Shloka 3
Chandas-Nirṇaya: Āpīḍa to Gāthā—Pāda, Gaṇa, and Special Substitutions
द्वितीये ऽष्टाक्षरैः पादे कलिका प्रथमेर्ऽकजे / लवली स्यात्तृतीये ऽथ पूर्ववच्चाष्ट काक्षरे / प्रोक्ता चामृतधारेयं चतुरष्टाक्षरे सति
dvitīye 'ṣṭākṣaraiḥ pāde kalikā prathamer'kaje / lavalī syāttṛtīye 'tha pūrvavaccāṣṭa kākṣare / proktā cāmṛtadhāreyaṃ caturaṣṭākṣare sati
ಎರಡನೇ ಪಾದವು ಎಂಟು ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಮೊದಲ ಪಾದವು ‘ಅರ್ಕಜ’ ಪ್ರಕಾರವಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ‘ಕಲಿಕಾ’ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮೂರನೇ ಪಾದದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ‘ಲವಲೀ’. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿಯಾಗಿ ನಾಲ್ಕೂ ಪಾದಗಳು ಎಂಟೆಂಟು ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಆ ಛಂದಸ್ಸು ‘ಅಮೃತಧಾರಾ’ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ।
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: Metre identification by syllable-count (aṣṭākṣara pāda) and pāda-position; nomenclature changes with which pāda bears the defining feature.
Vedantic Theme: Order (ṛta-like regularity) expressed through linguistic measure; completeness when all four quarters share the same measure.
Application: In scansion/composition: if the 2nd pāda is eight-syllabled with Arkaja-type 1st, label Kalikā; if the 3rd matches, Lavalī; if all four are eight-syllabled similarly, label Amṛtadhārā.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.211.2 (metre definition by pāda markers); Garuda Purana 1.211.4-5 (gaṇa sequences for further patterns)
FAQs
This verse shows that the text also preserves technical rules of Sanskrit prosody, helping readers recite, transmit, and classify verses accurately by syllable-count and pāda-pattern.
It classifies metres by specifying which pāda(s) are eight-syllabled and by referencing a base pattern (Arkaja), then assigns traditional metre-names such as Kalikā, Lavalī, and Amṛtadhārā.
For students and reciters, it helps verify correct chanting and textual accuracy by checking syllable counts and recognising standard metre-types used in Purāṇic Sanskrit.