Indological Studies

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan

Page 49

The Carcari Song
39
for them. This deviation apart, the metre of the song is significantly the same as employed in the Vastukas of the first Carcari of the Kuvalayamālā, viz., Mañjari. Eventhough it has been given the appearance of a Sanskrit Vịtta, and as such it has the form Ra + Na + Bha + Bha + Ra (i.e. -- -
- -- - ---), which would define it as the metre called Sundara, Ramaniya or Manibhūşaņa, 17 really speaking its structure is intended to reflect the moraic form 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 + - Employment of rhyme (clear rhymes in 438 a, b, 439 a, b; 441 a, b; c, d; 442 a, b) too gives out the Prakritic source of the metre. We can therefore take this song as a Carcari with a Dvipadi structure.
(4) The Song at Prabhāvakacarita, p. 60, and Prabandhakośa, p. 16.
14. In the Viddhavādi-prabandha of the Prabhāvakacarita, Vrddhavadin is described as composing extempore a Rāsaka song in 'Prakrit' and giving a dance performance on the basis of that song, before a group of cowherds. The actual song is also given 18 (p. 60, 11. 11-15). Its language is post-Apabhramśa or Old Gujarati. This incident is narrated also in the Prabandhakośa (p. 16) with some variation. Therein Vțddhavadin dances singing two songs. The first song is the same as that given in the Prabhāvakacarita. The song is said to be in Ghindiņi (v.1. Ghindana) metre. No metre of this name can be traced in the available manuals of Prakrit metres. 19 Actually the metre of the stanza can be identified as Chittaka (with some irregularity in the third line). And we know that the second Carcari of the Kuvalayamālā is in this very metre, which is also found in one of the Apabhraíśa songs in the fourth act of the Vikramorvasiya and is treated by Virahānka.20 So we see that for using the metre Chittaka for Carcari songs there was a well-established tradition.
The second song is also in Old Gujarati. It is in a different metre : Each of its four Pādas have 15 Mātrās (4 + 4 + 4 +- ) with rhymes a, b, c, d. It is commonly used in Medieval Gujarati Narrative poetry and is called Copāı.