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INTRODUCTION
79
most ticklish. The varieties of the different types of the Ghattās are distinguished from one another by the number of moras their Pādas are required to contain. But addition or removal of even one mora makes a difference in metre. Coupled with this narrow margin of difference in the continguous varieties of the Ghattās is the fact that the nature of the orthography of the Ap. Mss. being in various points confusing, the text preserved by them is far removed from having a mora-perfect correctness. This state of affairs many a time obscures the exact number of moras contained in a particular Ghattā-päda and as a result it becomes considerably difficult to identify with precision the Ghattā-metres. Apart from this, the main cause of obscurity lies in the anceps value of the end syllable of a Pāda. This always causes a difference of one mora and the consequent dubiety.
The treatment of this point by ancient metricians does not contribute much to the clarification. Hemacandra offers the following remarks:
Vánte G V a kraḥ Pādānte vartamāno hrasvo g samjño bhavati. Sa ca prastāre takraḥ sthāpyate. 'vā' iti vyavasthita-vibhāsä. Tena yatra -apavādaḥ tatra g samjño na bhavati. Dhruvāsu vivaksā-vaśād gurutvam laghutarn ca. yad aha: Oja-sarkhyā yadā'bhiştā, dhruvāsu viratau tada/go lata, yugma-samkhye tu, viratau gurutā laghoặ//Tathā: gurua(o) cchiya ekka-lahu-virāma-visayammi visama samkhāe/jamala-lahu lahua(o) cchiya, sama-samkhā-samthio hoi// Ch. 15 with Com.
For the last stanza in the above citation Hemacandra is indebted to Svayambhū, since that very Gathā is found at SC. V 2 with the correct readings guruo and lahuo. The passage means:
(1) The short end syllable of a metrical Pāda is to be treated
as long as a general rule. (2) To this rule there are fixed exceptions. In these excep
tional cases the final short is to have its natural value. (3) In the case of the Dhruvā or Ghattā, the value of the end
syllable depends upon the number of moras the Dhruvā. pāda is desired to contain. After counting the moras of a Ghattā-pāda exculsive of the final syllable, if the Pāda is short by one mora, then the remaining end syllable should be counted as of one mora and accordingly even if in such cases the end syllable is actually long, it should be considered short. On the other hand, if the Pada is short by two moras, then the end syllable should be given the value of two moras and accordingly even if the end syllable is actually short
it should be considered long. This rule works well in those cases wherein we know beforehand the metre, but in those cases in which we have to decide the metre by scanning a specimen, we would be faced with as many as, four alternatives regarding the Antarasamă Catuspadis. A Ghatta with the actual mora count of 13/10, in its odd and even Pädas and wih short end syllables, for instance, can be regarded as containing 13/10, 14/10, 13/11 or 14/11, moras and these are four different metres called Marakatamālā, Abhinavavasantabrī, Kusumākulamadhukara and Bhramaravilāsa! The form of the metre has nothing
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