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viii सटीको वृत्तजातिसमुच्चयः
[ INTRODUCTION writers.15 They are really the 2 varieties of the well known Apabhramsa metre Dohā, having 14, 12 and 12, 12 Mātrās in their odd and even Pādas. The metre had, however, not yet attained that eminence which it did in later days; and this may be the reason why Virahānka does not attach any importance to it.16 Gātha and Gīti were very important metres at his time and so he treats them at great length. Dhosā (vv. 35-36) is nothing but a Gāthā whose 4th Caturmātra is either a Sāmanta (ISI) or a Vipra (IIII) and which is composed in the Māravādi language. Vicchitti (v. 91) is a Sama Catuspadi with 25 Mātrās in a line according to Hemacandra.17
D. The only Pañcapadi metre Mātrā is an Apabhramsa metre; it is accordingly composed in that language even by Virahānka. It seems, however, to have been supplanted by Doha in course of time and later on by Paddhatikā as narrative poetry began to flourish in the Apabhraṁsa language.18 Virahānka mentions only 4 kinds of Mātrā as against 16 of later writers.10
E. All the 11 strophic metres except the well known Raddā20 of the Apabhramśa language are Virahānka's own and all of them except the Raddā, as also Ekaka (v. 70) and Rāsaka (v. 38) must contain a Gāthā in them. Ekaka and Rāsaka are more in the nature of short lyrics than strophic metres. The predominance of Gāthā as against Dohā in the days of Virahānka is significant; it surely speaks for a high antiquity of the author. Three of these bear the name Sirsaka since the Gathā stands at the top of all, and forms the head as it were. The significance of the other names is not so obvious.
7. Virahānka defines 50 Varņa Vșttas in the 5th chapter and employs the Sanskrit language for this purpose. He has indeed followed this principle in defining Aạilā, Dhosā, Māgadhikā and Mātrā-Raddā, where he has used the Abhīrī, the Māravādī, the Māgadhi and the Apabhramsa languages respectively. As a matter of fact, Abhīri and Māravādi are but the other names of the Apabhramśa as seen from the illustrations and
15. Chandonuśāsana of Hemacandra VI. 20.100; Svayambhūchandas VI. 116; Prākrta
Paingala I. 78; Kavidarpana II. 15 and Chandahkośa v. 21. 16. See also Sandeśarāsaka (published in the Singhi Jani Series, No. 32, Bombay,
1945) v. 108 and Introduction, p. 65 for Utfullaka. 17. Chandonuśāsana of Hemacandra IV. 35. 18. See my remarks on these metres at Apabhramsa Metres, para 28. 19. Chandonusāsana of Hemacandra V. 17 to 22; Prākrta Paingala I. 137-143;
Kavidarpaņa II. 27-28 and Commentary; Svayambhuchandas IV. 13-25. Also
compare Prākṣta and Apabhraṁsa Metres, Classified List VI. 1-16 (pp. 30-31). 20. Chandonuśāsana of Hemacandra v. 23; Kavidarpaņa II. 35; Prākrta Paingala
I. 133-134; Chandahkośa v. 34.
