguation)}}
'''Vedic metre''' refers to the [[metre (poetry)|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.<ref>James Lochtefeld (2002), "Chandas" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, page 140</ref>

==Overview==
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" style=" background: transparent; "
|+ The seven major Vedic metres<ref>{{cite book|author=Tatyana J. Elizarenkova|title=Language and Style of the Vedic Rsis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-B0Y-IwTQAC|year=1995|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-1668-6|pages=111–121}}</ref>
|-style="text-align: center;"
! style="background: #ffcc66;" |Metre
| width= 140px | Syllable structure || No. of verses{{Sfn|Sharma|2000|pp=232}} || width= 230px | Examples{{Sfn|Wilson|1841|pp=418-422}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! Gāyatrī
| 8 8 8 || 2447 || Rigveda 7.1.1-30, 8.2.14{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|pp=10, 48}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! Uṣṇih
| 8 8 12 || 341 || Rigveda 1.8.23-26{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|p=48}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! [[Anuṣṭubh]]
| 8 8 8 8 ||855 || Rigveda 8.69.7-16, 10.136.7{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|p=11, 50 with note ii(a)}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! Bṛhatī
| 8 8 12 8 || 181 || Rigveda 5.1.36, 3.9.1-8{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|p=48, 66 with note 110(i)}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! Pankti
| 8 8 8 8 + 8 || 312 || Rigveda 1.80–82.<ref>Macdonell (1916), p. 440.</ref>
|-style="text-align: center;"
! [[Triṣṭubh]]
| 11 11 11 11 || 4253 || Rigveda 4.50.4, 7.3.1-12{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|pp=48 with table 91, 13 with note 48, 279 with Mandala VII table}}
|-style="text-align: center;"
! Jagatī
| 12 12 12 12 || 1318 || Rigveda 1.51.13, 9.110.4-12{{Sfn|Arnold|1905|pp=12 with note 46, 13 with note 48, 241-242 with note 251}}
|}

In addition to these seven, there are fourteen less frequent syllable-based metres (''Varna-vritta'' or ''Akshara-chandas''):<ref>The numbering given below follows that of H.H. Wilson in the cited work, pp.422-426.</ref>
: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{{Sfn|Wilson|1841|pp=426}}).

There are several other minor metres found in the Vedas, of which the following are two examples:
:{{IAST|Virāj}}: 4 lines of 10 syllables.<ref>[http://www.intratext.com/ixt/ENG0039/__PSM.HTM Ralph T. H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda, Appendix II. Metre, 1896]. List of various Vedic metres , see « ''Viraj'' ». {{Access-date|15-11-2021}}.</ref>
:{{IAST|Kakubh}}: 3 lines of 8, 12, 8 syllables.<ref>[http://www.intratext.com/ixt/ENG0039/__PSM.HTM Ralph T. H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda, Appendix II. Metre, 1896]. List of various Vedic metres , see « ''Kakup'' or ''Kakubh'' ». {{Access-date|15-11-2021}}.</ref>

==Development==
E. V. Arnold classified the hymns of the Rigveda into four periods, partly on the grounds of language and partly of metre.<ref>Arnold, E. V. [https://openlibrary.org/books/OL23355958M/Vedic_metre_in_its_historical_development ''Vedic metre in its historical development''], Cambridge University Press, 1905; pp. 12–13, 48.</ref>

In the earliest period, which he calls "Bardic", when often the names of the individual poets are known, a variety of metres are used, including, for example, a ten-syllable version of the [[triṣṭubh]]; some poems of this period also often show an iambic rhythm (ᴗ – ᴗ –) in the second section of the triṣṭubh and jagatī metres.

The second period, the "Normal", has more regular metres.

The third period, the "Cretic", shows a preference for a cretic rhythm (– ᴗ –) in syllables 5 to 7 of the triṣṭubh and jagatī following a 4th-syllable caesura.

The last period, called "Popular", contains several hymns which also occur in the [[Atharvaveda]] collection; in this period also the anuṣṭubh tends towards the form it had in the epic period, with a trochaic cadence ( ᴗ – – x) in lines 1 and 3.

