Sanskrit Meter

Sanskrit verses are built on patterns of syllables rather than on rhyme. Each verse is divided into pādas (quarters), and every syllable in each pāda is either short (laghu ᴗ) or long (guru —).

A short syllable contains a short vowel: a, i, u, ṛ, ḷ

A long syllable can be formed in three ways:

• (1) A long vowel: ā, ī, ū, ṝ, e, ai, o, au
• (2) A short vowel followed by a conjunct consonant (two consonants without a vowel in between)– Example: In the word bhakti, the kt is a conjunct consonant, so the “bha” before it becomes a long syllable.
• (3) A short vowel followed by anusvāra (ṁ) or visarga (ḥ)

• Note: The last syllable of a line is always considered a long syllable.

A meter (chanda) is determined by the arrangement of these short and long syllables in a particular order. When recited, this arrangement reveals a fixed rhythm that identifies the verse’s meter.

In addition to the pattern of syllables, verses often include pauses within a line, called caesuras (yati). In longer meters, these pauses usually fall at a fixed point and are an important part of the rhythm. In this book, we have marked these pauses with a forward slash ( / ).

Two meters—Anuṣṭubh and Upajāti—allow certain syllables to be either short or long. These optional positions are shown with the symbol “ᴏ”.

Below is a list of the Sanskrit meters used in the Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha.

Anuṣṭubh, or Śloka (8 syllables per line)

1 Anustubh

0:00

/18.938775

1×

Some stotras appearing in this meter:

• Most Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verses
• Śrī Keśavācāryāṣṭakam
• Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (3rd and 7th verses)
• Śrī Śrī Rādhā-vinoda-vihāri-tattvāṣṭakam
• Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (2nd, 3rd, and 4th verses)

Triṣṭubh (11 syllables per line)

Indravajrā, Upendravajrā, and Upajāti

The only difference between Indravajrā and Upendravajrā is that the first syllable of the former is long (—), while the first syllable of the latter is short (ᴗ). Most authors combine these two meters into a mixed form called Upajāti, in which the first syllable may be either long or short (ᴏ). The pattern for Upajāti is as follows:

2 Upajati

0:00

/23.092244

1×

Some stotras appearing in this meter:

• The larger verses appearing in Bhagavad-gītā (eg. vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya)
• Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam
• Śrī Govardhanāṣṭakam
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (4th verse)
• Śrī Navadvīpāṣṭakam
• Śrī Vṛndā-devyāṣṭakam
• Śrī Vṛndāvanāṣṭakam (2)
• he śrī guro jñānada dīna-bandho (Arcana-paddhati)

3 Salini

0:00

/28.395102

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Gopīnāthāṣṭakam
• dīvyad-vṛndāraṇya (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 1.16)
• Prayer to Viśākhā Sakhī (Utkalikā-vallarī 23)

Svāgatā & Rathoddhatā

4 Svagata

0:00

/20.114285

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Kuñja-vihāryāṣṭakam (1)
• Prayer to Viśākhā Sakhī (Utkalikā-vallarī 23)

5 Rathoddhata

0:00

/19.617959

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (7th verse)
• Śrī Rādhā Prārthanā (verses 2–4)
• Yugala-gīta in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.35)

Jagatī (12 syllables per line)

Vaṁśastha & Indravaṁśā

6 Vamsastha

0:00

/22.256326

1×

Verses appearing in this meter:

• Meditation on Śrī Nṛsiṁha in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.8.20–22)
• sanātana-prema-pari-plutāntaraṁ (Obeisances to Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī)
• Stotra-ratna 18, 20–22, 26–30, 46, 56

7 Indravamsa

0:00

/21.368163

1×

Verse appearing in this meter:

• saptāham evācyuta-hasta-paṅkaje (Obeisances to Govardhana)
• Similar to Saurabheyī meter used for Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (8th verse)

8 Totaka

0:00

/22.778775

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Godruma-candra-bhajanopadeśaḥ
• Śrī Madhurāṣṭakam
• Śrī Prabhupāda-padma-stavakaḥ
• Śrī Vrajarāja-sutāṣṭakam

9 Druta vilambita

0:00

/20.427755

1×

Verses appearing in this meter:

• nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.3)
• Baladeva-stotram (8 & 9)

10 Bhujanga prayata

0:00

/22.334693

1×

Stotra appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam
• anārādhya rādhā-padāmbhoja-reṇum (Śrī Sva-saṅkalpa-prakāśa-stotram 1)
• cid-ānanda-bhānoḥ (Obeisances to Śrī Yamunā-devī)

