A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s2.18

v1.c8.s2.18

Three such lines form the Gāyatrī and four such lines form the verse called the Anuṣṭubh. In the older poetry the Anuṣṭubh stands far behind the Gāyatrī in popularity. Later it is the reverse; the Anuṣṭubh becomes the usual verse, and out of it is developed the śloka, the proper metre of epic poetry. Metres of rarer occurrence are the Paṅkti, consisting of five lines of eight syllables, and the Mahāpaṅkti, consisting of six such Pādas.