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MAHĀNISĪHA STUDIES AND EDITION IN GERMANY
41
15. METRES
15.0 About the metrical structure of the MNA, Schubring (e.g. MNSt.A,p.34) remarks that anuştubh is the metre favoured by the author, though āryā was the prevailing metre in his time. Both, Hamm (MNSt.C, pp.14-16) and Deleu (MNSt.B, pp.15-17) present a metrical survey of sample verses of Chap. VI and I-II respectively, which is reproduced here. — Note: a b c d refer to pādas, a/c to pāda a OR c; b/d to pāda b OR d. G = heavy syllable (guru); L = light syllable (laghu) - The use of the asterisk denoting verses is obviously superfluous in our section 15. 15.1 For the first one hundred anustubh verses of Chap. VI (vss. 1-101, vs.30 is an āryā) Hamm prepared statistics (1) of the number of syllables in a pāda, (2) of the opening of the pādas, and (3) of the cadence of the pādas. Deleu examined 400 pādas of one hundred verses "selected at random throughout Chap. I-II" to prepare corresponding statistics). 95.2.0 Of the total of 422 pādas (some verses having 6 pādas) in Chap. VI, 198 pādas, i.e. 46.9%, do not have the correct number of syllables. In Chap.I-II, out of 400 pādas, 192 pādas, i.e. 48%, have an irregular number of syllables: Syllables Chap. VI.vss.1-101 Chap.1-11"
Remarks 16(a/c: 9;b/d: 7) 11(b:7.c:12:3) 138(79;59) 123(41.27.26.29) 35(15;20) 44(12.7.14.11) 7(4:3)
8(3.4.1.1) 1(VI.84a ) 3(all d )
(See below [A]) 1(VI.85d ) 1(11.93d)
with 1(11.916 ) extrametrical
1(II.108d ) additions? (A) These three pādas are: 1.790, 137d, 138d.
95.2.1 Hamm: Even if one could correct some of the pādas with nine syllables "by elision of an intruding vowel" or "by letting run together an initial vowel with the
39 The vss. arc: 1.21-30, 71-80, 91-100, 131-140, 213-222; 11.51-60, 91-99, 106-115, 151-160, 191-200.
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