Arya metre
Encyclopedia
Āryā meter is a meter
used in Sanskrit
and Prakrit
verses. A verse in āryā metre is in four metrical feet called pādas. Unlike the majority of meters employed in classical Sanskrit, the āryā meter is based on the number of mātrās (morae) per pāda. A syllable containing a short vowel counts for one mātrā, and a syllable containing a long vowel or a short vowel followed by two consonants counts for two mātrās. It is believed that arya meter was taken from the gatha
meter of Prakrit. Arya metre is common in Jain Prakrit texts and hence considered as favourite metre of early authors of Jainism
. The earlier form of the arya metre is called old gati, which occurs in a some very early Prakrit and Pàli texts.
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
used in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
verses. A verse in āryā metre is in four metrical feet called pādas. Unlike the majority of meters employed in classical Sanskrit, the āryā meter is based on the number of mātrās (morae) per pāda. A syllable containing a short vowel counts for one mātrā, and a syllable containing a long vowel or a short vowel followed by two consonants counts for two mātrās. It is believed that arya meter was taken from the gatha
Gatha
Gatha is a type of metered and often rhythmic poetic verse or a phrase in the ancient Indian languages of Prakrit and Sanskrit. The word is originally derived from the Sanskrit/Prakrit root gai , which means, to speak, sing, recite or extol. Hence gatha can mean either speech, verse or a song...
meter of Prakrit. Arya metre is common in Jain Prakrit texts and hence considered as favourite metre of early authors of Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
. The earlier form of the arya metre is called old gati, which occurs in a some very early Prakrit and Pàli texts.