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xxi
ŠS 17-19)
सटीको वृत्तजातिसमुच्चयः 18. The sixth and the last Pratyaya is Adhvan. Adhvan or the 'way' is the space required for writing out the letters in a given stanza or in all permutations taken together of a particular metre as the case may be. This is explained by Virahānka in the remaining stanzas of the chapter. In this connection, he gives an interesting table of the measures of length. It is as follows:-4 Angulas=1 Rāma; 3 Rāmas=1 Vitasti; 2. Vitastis = 1 Hasta; 4 Hastas = 1 Dhanus; 2000 Dhanus = 1 Krośa and 8 Krośas = 1 Yojana. All these are well known except the Rāma, which is probably the same as the palm of a hand with extended fingers, leaving out the thumb. Virahānka tells us that one letter whether short or long requires the space which is covered by 1 Angula. He also tells us that the blank space to be left between 2 letters should similarly be 1 Angula. Thus the writing out of 2 letters requires the space of 3 Angulas, which is approximately equal to 2 inches. So much space could not obviously have been allowed when they were written on birch bark or palm leaves. But it had to be allowed when copper-plates or surfaces of rocks or wooden slates were used for writing. These directions about the space required by letters must naturally have originated at a time when writing was rather rarely indulged in by private persons owing to the scarcity of writing material. They belong to a time when royal edicts and copper-plate grants were quite in vogue. It is difficult to say whether Virahānka belongs to such a time or whether he was merely reproducing what he had learnt from tradition in the matter. The former looks more likely as he seems to be quite serious in handling the topic. This Adhvan is treated with scant regard by Hemacandra, who says that he has mentioned the same following the practice of the older writers on the subject, though it was altogether useless for the purposes of Prosody, since the space required for individual letters depended upon the will and inclination of the writer and cannot be prescribed by rules.
19. We know practically nothing about the personal history or date of Virahānka either from this work of his or from other sources. Among the predecessors whom he mentions, Pingala alone is well known, but is not helpful in deciding the date of our author. Other authors that are mentioned are Sadbhāvalāñchana, Avalepacihna, Vişadharas (whom the commentator explains as Kambala and Aśvatara), Sālāhaņa, Bhujagādhipa and VỊddhakavi. Sālāhana is undoubtedly Hāla, the famous compiler of the Gāthāsaptaśati and himself a great Prākrit poet. The predominance of the Gātha in the strophic metres described by Virahanka suggests that Virahānka was mainly a Prākrit poet and that at
