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Study of Civakacintamani
The phrase 'bhinnavṛttäntaiḥ in Dandin's definition has been interpreted in two ways as follows: bhinna+vṛttantaib, meaning 'with rich variety of topics' or bhinnavitta + antaib, i.e. 'ending in verses composed in a different metre.
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The tradition of ending each canto with a verse of a different metre has accordingly been observed by authors of such works in Sanskrit. We find that this practice has not been followed by Têvar except when such a change is also accompanied by a change in the subject matter or the mood of the narrative. His manipulation of the metres is dictated mainly by the need to make the sound echo or depict the sense. His remarkable success in doing this has been dealt with in considerable detail by T. E. Gnanamurthy in his chapter on metre.1
To sum up, it is clear from the foregoing analysis that Tevar has been markedly. influenced by Sanskrit literary patterns. It appears that he has made a conscious attempt to follow the principles governing the composition of a mahakavya set forth by Sanskrit rhetoricians, in the composition of his epic. In doing so, he has however taken care not to depart from the established literary traditions and characteristics peculiar to Tamil. The result of such an effort has been a harmonious blending of the two literary traditions,
1 T. E. Gnanamurthy, op. cit. pp. 258-281.
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