Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c13.40

c13.40

188. As regards irregularities in the opening the groups of the archaic period shew great uniformity, the irregularities being generally about 3 per cent. of the whole number of verses. In the strophic, normal and cretic periods the proportion is generally much smaller, but in the popular Rigveda it increases. In Anuṣṭubh irregular forms are generally more common in the odd than in the even verses. As the variation is in all cases between narrow limits, it is of little importance in comparing the groups.