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INTRODUCTION
XXXyii
matical peculiarities are to be found here and there Thus in Mv alone I have marked two cases of the Present Tense being used in an Optative sense dadāte for dadātu in IV. 10, and carāmah for carema in IV 45. The opposite use of the Optative for the Present is vrajatu on p. 131, 1 8 On p 51,1 10, the past sense in āsit has a peculiar significance 1 On p 13, 1. 9, paśyati possesses a Desiderative sense On p 129, 1. 12, bhavāvah is used as synonymous with gacchāvah. Two examples of the use of the Parasmaipada for the Ātmanepada are vyjayeyam in III. 45 and nuvarteyam in VI. 22. The form fīvātave in Utt II. 10 is a Vedic Infinitive.
e Hus metres As will be evident from Appendıx D (B), Bhavabhūtı employs twenty different metres in the composition of the 390 verses of Mv His most favourite metre is the Anustubh or Sloka, in which one-third of the total number of verses have been written. It might be that this form of metie, being the least fixed as regards the quantity of its syllables and hence the easiest, commended itself to him. He has, further, taken liberties with this metre and is guilty of not conforming to the definition in the following cases 2-1. 14 a, 21 a, 29 a, 36 a, 38 C, 47 a, 52c, III. 2 a c, 18 a b, 39 a , IV 16 a, 34 a, 39 a, 40 a, 44 a, 49 a, 51 a, 550, V 13c, VI 2 a, 13 c, 18 ac, 50 c, VII 4 a, 7 c, 15 c, 19c, 22 a c, 28 c, 35 a
Sārdūla-vzkrīdita and Vasantatilakā follow next in order of frequency, the former claiming one-fifth and the latter one-tenth of the total number
of verses. Srkharınī and Sragdharā come next and are followed by • Mandākrāntā and Upagātu. Vambastha, Mālyabhārā, Gītr and Upendravagrā are the least frequent, having only a single verse devoted to each
Besides the irregularity in the composition of the Sloka, there is one verse which violates the general rules of Metrics, inasmuch as one single word is to be cut up into two halves, the first going with the preceding and the second with the following foot The case in question is that of the word vrdrāvrta in Mv. VI 27, where we have to read vidrā with the third and vrta with the fourth foot.
I would here like to add that in none of his works do we come across even a single Prakrit verse (for which Rājasekhara is so ienowned), and that, in the second place, it is to him that we owe a verse (Māl V. 23) in the Dandaka metre with fifty-four syllables in a foot
There are two characteristics which distinguish some of his verses They are (1) that parts of the same stanza are uttered by different speakers, thus in Mv. I 53, 60, II. 50 in Mal I 36, X 8, in Utt I 33,
catus -pädayor hrasvan anyayoh
saptamam
1 Vide note on the word.
This metre is defined as . Sloke sastham guru peyam sarvatra leghu pañcamam i dva
durgham