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सटीको वृत्तजातिसमुच्चयः
[INTRODUCTION
illustrated and defined by Ratnaśekhara in his Chandaḥkośa.3 Compare also the remarks of the commentator of the Kavidarpana on a Dvibhangi : atra amnayah: Dohaka-padani pratilomam vastuvadanakapadeṣu avartaniyāni. 'Here there is a convention: The words of the Dohaka should be repeated in the reverse order in the Vastuvadana'.
iv
4. We thus see that Virahanka's Dvipadi, i.e., the Strophic one, is an intricate affair and is almost a short lyric complete in itself. He mentions two such strophic metres called Rāsaka in the sequel, ch. IV. vv. 37 and 38. The former of these contains the use of the Dvipadis and the Vistāritakas and is perhaps another name of the Strophic Dvipadi detailed here, while the latter is a short composition, a lyrical poem, containing stanzas in a variety of metres like the Aḍilā, the Dvipathaka, the Mātrā, the Radḍā and the like. Thus the former is composed in the Prakrit and the latter in the Apabhramsa language. The commentator calls this latter the 'well known Rāsaka', probably because even in his times such Rāsakas or short lyrical poems were quite commonly known. I believe the existence of such strophic Dvipadis and Rāsakas at the time of Virahanka in particular is very significant; it very probably suggests the absence of longer narrative poems in the Apabhramśa languages and the general tendency of the Apabhramśa and Prakrit poets to indulge in composing shorter love lyrics or short poems of popular interest. Virahānka was a non-Jain and very likely belonged to a time when the Apabhramśa and the other Prakrit dialects had not yet been claimed and monopolised by the Jain laymen for writing their devotional and narrative poetry for reasons suggested by me in Para 14 of my introduction to the Gāthālakṣaṇa of Nanditaḍhya.5 In this connection it is also relevant to bear in mind that Virahanka mentions about eleven strophic metres, each having a specific name. The prevalence of strophic metres among the poets of those days is also, I think, suggestive of the absence of longer narrative poems which require the continuous use of some narrative metre which is not very intricate and which is suitable for descriptions. It is significant also that Virahānka does not know the well known narrative metre of Apabhraṁśa poetry, namely, the Pajjhaṭikā or Paddhatikā.6 Even the Dohaka' is not yet fully developed in all its varieties at Virahanka's times and it is still considered as only a Dvipadi
3. See Chandaḥkośa vv. 32 and 39.
4. See Commentary on Kavidarpana II. 35.2.
5. See Annals, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. XIV, pp. 11-12.
6. See Chandonusasana of Hemacandra VI. 30; Präkṛta Paingala I. 125; Chandaḥkosa v. 36.
7. See Apabhramsa Metres, para 22.
