The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c10.s7: 7. The Metres of the Dramas
The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c10.s7
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7. The Metres of the Dramas
c10.s7.1
It is characteristic of Bhāsa’s close dependence on the epic that his dramas should show a far more frequent use of the Çloka, 436 out of 1,092 verses. No later writer save Bhavabhūti in his Rāma dramas approaches this frequency, which, it must be noted, is not confined to the epic plays, for the *Svapnavāsavadattā* has 26 Çlokas out of 57 verses. In some plays, it is true, such as the *Madhyamavyāyoga* or the *Pañcarātra*, long series of Çlokas suggest incomplete command of the dramatic art on Bhāsa’s part, but his general preference is clearly an outcome of his desire for rapid movement and simplicity; it is the later love for elaborate descriptions that encourages the use of sonorous and complex metres. The Çlokas are remarkably regular in construction; the diiambus in the second Pāda is insisted on rigidly; the Vipulās¹ are rare, the fourth is unknown, the second sporadic, the first twice as frequent as the third, and the prior foot is rarely² ◡ — ◡ —. The sparing use of the irregular forms is doubtless due to the comparatively small number of Çlokas used consecutively, which minimises the desire for change of form.
c10.s7.2
¹ Verses in which the last four syllables are not ◡ — — ◡; viz. (1) ◡◡◡◡; (2) — ◡◡◡; (3) —, — — ◡; (4) — ◡ — ◡.
c10.s7.3
² Cf. Jacobi, IS. xvii. 443 f.; V. S. Sukhtankar, JAOS. xli. 107 ff.
c10.s7.4
Of the more elaborate metres, in which each syllable has a fixed length, the favourite is the *Vasantatilaka*, which occurs 179 times, while the *Upajāti* occurs 121 times. Next comes the *Çārdūlavikrīḍita* (92), *Mālini* (72), *Puspitāgrā* with the scheme ◡◡◡◡—◡—◡— | ◡◡◡◡—◡—◡—— (66), *Vaṃçasthā* (35), *Çālini* (2), *Çikhariṇi* (19), and *Praharṣiṇi* (17). Other metres are purely sporadic; they include the *Sragdharā*, *Hariṇi*, *Vaiçvadevi*,³ *Drutavilambita*,⁴ *Pṛthvī*,⁵ and *Bhujaṅgaprayāta*,⁶ while the *Suvadanā* occurs four times. There is one example of the *Upagīti* with 12 morae in the first and third Pādas, and 15 in the second and fourth, and one of the *Vaitālīya* with 14 and 16 in the two sets respectively. There is also one example of the shortest form of *Daṇḍaka* metre, with six short syllables followed by seven amphimacers, while there is also one shorter metre with six amphimacers. The rarity of the Āryā is remarkable; beside the one Upagīti, which is in Prākrit, there are only eleven, of which five are in Prākrit. Contrast the frequency of the Āryā in Kālidāsa where there are 31 out of 163 in the *Vikramorvaçī*, and 35 out of 96 in the *Mālavikāgnimitra*.
c10.s7.5
³ — — — —, — ◡ — ◡ — —. Later only in the *Mṛcchakaṭikā* of classical dramas.
c10.s7.6
⁴ ◡ ◡ ◡ — ◡ ◡ — ◡ — ◡ —.
c10.s7.7
⁵ ◡ — ◡ ◡ ◡ — ◡ —, ◡ ◡ ◡ — ◡ — —.
c10.s7.8
⁶ ◡ — — ◡ — — ◡ — — ◡ — —. Later first in the *Caitanyacandrodaya*.
c10.s7.9
Generally the rules of classical prosody are faithfully observed; there is one hiatus between Pādas and once Sandhi; in *niyatī* and *maulī*, as in *anūkarṣa*, the lengthening is probably metrical. The Çlokas shows a great fondness for epic tags, such as *acire-ṇaiva kālena*, *prasādaṁ kartum arhasi*, and *kampayann iva medinīm*. Especially frequent is the breaking up of a verse between different speakers or by interruptions of one kind or another.