==Gāyatrī metre==
The shortest and most sacred of Vedic metres is the Gāyatrī metre,{{Sfn|Wilke|Moebus|2011|pp=392-394}} also known as the '''Sāvitrī metre'''. A verse consists of three octosyllabic sections (''pāda'').{{Sfn|Wilke|Moebus|2011|pp=392-394}}<ref name="LarsonDeutsch2014p217">{{cite book|author=Frits Staal|editor=Gerald James Larson and Eliot Deutsch|title=Interpreting across Boundaries: New Essays in Comparative Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twAABAAAQBAJ|year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-5927-6|pages=217–219}}</ref> The following is an example of the opening of a Rigvedic hymn in Gāyatrī metre:

{{Blockquote|
<poem>
'''The hymn:'''
{{lang|sa|इन्द्रमिद्गाथिनो बृहदिन्द्रमर्केभिरर्किणः इन्द्रं वाणीरनूषत ॥१॥}}

'''Transliteration in 3x8 format:'''
{{Transliteration|sa|índram íd gāthíno br̥hád}}
{{Transliteration|sa|índram arkébhir arkíṇaḥ}}
{{Transliteration|sa|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.
</poem>
|[[Rigveda]] 1.7.1, Translator: [[Frits Staal]]<ref name="LarsonDeutsch2014p217"/>|source=}}

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.{{Sfn|Wilke|Moebus|2011|pp=393-394}}

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).<ref>Macdonell, A. A. ''A Vedic Grammar for Students'', p. 439.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/historyofsanskri00macdrich#page/56/mode/2up A history of Sanskrit Literature], Arthur MacDonell, Oxford University Press/Appleton & Co, page 56</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stephanie Jamison|author2=Joel Brereton|title= The Rigveda: 3-Volume Set |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fgzVAwAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-972078-1 |pages=71–75 }}</ref>

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."<ref name="Macdonell, A. A. p. 438">Macdonell, A. A. ''A Vedic Grammar for Students'', p. 438.</ref><ref>See now however also Gunkel and Ryan (2018).</ref> When the [[Gayatri Mantra]] is recited, on the other hand, a pause is customarily made after each ''pada''. Note that the 3x8 syllable structure refers to the last three lines of the Gayatri Mantra (starting from tat savitur vareṇyaṃ). The first line, oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, is an introduction to invoke the mantra to work on three Vyāhṛti or planes (physical, mental and spiritual).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Monier |title=A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition |date=1899 |publisher=Oxford: At the Clarendon Press |page=1039 }}</ref>

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 [[Avesta|Avestan scriptures]] of ancient Iran.<ref name="Macdonell, A. A. p. 438"/>

==Jagatī metre==
The jagatī metre has lines of 12 syllables, and its overall scheme is:<ref name=Kip>Kiparsky, P. (2018). [https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004357778/BP000011.xml "Indo-European origins of the Greek hexameter"]. In Hackstein, O., & Gunkel, D. (2018). [https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004357778/BP000007.xml ''Language and Meter''] (pp. 77–128). Brill; pp. 91–2.</ref>
: / x – x – / x ᴗ ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ x /

where x = a syllable which is either long or short. Occasionally in the first half of the line, ᴗ – may be [[Substitution (poetry)|substituted]] for – ᴗ or vice versa.

Other authors divide the line differently. For example, E. V. Arnold divides it into three "members" as follows:<ref>Arnold, E. V. (1905) [https://openlibrary.org/books/OL23355958M/Vedic_metre_in_its_historical_development ''Vedic metre in its historical development''], Cambridge University Press; p. 13.</ref>

: / x – x – / x ᴗ ᴗ / – ᴗ – ᴗ x

He calls the central section the "break", since at this point the mainly iambic rhythm of the opening is broken.

The first hymn of the Rigveda to use jagatī throughout is 1.55, of which the first stanza is as follows:

{{Blockquote|
<poem>
'''Transliteration:'''
{{Transliteration|sa|diváś cid asya varimā́ ví papratha}}
{{Transliteration|sa|índraṃ ná mahnā́ pr̥thivī́ caná práti}}
{{Transliteration|sa|bhīmás túviṣmāñ carṣaṇíbhya ātapáḥ}}
{{Transliteration|sa|śíśīte vájraṃ téjase ná váṃsagaḥ}}

'''Musical beats:'''
/ ᴗ – ᴗ – / ᴗ ᴗ ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ ᴗ /
/ – – ᴗ – / – ᴗ ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ ᴗ /
/ – – ᴗ – / – – ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ – /
/ ᴗ – – – / – – ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ – /

/ da DUM da DUM / da da da DUM / da DUM da da /
/ DUM DUM da DUM / DUM da da DUM / da DUM da da /
/ DUM DUM da DUM / DUM DUM da DUM / da DUM da DUM /
/ da DUM DUM DUM / DUM DUM da DUM / da DUM da DUM /

