Setubandha

Author(s): Krishnakant Handiqui
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 96

83
INTRODUCTION one, and a long letter at the end of the päda. Mudamalla says in his comm. on Setu 3,46 that this and the preceding verse form a samdānitaka, and the metre is Lalita. He quotes a definition of the metre in Prakrit which is imperfect in our copy, but the following words are legible : vicchittiā ccia lalitā (ā ?)...hīņā. It is noteworthy that Hemacandra 4.43 defines a Galitaka metre called Vicchitti which has twentyfive mātrās; while the Lalitā has one mātrā less. This seems to be referred to in the definition cited by Mudamalla.
Setu 3.45 and 3.46 are perfect examples. of the Lalitā metre. Setu 3.48 illustrates the Vişamā Galitaka defined by Hemacandra 4.45, being a combination of Lalitā and Vicchitti. The first two pādas of the verse have twentyfive mātrās each corresponding to Vicchitti in which the sequence of the mātrāgaņas is 5, 4, 5, 4, 5, 2; while the last two pādas have twentyfour mātrās each corresponding to Lalitā in which the sequence is 4, 4, 5, 4, 5, 2.
Ugragalitaka
The Ugragalitaka, described by Svayambhū 1.2.3 and Hemacandra 4.35, has in each pāda thirty mātrās consisting of an initial group of six mātrās followed by six Caturmātras, subject to the general rule that the Caturmātras at the odd places should not be madhyaguru, and those at the even places should be either madhyaguru or sarvalaghu'.
Setu 6.65 provides a complete example of the Ugragalitaka. The only other early example of this metre known to us is quoted by Svayambhū from a little known poet named Víddhamitra. It is in a mixed dialect with some Sanskrit words spoken by some one desiring a treaty with Rāma.
1 See Svayambhücchandas, ed. Velankar, p. 163.