The need for a comprehensive study on Sanskrit Metrics has been felt for long and the need was aptly emphasised by an eminent Sanskrit Scholar who before a scholarly gathering expressed deep regret for the fact that `'metrics is the least understood and most shirked subject in the classical Sanskrit".
Science of Metrics is as old as the Vedas. From the remotest past to the present day a great bulk of the literature in India has been enshrined in the metrical lore. In spite of this Indians are very slow in recognising the importance of furnishing a comprehensive history of the Sanskrit metrics. The subject under treatment, it is hardly exaggerating, has not been sufficiently grappled with before. The Western endeavours with their extra Indian inclinations confined themselves mostly to the Vedic metres.
Arnold in his "Vedic metre" has done an yeoman's service in preparing a history of rhythmical development of the metres found in the Rgvedic collection, which is almost indispensable for every student who intends to inscribe a comprehensive history of the Sanskrit metrics.
A fair amount of spade work in form of stray articles as well as in the form of scholarly dissertations has been done by Oldenberg, Jacobi and others.
In course of preparing the edition on Piftgala Chandab. Sutra Weber in his "Indische Studien" (Vol. VIII) makes an attempt to sketch a history of the Vedic metre on its theoretical side.
Jacobi devoted his whole energy on Indological studies. His special interest on metrics induced him to make an attempt to erect the steps between the Vedic and the Sanskrit metrics and to show thereby how the latter owes its origin to the former.
Edgerton tried to utilize his intimate acquaintance with Buddhist Sanskrit literature for speculation of the peculiar specimens appearing in this literature of the transition period.
Stenzler's posthumous work based on the analysis of the metrical specimens found in the extant classical Sanskrit literature is no lees important, in which the reader would have a picture of the prosodic practices of the Great poets.
The labour of H.D Velankar, who, besides bringing out different manuals on Pkt and Apabhram§a metres to light prepares critical editions of the important Texts, is significant in drawing the sympathetic attention of the world of scholars to this much maligned and neglected branch of Sanskrit literature. In this magnificent work Jayadaman, Velankar along with the editions of four Texts on Sanskrit metrics, tried to give a meagre idea about the development of the Sanskrit metrics from the Veda down to the Classical. The remark of Colebrook in his scholarly dissertation on Pkt and Skt metres that "the prosody of Sanskrit will be found to be richer than that of any other known languages" is not an inapt appraisement.
Need for a comprehensive study on metrics has been felt long by Prof. S. Bhattacharyya who in ' Jottings on Metrics'' made a noble attempt to present a general picture of the methodology, plan and procedure of the extant works on Sanskrit metrics, side by side with the prosodic practices of the poets through the ages.
Stray articles and papers are not scanty in numbers which have contributed something to the study of the metrics. Needless to say, in this dissertation, these have been properly thrashed out, utilized and have been referred to in due places.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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