'''Translation:'''
Though e'en this heaven's wide space and earth have spread them out,
nor heaven nor earth may be in greatness Indra's match.
Awful and very mighty, causing woe to men,
he whets his thunderbolt for sharpness, as a bull.
</poem>
|[[Rigveda]] 1.55.1, Translator: [[Ralph T. H. Griffith]]
}}

There is usually a word-break ([[caesura]]) after the fifth syllable, but sometimes after the fourth.<ref name=Kip />

A recent study including nearly all the 12-syllable lines in the Rigveda showed the following percentages of long (heavy) syllables in each position in the line, confirming that the 6th position is nearly always short (light):<ref>Gunkel, Dieter & Ryan, Kevin (2011). [https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=classicalstudies-faculty-publications "Hiatus avoidance and metrification in the Rigveda."] In ''Proceedings of the 22nd Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference'', ed. Jamison, S. W.; Melchert, H. C.; Vine, B; p. 57.</ref>
:51%, 87%, 51%, 95%, 67%, 10%, 37%, 97%, 3%, 98%, 1%, 83%

Therefore, the statistics suggest the metre as such:-
/ x – x – / – ᴗ ᴗ – / ᴗ – ᴗ x /

==See also==
*[[Sanskrit prosody]]
*[[Vedic accent]]

==References==
;Citations
{{reflist}}

;Works cited
*{{cite book|last= Arnold|first= Edward Vernon|year= 1905|url= https://archive.org/stream/vedicmetreinitsh00arnouoft#page/viii/mode/2up| title= Vedic Metre in its historical development| publisher=Cambridge University Press (Reprint 2009)|isbn= 978-1113224446}} (Also [https://archive.org/details/vedicmetreinitsh00arnouoft here])
*Gunkel, Dieter and Kevin M. Ryan. (2018) [https://www.academia.edu/36279300/Phonological_Evidence_for_P%C4%81da_Cohesion_in_Rigvedic_Versification?email_work_card=thumbnail "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) [http://www.theasis.net/RgV/Vedic_Grammar_for_Students.pdf ''A Vedic Grammar for Students'']. Appendix II. Vedic Metre (pp. 436–447).
* {{cite journal| last=Sharma| first=Arvind| year=2000| title=Of ''Śūdras'', ''Sūtas'', and ''Ślokas'': Why is the ''Mahābhārata'' preeminently in the ''Anuṣṭubh'' Metre?| journal= Indo-Iranian Journal |volume= 43 (2000)| issue= 3| pages= 225–278 | doi=10.1163/000000000124994047| jstor=24663308| s2cid=189770752| url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24663308| url-access=subscription}}.
*{{cite book| last1=Wilke |first1=Annette| first2=Oliver |last2=Moebus| title=Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KZCMe67IGPkC| year=2011| publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-018159-3}}
*{{cite book| last= Wilson| first= Horace Hayman| year=1841| title=An introduction to the grammar of the Sanskrit language| url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontogr00wilsuoft| publisher=Madden}}

==Further reading==
*Müller, F. Max, ''Vedic Hymns, Part I'' (''[[Sacred Books of the East]]'', Vol. 32)
*[[Klaus Mylius|Mylius, Klaus]] (1983) ''Geschichte der altindischen Literatur'', Wiesbaden.
*Oldenberg, H. ''Prolegomena on Metre and Textual History of the {{IAST|Ṛgveda}}'', Berlin 1888. Tr. V. G. Paranjpe and M. A. Mehendale, Motilal Banarsidass 2005 {{ISBN|81-208-0986-6}}
*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.

==External links==
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTQd3lfz_VgC&pg=PA651 |title=The Hymns Of The Rigveda |volume=1 |page=651}} List of metres.
* [http://www.vedarahasya.net/rigbk10.htm Appendix II of Griffith's translation], a listing of the names of various Vedic metres, with notes.
* [https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Textual-Studies/Prosody-Articles/Macdonell-Vedic.pdf A.A. Macdonell on Vedic metre]. (Contains only metrical appendix).
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQCSN38KYY Rigveda chanted]. The hymn to Indra is at 12:28.
* [https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/lrc/rigveda/RV01.php Transliterated text of Rigveda book 1].
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SarlTxrAbIY&vl=en Gayatri Mantra sung]

[[Category:Vedangas]]
[[Category:Sanskrit]]
[[Category:Prosodies by language]]
[[Category:Indian poetics]]

Vedic metre - Revision history

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