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FORM AND STRUCTURE
to that end. At VIII 49 it is said that in poetry the composition with its घत्ताs, छडणिअs, पद्धडियाs and other choice metres proves of great charm to the people. But immediately following this is defined' a 21-moraic metre called which probably suggests that this particular metre found special preference in the compositions. Sc. 51-52 give illustrations of this रासाछंद.
It requires little effort to show that all the above-detailed features of the form are evidenced in essence by the SR. A glance at the Table of Metres given on p. 75 would suffice to find out that our text has got अडिलाs, दोहाs, रडाs and गाहाs, as also डुमिला, पद्धडियाs and some fifteen other metres ( cf. सु-अण्ण-रूएहिं of the Sc.). Besides, the main body of the SR. is built up with a 21-moraic metre, which is closely allied to the of the Sc. Thus we see that all the characteristics of the form as laid down by the prosodists are amply borne out by the SR. The 223 stanzas of the SR. are distributed in three sections called प्रक्रम. But this division rests entirely on the development of the theme of the composition and unlike the f of the AP. epic it is not something essential to the form of the S. Like पूर्वमेघ and उत्तरमेघ of the मेघदूत these प्रक्रमs indicate a turn in the development of the poetic theme. Thus the first 4 of the SR. is prefatory or introductory. With the second begins the theme proper, while the third occupies itself with qui in the context of a fat and brings the theme to a close.
77
One small point worth noting is the use of two-lined stanzas (er) and six-lined stanzas (cf. foot-note 52). Stanzas 58, 63,
1 घत्ता छड्डुणिआहिं पद्धडिआ[ हिं ] सु-अण्णरूएहिं ।
रामाबंधी कब्वे जण-मण-अहिरामो (मओ ? ) होइ ॥
2 एकवीस मचाणिह णउ उद्दामगिरु । चउदसार विस्सामहो भगणविरह थिरु ॥
रासाबंधु समिद्धु एउ अहिरामअरु | लहुअतिअल अवसाण विरइअमहुर अरु |
The text appears corrupt and obscure at several places.
3 There is slight irregularity in the numbering of the stanzas. 22 and 23 are possibly two halves of a . Similarly 115 and 116 together make up the strophe ass. Further 38, 73 and 143 are clear interpolations. On the other hand 104ab, 113ef, 117ef, 118ef aught to bear separate stanza-numbers in the light of 58, 74, 125 etc., unless that in the case of 113ef, 117ef and 118ef we have to consider them, in spite of the want of sentence-connexion, as six-lined stanzas.
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4 In Early Guj. (the y compositions) and Dingal (e. g. af farmit) literatures this is a favoured topic.
5 Of course in the simple metre. Here there is no talk of the strophes.
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