Agni Purāṇa
335 - The tabular representation of long andshort vowels of different metres
The Purāṇa summarises the first sütra and the concluding sâtras 24-34 of Pingala ch. VIII. The verses are very cryptic. Verscs 3 and 4 have not been transtated.
Agni said:
1. That which has not been described in the treatises on metrics is known as Gåthå. All syllables in a quarter would be long. The next one is made one (mätra) less and the rest the same as the previous.
2. If the mark in the middle of the metre) to be known is equal, the first letter would beshort. If it is unequal it is long. Ifshould then be made as half unequal. If it is the reverse the first letter would beshort. When two are desired one will be reduced.
Summary of chapter 337 of the Agni Purāṇa is as follows:
The definition and classification of Sanskrit literature (kāvya) are set out. Prose compositions are divided into five types: ākhyāyikā (heroic narrative in the first person), kathā (third-person narrative), khaṇḍakathā (episodic story), parikathā (framing-narrative), and kathānikā (short tale). Verse compositions are classified as mahākāvya (extended epic poem with the canonical eighteen characteristics), kalāpa (lyric anthology), muktaka (stand-alone verse), and kośa (treasury of verses). Rasa — the aesthetic essence arising from the harmonious combination of vibhāva (causes), anubhāva (effects), and vyabhicārī-bhāva (transient emotions) — is declared the soul (jīva) of kāvya, and without it even the most technically accomplished composition falls short of true poetry.
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