Atijagatī (13 syllables per line)

11 Manjubhasini

0:00

/24.973061

1×

Stotra appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭaka (verse 2)

Śakvarī (14 syllables per line)

12 Vasanta tilaka

0:00

/26.122448

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Most of Veṇu-gīta (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21)
• yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.2)
• Śrī Brahmā-saṁhita (Verses 29–55)
• Śrī Gāndharvā-Samprārthanāṣṭakam
• Śrī Lalitāṣṭakam
• Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (2nd verse)
• Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th verses)

Atiśakvarī (15 syllables per line)

13 Malini

0:00

/28.839183

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Govardhana-vāsa-prārthanā-daśakam
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (5th verse)
• Śrī Rādhikāṣṭakam (1) & (2)
• Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍāṣṭakam
• Śrī Rādhā-prārthanā (1st verse)
• Śrī Śyāma-kuṇḍāṣṭakam
• jayati jana-nivāso (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.90.48)

14 Tunaka

0:00

/31.503673

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-candrāṣṭakam
• Śrī Rādhikāṣṭakam
• Śrī Yamunāṣṭakam

Aṣṭi (16 syllables per line)

15 Panca camara

0:00

/32.705306

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Nanda-nandanāṣṭakam
• Śrī Rādhā-kṛpā-kaṭākṣa-stotram

Atyaṣṭi (17 syllables per line)

16 Sikharini

0:00

/33.697959

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Nityānandāṣṭakam
• Śrī Gaurāṅga-stava-kalpataru
• Śrī Brahmā-saṁhita (Verse 56 [renumbered in this book as Verse 28])
• Śrī Jagannāthāṣṭakam
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (3rd verse)
• Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣāStotra-ratna 57, 58, 60, 62

17 Prthvi

0:00

/34.272653

1×

Verses appearing in this meter:

• anarpita-carīṁ cirāt (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.4)
• Śrī Śacīnandana-vijayāṣṭaka
• Śrīman Mahāprabhor aṣṭaka
• Śrī Keśavāṣṭaka
• Śrī Vraja-navīna-yuvāṣṭaka

18 Mandakranta

0:00

/38.138775

1×

Verses appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Upadeśāmṛta verse 11
• rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 1.5)
• taṁ nirvyājaṁ bhaja guṇa-nidhe (Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.1.103)

Atidhṛti (19 syllables per line)

19 Sardula vikridita

0:00

/40.045714

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmyaṣṭakam
• Śrī Daśāvatāra-stotram (12th verse)
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭakam (6th verse)
• Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (1st verse)
• Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (9th and 10th verses)

Prakṛti (21 syllables per line)

20 Sragdhara

0:00

/43.258775

1×

Stotras appearing in this meter:

• premā nāmādbhutārthaḥ śravaṇa (Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛta 130)
• barhāpīḍābhirāmaṁ & vaṁśī-nyastāsya-candraṁgarjantaṁ gārjayantaṁ (last verse of Śrī Nṛsiṁha-kavaca-stotram)
• Śrī Mathurā-stavaḥ
• First verse of Daśa-mūla-tattva (āmnāya prāha…)

Half-Even Meters (ardha-sama-vṛtta)

21 Viparitakhyaniki

0:00

/19.748571

1×

Verse appearing in this meter:

• yathā yathā gaura (Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛta 88)

22 Puspitagra

0:00

/20.976326

1×

Verse appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Veṇu-gīta verse 2 (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21)

23 Sundari

0:00

/18.520816

1×

Stotra appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (4th, 5th, and 6th verses)
• na vayaṁ kavayo na tārkikā (Padyāvalī 27)
• Prayer to Lalitā Sakhī (Utkalikā-vallarī 22)
• Stotra-ratna 48, 49–52, 55

24 Saurabheyi

0:00

/23.013877

1×

Verse appearing in this meter:

• Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam (8th verse)
• saptāham evācyuta-hasta-paṅkaje (Obeisances to Govardhana)

The final verse of Kṛṣṇa-nāmāṣṭaka (beginning nārada-vīṇojjīvana) is composed in the Āryā meter, a moraic pattern (mātra-chanda). The Gaṅgā-stotram and Śacī-tanayāṣṭakam use the Pajjhaṭikā meter, a moraic even meter (mātrā-samaka). These meters are too intricate to explain in this short guide. For those who wish to study them in detail, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Chandaḥ-kaustubha, translated by Baladeva dāsa (Demian Martins), offers a thorough explanation.