Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c15.91

c15.91

The most important of these metres is the ‘Dvipadā Virāj’ or ‘Pentad’ metre. There are a few hymns in which Pentad and Triṣṭubh verses are combined: but in the greater number Triṣṭubh verses are so rare that they may practically be disregarded. In these, which we may call the pure Pentad hymns, we observe that the original trimeter verse is split, and becomes two verses: and these two exercise a mutual influence which tends towards their complete assimilation. This point seems to be reached in the metre of iv 10, in which three pentads are followed by a Triṣṭubh verse in each stanza. Pentad hymns are usually arranged in strophes of ten stanzas, each of which consists of two trimeter verses or four pentads.