Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c13.159

c13.159

The earliest type is shewn us in the Anuṣṭubh hymns of the Atri and Vimada families, and in the uneven lyric hymns. Here the ‘normal’ and iambic rhythms are equally common in the opening, all other forms being occasional: in the cadence the iambic rhythm is alone regular, but variations are common as compared with the later periods. Hymns in Uṣṇih, Atyaṣṭi, and Kakubh-Sato bṛhatī do not greatly differ from this type, but the iambic opening is rather less common, and the iambic cadence rather more strict.