Shloka 37

Nāmāṣṭottara-dviśata: Gaṇa–Chandas–Yati Catalogue and Mnemonic Coding

Devanagari script

मत्ताक्रीडञ्चाष्टबाणदशकैर्मौ तनौ ननौ / नलौ गुरुश्च विकृतिश्छिन्ना संकृतिरुच्यते

Transliteration

mattākrīḍañcāṣṭabāṇadaśakairmau tanau nanau / nalau guruśca vikṛtiśchinnā saṃkṛtirucyate

Translation

في الأوزان المسماة Mattākrīḍā وAṣṭabāṇa وDaśaka تُرتَّب الغَنات على «mau, tanau, nanau»؛ وفي المتحوّل الآخر تكون «nalau»، حيث تُحدث المقطوعة الثقيلة (guru) تغييرًا. فإذا قُطع النسق المنتظم أو غُيِّر قيل له «saṃkṛti» أي الصورة الممزوجة/المعدَّلة.

Word by Word

• मत्ताक्रीडम्: Mattākrīḍa (name of a metre)
• मत्ताक्रीडम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्ता + क्रीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अष्टबाणदशकैः: by eight-bāṇa tens (a metrical count)
• अष्टबाणदशकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट + बाण + दशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मौ: in/at ‘mau’ (marker)
• मौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• तनौ: in/at ‘tanau’ (marker)
• तनौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• ननौ: in/at ‘nanau’ (marker)
• ननौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ननु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• नलौ: in/at ‘nalau’ (marker)
• नलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नलु (प्रातिपदिक; छन्दोगण-संज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (छन्दसि/परिभाषिक)

• गुरुः: heavy (guru syllable)
• गुरुः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विकृतिः: Vikṛti (name of a metre)
• विकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• छिन्ना: cut/broken
• छिन्ना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न (कृदन्त; √छिद्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• संकृतिः: Saṃkṛti (name of a metre)
• संकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra as part of a didactic section)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vikṛti/saṃkṛti principle: a base metrical pattern can be modified by guru (heavy syllable) or truncation, producing recognized mixed forms.

Vedantic Theme: Prakṛti–vikṛti as an analytic lens (pattern and transformation), mirroring broader Indian systematic thought.

Application: When scanning, account for guru substitutions and truncations; classify a verse as saṃkṛti when it deviates from the canonical gaṇa layout in rule-governed ways.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.209: definitions of prakṛti/vikṛti and named metres (Mattākrīḍā, Aṣṭabāṇa, Daśaka) in the same prosody section

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of chandas (metre) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats chandas as a technical discipline: correct gaṇa-patterns and guru/laghu rules preserve the intended rhythm and accuracy of scriptural recitation.

How does this verse explain variations (vikṛti/saṃkṛti) in metre?

It notes that when a guru syllable changes the expected flow, the pattern becomes a modified or ‘mixed’ form (saṃkṛti), i.e., an accepted variant arising from alteration of the regular scheme.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When chanting or digitizing Sanskrit, mark guru/laghu and gaṇas carefully; this helps maintain correct pronunciation, rhythm, and reliable text-to-audio alignment for study and ritual use.