Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c5.31

c5.31

A syllable the vowel of which is followed by two consonants is long. One or both of these consonants may belong to a word following, provided that it belongs to the same verse. The sounds represented by *ṁ ḥ* are for this purpose recognized as full consonants: and the Vedic *ḷh* (also variously represented by *ḷh* or *ḍh*) is equivalent to a double consonant.