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सटीको वृत्तजातिसमुच्चयः of Catușpadis, Dvipadis, Ardhasama Catuspadis and even the strophic metres without any underlying principle in Chapter IV. Even in Chapter III the only principle of division which has been observed is the classification of these 45 (or 52, counting those 7 which he merely mentions, but does not define as they were not in vogue) under the three broad heads, namely, 1 Mātrāganasama, 2 Ardhasama, and 3 Vişama. But beyond this there does not seem to be any guiding principle according to which these are arranged under each of the three heads.
6. Chapter IV opens with the definition of the chief Prākrit metre namely the Gāthā which, in ancient India, was handled more by the learned versifiers writing treatises on different subjects for propagation and instruction 13 than by the Prākrit poets singing or composing for the commoners their emotional songs. Virahānka here indicates and mentions the 26 varieties of a Gāthā, obtained by substituting 2 short letters for one long letter in succession in the shortest of the Gathās which may contain 27 long and 3 short letters. He illustrates only the first and the last containing 30 and 55 letters in them respectively. Gāthā is then followed by the definitions of its derivatives, namely, Skandhaka having 8 Caturmātras in each half with its 31 varieties (obtained like the 26 of the Gāthā), the Gīti having 7 and a half Caturmātras in each half and the Upagiti having 27 Mātrās in each half, distributed like the latter half of a Gāthā. Hereafter the author defines and illustrates by the definition itself 41 Sama Catuspadis, 11 Ardha Sama Catuspadis, 1 Vişama Catuspadi, 7 more Dvipadīs (in addition to the Gātha and its derivatives) and 11 strophic metres.
A. Among the 41 Sama Catuspadis many are unknown to the later prosodists except Hemacandra, who too mentions only a few of them. See notes on the stanzas for the structure of these metres.
B. Among the Ardhasama Catuspadis Vaitālīya (v. 48), Aupacchandasika (v. 49) and Apatalikā (v. 50) are well known to the later writers. Of the rest Khañjaka (v. 18) and Khandodgatā (v. 47) are regarded as Sama Catuspadis with 23 and 34 Mātrās in a line respectively, by Hemacandra.14 Hemacandra mentions only one out of the four varieties of the MukhaGalitā (v. 101) mentioned by our author, all of which have, however, 7 Mātrās in their uneven lines like the Khaņdodgata (v. 47). Māgadhikā (v. 28) is only the Vaitālīya composed in the Māgadhi language.
C. Dvipathaka (v. 27) and Utfullaka (v. 63), mentioned as Sama Dvipadis by Virahānka, are considered as Ardha Sama Catuspadis by later 13. Apabhraíśa Metres II, para 44 (pp. 51-53). 14. Chandonuśāsana of Hemacandra IV. 42 and 32.
