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234 स्वयंभूच्छन्दः
[BRIEF Notes and instrumental music and also acting. A single stanza thus sung is called merely a Tāla. A pair of them is called a Yugala, a group of three a Tritāla, that of four a Cakkalaka, that of five a Pañcatāla, that of seven a Saptatāla, while groups of six, eight etc., are called Kulakas. The word rūpa in the stanza (as in SbP. 6.2) means an individual
metre or stanza. 24: 'A Rāsa composition made up of Ghattās, Chaddanikās, Paddhatikās
or (other) well-worded individual metres in Poetry becomes extremely pleasing to the minds of the people.' See also v. 26 below, according to which all Mātrā Vịttas or for that matter even the Varna Vșttas, may be used for the composition of a Rāsa. It is not very clear whether the Tāla and the Rāsa Kavyas are two different varieties or are one and the same. I am inclined to believe that they are identical and that the Rāsas may be either Yugala, Tritāla, Pañcatāla, or Saptatāla etc. This kind of a lyric composed in Prākrit or Apabhramśa language is also defined by Virahāńka at Vjs. 4.37-38. The wording of the latter stanza, i.e., 38, is very similar to that of ours.
25 : The term Rāsa used of a group of stanzas in different metres
reminds Svayambhū of an individual metre called Räsa which has 21 Mātrās in each of its four Pādas. The Yati in each Päda is after the 14th Mātrā and the last three Mātrās are represented by three short letters. It is possible to maintain that the name Rāsa was transferred from the group to the individuals comprising the group as in the case of the name Dvipadī; see my remarks in para 5 in the introduction to Vịttajātisamuccaya (new edition in Rājasthān series), p. vi. This was perhaps the most popular metre employed for lyric poetry in the Apabhramśa language, though every metre which is used for the composition of a Rāsa Kavya is called Rāsaka according to HPk. 5.3 com., where, by the bye, Svayambhu's stanza (v. 26 below) is actually quoted without mentioning his name. Hemacandra gives several such Rāsakas at HPk. 5.3-15. This Rāsaka of 21 Mātrās is called Abhānaka by Ratnasekhara at Ck. 17. Rāsaka of Kd. 2.23 is similar
but has 23 Mātrās in each Päda. 25.1: This is in praise of Jina ; lines 3 and 4 are corrupt.
25.2: This is an important stanza in which the words mori and ava hamsa
appear to be used punningly. Really the two, i.e. pea-hen and swan, do not play together; for the one rejoices at the appearance of the clouds, while the other shuns it.
