A History of Sanskrit Literature c35.s8.14

c35.s8.14

Still more interesting is the number of metres¹ used by Varāhamihira. In the *Bṛhatsaṁhitā* some sixty-four occur, eleven of which are of extreme rarity and of dubious form. The Āryā predominates; then come verses of Indravajrā type, then the Çloka, Vasantatilaka, Rathoddhatā, Çārdūlavikrīḍita, Çālinī, Vaitālīya, and Aupacchandasika: all else are sporadic, many occurring only in civ. They include Anavasitā, Aparavaktra, Kusumavicitrā, Kokilaka or Narkuṭaka, Tāmarasa, Toṭaka, Daṇḍaka, Dodhaka, Drutavilambita, Dhīralalitā, Puṣpitāgrā, Pṛthvī, Prabhāvatī, Pramāṇikā, Pramitākṣarā, Praharṣiṇī, Bhadrikā, Bhujaṅgaprayāta, Bhujaṅgavijṛmbhita, Bhramaravilasita, Maṇiguṇanikara, Mattamayūra, Mattā, Mandākrāntā, Mālatī or Varatanu, Mālinī, Meghavitāna, Meghavisphūrjita, Moṭanaka, Rukmavatī, Rucirā, Vaṁçapattrapatita, Vaṁçasthā, Vātormī, Vidyunmālā, Vaiçvadevī, Çikhariṇī, Çuddhavirāj, Çrīpuṭa, Suvadanā, Sragdharā, Svāgatā, Hariṇapluta, Hariṇī, and Udgatā, Drutapada, Vilāsinī, Sumānikā, Tūṇaka, and varieties of Vidyunmālā. The *Bṛhaj Jātaka* uses thirty-three metres, of which eight have irregularities. The skill of Varāhamihira is thus equal to that of the most accomplished Kāvya writers.