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On Some Specimens of Carcant
17
The Janalpay?l?, composed towards the end of the sixth centory AD, defines Dorpade as a complex of a Bhanga-dri pada and a Ginta in that order At times a Vidart was interpolated between the two Each one of the four lines of a Bhanga-dupadi stanza consisted of three to seven Ganas of either the Caturmatra or the Pancamatra type Bach one of the four liges of a Vidarı stanza contained fourteen Matras The commentary on Janasrayı 5 44 says that Dripadt was among that class of metres which was in vogue with the common people 8 Moreover there 18 also some other significant information that we gather from Virahanka According to VJS IV 50 one class of the Rasaka type of Prakrit compositions was characteristically made up of Dolpadts that had Vastukas followed by Vislörtakas or Vidaris The Carcant song at Kuvolayamala 89 closely resembles this class of Rasakas composed 10 Drupadis The difference between them was possibly this that as against the longer Rasaka, the Carcari song was made up of only one Dvipadi that contained four complex units The Janasrayt too has treated the Rasaka18 along with the Dvipadt 9 The form of the Carcari at Kuvalayamala $9 perfectly fits in the scheme of Virabanka's Dvipade In the absence of definite Illustrations the preotse character of the latter bas remained considerably obscure The metrical form of this Kuvalayamala Carcari provides us with a clear instance of the Dolpadt and this fact enhances its importance
10 We may digress here a bit and note that at Caupannamahapurisacarıya p 186, st 90-97, for the description of the leave-taking of warriors prior to a march, Silanka bas employed a Dripadt The eight verses in the passage are made up of four metrically identical units, each of which has two constituents, viz a stanza in Mangart (or Khanjaka) followed by a stanza la Guka Similarly we have on pp 190-191 (8t 137, 139) of the same work two instances of the Manjarz-Gilika combination and it la significant that here the subject of description is spring season As already noted, the Janufayı defines Dupadı as made up of a Bhanga-Dvipadt followed by a Gitika
11 Thug our examination of the Carcart aong at Ruoalayamala 89 has yielded the following facts about the form and function of Carcari 1 Carcar was a song in Prakrit gung whilo porforming the Rasa
dance It could be in the form of a Dorpadt which consisted of four Vastukas accompanied by Dhrupaka This type of Dupadi has been described by Virahanke on the basis of an earlier prosodic tradition