Pingalacchandahsutra A Study (An Old and Rare Book)

Metrics or Chandas is the primary need of composing poems. The history of metrics is to be compared with the discovery of mathematical perspective in the development of occidental pictorial dots. The earliest specimen of human intellect shows that metre or Chandas is the soul of the hymnical poem.

The science of metrics constitutes the very essential element of the Vedāngas, the supplementary of the Vedas. It is known as Chandas derivatively meaning the protector of the people from sin or vices incurred. Hence, the Aitareya Āraṇyaka writes, “chādayanti ha vā enam chandāmsi pāpāt karmaṇaḥ”. It avers that even a brahmin who teaches or acts as priest in a sacrifice has to plunge himself ahead only in the nether region for the place of immunity if he fails to acquaint himself with the metrical science. Even the tenure of life of an ignoramus is forcibly curtailed. Sāyaṇa, the great commentator opines that Chandas is technically so called as it covers up the person from his contamination with the malice. The Pāṇinīyaśikṣā compares the metre with the stable foot of a person. Nobody can stand without a firm footing on the ground. All attainments just evanesce when mastery on metres is not attained. Yāska extracts Chandas from the root cad belonging to the 'curādi' group. Pāṇini contemplates and chooses the root cand (to gladden) as its source. Thus an anecdote is available in the Taittirīya Samhitā, according to which the Chandas once offered readiness to protect the gods who shrank from facing the kindled fire impetuously lighted by Brahmā.

The principal precept of Chandas is certainly knowledge and by the knowledge of Chandas one can avail oneself's immortality. One ‘mantra' of the Rgveda (1/164/23) demonstrates the ethical power of the Chandas leading to spiritual upliftment. It has been claimed that spiritual lustre and kaleidoscopic boosting can be established by adhering to metrical science which constitutes the easiest way of understanding the impact of mantras and any abstention from the Chandas is the obsequies of ‘mantrārtha’.

Rgvedic poems are so far the best exposition of the historical development of the art of versification. The earlier part of the Zend-Avesta indicates that the earlier Vedic poets were not far from the period when verse was measured solely by the number of syllables, without any regard to the quantity. Indifference in the quantity of initial and final syllables is found in the Rgveda, from which we can reasonably suppose that the said feature is inherited from the earlier period of purely syllabic measurement. Pingala, the Chandaḥsūtrakāra so far was not aware of the historic development and so he has not dealt with this in his book.

**Contents and Sample Pages**