3Q0 ON SANSCRIT AND 



and not devoid of ingenuity : and the prosody of Sau- 

 scrit, will be found to be richer than that of any other 

 known language, in vaiiations of metre, regulated ei- 

 ther by quantity or by number of syllables, both with 

 and without rhyme, and Sibject to laws imposing in 

 some instances rigid restrictions, in others allowing 

 ample latitude. I am prompted by these considera- 

 tions to undertake the explanation of that system, })re- 

 mismg a few remarks on the original works in which it 

 is taught, and adding notices of the poems from which 

 examples are selected. 



The rules of prosody are contained in Sulfas or brief 

 aphorisms, the reputed author of ^^hich is Pinga- 

 lana'ga, a fabulous being, reprcbented by mytholo- 

 gists in the shape of a serpent ; and the same, who, un- 

 der the title of Patanjali, is the supposed author o 

 the Mahdhhdshya^ or great commentary on grammar^ 

 and also of the text of the Yoga s'dsira * ; and to whom 

 likewise the text or the comiiientary of the Jyolish an- 

 nexed to the V^das'^y appears to be attributed. The 

 aphorism.s of Pingala'cha'kya, as he is sometimes 

 called, on the prosody of Sanscrit (exclusive of the 

 rules in Frdcril likewise ascribed to him), are collected 

 into eight books, the first of which allots names, or ra- 

 ther literal marks, to feet consisting of one. two or 

 three syllables. The second book teaches the manner, 

 in which passages of X.\\^^edas are measured. The 

 third explains the variations in the subdivision of the 

 couplet and stanza. The fourth treats of profane poe- 

 trv, and especially of verses, in which the number of 

 syllables, or their quantity, is not uniform. The 



• Or Sanc'hya system of philosophy ; distinguished from that of 

 Catila. 



f In the subscription to the only copy of this commentriry, which 

 I have seen, it is ascribed to Seshanaga; but, in the body of th« 

 work, the commentator calls himself Somacara. 



