Adhyaya 328
Chandaḥ-sāra (Essence of Prosody) — Gāyatrī as the Root Metre and Syllabic Expansions
Continuing the chandas-adhikāra, Lord Agni declares Gāyatrī the foundational matrix of Vedic metre, approachable as a one-syllable bīja, a fifteen-syllable mantra, and an eight-syllable form linked with Prajāpatya. He explains how its syllabic measure shifts by Vedic usage: six for Yajus formulas, twelve for Sāman chants, and eighteen for Ṛg verses, with Sāman patterns expanding by two. Further rules follow: Ṛc measures allow an additional “fourth” increase; Prajāpatya expands by fours; other metres increase singly, while Āturyā uniquely requires sequential omission. Agni sets the canonical sequence of expanding metres—Uṣṇik, Anuṣṭubh, Vṛhatī, Paṅkti, Triṣṭubh, Jagatī—as successive unfoldings of Gāyatrī and affirms their brahmanic nature, thereby sacralizing metrical science. The chapter ends with notational guidance: the standard “three and three” grouping, single units called Āryā, and technical labels for Ṛg and Yajus to be written within a sixty-four-word grid.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It codifies Gāyatrī’s multiple syllabic forms and gives rule-based procedures for metrical expansion across Vedic contexts (Yajus/Sāman/Ṛc), including special increment and omission rules (Prajāpatya by fours; Āturyā by sequential subtraction).
By identifying metrical order as brahmanic in nature, it frames disciplined speech-measure (chandas) as a dharmic practice—aligning recitation, cognition, and ritual precision with a sacred cosmological structure.