Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c11.s5.76

c11.s5.76

The unit of the Biruda form consists generally of a measure of rhythmic and alliterative prose, called Kalikā, corresponding to the metrical foot or Pāda, but a number of each unit is often prefaced and concluded by some verses in the orthodox metre; or it may sometimes consist of units of verse Kalikās, with similar prefatory or concluding brief lines of prose. The measure of each Kalikā should generally be not more than sixty-four or not less than twelve Kalās, corresponding to Mātrās or syllabic instants of the moric metre, but the disposition of syllables generally follows the Gaṇa-scheme. In each piece or Vṛtta the number of Kalikās may extend from five to thirty. It should possess pomp of words (Śabda-ḍambara) and describe the valour, glory or beauty of the deity concerned. In effect, the long stretches of Kalikās are nothing more than strings of descriptive epithets, the chief object being to show verbal skill and subtlety in the manipulation of alliterative and rhyming ingenuities. Five varieties are distinguished, namely, Caṇḍa-vṛtta, Dvigādi-gaṇa-vṛtta, Tribhaṅgī vṛtta (all three having prose, often with preliminary and concluding verses), Miśra-vṛtta (having verse with lines of prose at the beginning and at the end) and Kevala-vṛtta (pure prose) : but the subdivisions are more minute and complicated¹