40() ON SANSCRIT AND 



Faitaliya (Ppavrlttaca). 



Idam, Bharata-vansa-bViubhrltam, 

 siuyatain, siulimanorasayanam, 



pavitram, ad'hicam, siibhodayam, 

 Vyasa-vactra-cat'hilam, Pravkittacam. 



[See Plate A. Fig. 4.J 



** Listen to this pure, auspicious and pleasing history of the 

 ngs of t 

 Vyasa.' 



kings of the race of Bharata as uttered from the mouth of 



Here, as in most of the examples given by the 

 comincntator Hela'^ud'ha, and by other writers on 

 prosody, the name of the metre occurs, but with a 

 different acceptation. Where the stanza has the ap- 

 pearance of being a quotation (as in the present in- 

 stance), it might be conjectured, that the denomina- 

 tion of the measure was originally assumed from the 

 example; and this conjecture would appear probable, 

 wherever the name (as is frequently the case,) has no 

 radical meaning connected with the subject -of metre. 

 But, in many instances, the radical interpretation of 

 the word is pertinent and has obviously suggested its 

 application as a term of prosody ; and the stanza, 

 which is given as an example, must therefore have been 

 purposely constructed to exhibit the metre by words in 

 which its denomination is included. This is confirmed 

 by the circumstance of some of the words being incom- 

 patible with the measure which they designate : and in 

 such cases the author apologizes on that ground for 

 not exhibiting the name in the example. 



The Fiaitd/iya metre has been employed by some 

 of the most eminent poets ; for instance, in the 

 cpick poem of Ma'g'ha, the l6th canto of which is 

 chiefly in this measure, as the 20th and last cantq 



