Shloka 5

Āryā-Chandas Lakṣaṇa; Gīti-Bheda; Vaitālīya-Vaktra; Mātrā-to-Varṇa Transition

Devanagari script

आर्यागीतिश्चान्तगुरुर्गोतिजातेश्च लक्षणम् / षट् कला विषमे चेत्स्युः समे ऽष्टौ न निरन्तराः / समा पराश्रिता न स्याद्वैतालीये रलौ गुरुः

Transliteration

āryāgītiścāntagururgotijāteśca lakṣaṇam / ṣaṭ kalā viṣame cetsyuḥ same 'ṣṭau na nirantarāḥ / samā parāśritā na syādvaitālīye ralau guruḥ

Translation

ഇവ ആർ്യാ, ഗീതി ഛന്ദസ്സുകളുടെ ലക്ഷണങ്ങളും, ‘അന്തഗുരു’ ഭേദത്തിന്റെയും ‘ഗതിജാതി’ വർഗ്ഗത്തിന്റെയും അടയാളങ്ങളും ആകുന്നു—വിഷമ പാദത്തിൽ ആറു കല (മാത്ര), സമ പാദത്തിൽ എട്ട്; എന്നാൽ അവയെ ഇടവിടാതെ തുടർച്ചയായി കണക്കാക്കരുത്. ‘സമാ’ വരി പരാശ്രിതമാകരുത്; വൈതാലീയ ഛന്ദസ്സിൽ ‘ര‑ല’ ഗണം ഗുരു (ദീർഘം) ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आर्यागीतिः: Āryāgīti (metre)
• आर्यागीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्या (प्रातिपदिक) + गीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘Āryāgīti’)

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

• अन्तगुरुः: ending in a guru (heavy)
• अन्तगुरुः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘having a heavy syllable at the end’)

• गोति: Goti (metre-name)
• गोति: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; छन्दोनाम

• जातेः: of the class/type
• जातेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

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

• लक्षणम्: characteristic/definition
• लक्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• षट्: six
• षट्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्/षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (सामान्यतः) नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनार्थे संख्या; ‘six’

• कलाः: kalās (units)
• कलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• विषमे: in the odd (part)
• विषमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘in the odd (half)’

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय (if)

• स्युः: would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• समे: in the even (part)
• समे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘in the even (part)’

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (सामान्यतः) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनार्थे संख्या; ‘eight’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• निरन्तराः: continuous/unbroken
• निरन्तराः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• समा: Samā (metre-name)
• समा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; छन्दोनाम (‘Samā’)

• पराश्रिता: dependent (on another)
• पराश्रिता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रित (कृदन्त, √श्रि धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), ‘dependent on another’; तत्पुरुषः (‘para-āśrita’)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वैतालीये: in (the metre) Vaitālīya
• वैतालीये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतालीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; छन्दोनाम (‘in Vaitālīya’)

• रलौ: in ‘ra’ and ‘la’ (positions/syllables)
• रलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: र (वर्ण-प्रातिपदिक) + ल (वर्ण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (र + ल) छन्दोगण/वर्णसंकेतः

• गुरुः: guru (heavy syllable)
• गुरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Prosodic constraints: mātrā counts (6/8), non-contiguity, independence of samā line, and gaṇa-weight rule in vaitālīya (ra-la guru).

Vedantic Theme: Niyama (discipline) and saṅgati (proper arrangement): order yields intelligibility.

Application: In composition/scansion: enforce 6 mātrās in odd pādas and 8 in even without treating them as a single uninterrupted run; avoid making a samā line parasitic on another; treat ‘ra-la’ as guru in vaitālīya.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.208.3-4 (Āryā-jāti and gīti variants); Garuda Purana 1.208.6-7 (end-letters and specific gaṇa indicators)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of Āryā and Gīti metres in the Garuda Purana?

This verse gives technical identifiers (mātrā counts and heaviness rules) used to correctly recognize and recite Āryā/Gīti-style verses, preserving accurate transmission of the text.

How does this verse explain the structure of a metre (chandas)?

It states the mātrā distribution—six in the odd pāda and eight in the even—while warning that the mātrās are not to be treated as a single uninterrupted sequence, and it adds a specific heaviness rule for Vaitālīya.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use these rules to scan (chandas-parīkṣā) and chant verses correctly—especially when studying manuscripts or preparing digital editions where metre helps validate readings.