chandōrṇavaḥ

Mandākrāntā

Pattern

m · bh · n · t · t · g · g

ऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।ऽऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।ऽऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।ऽऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।ऽऽ।ऽऽ

Description

The mandākrāntā is an atyaṣṭiḥ meter (with 17 syllables per quarter) that was made famous by Kālidāsa in his Cloud Messenger (Mēghadūtaḥ), which is composed entirely in this meter. The mandākrāntā would be associated with message poems forever afterwards.

The syllabic pattern is:

ऽ ऽ ऽ ऽ , । । । । । ऽ , ऽ । ऽ ऽ । ऽ ऽ

Note the obligatory word break after the fourth and tenth syllables.

Definitions

Piṅgala, Chandaḥsūtram 7.18:

mandākrāntā mbhau tnau tgau g samudrartusvarāḥ

Ratnamañjūṣā 6.37:

mandākrāntā kr̥tahayē didīd

Jānāśrayī 4.89:

mandākrāntā sēruśō nīnū

Jayadeva, Chandaḥśāstram 7.17:

mandākrāntā mabhanatatagā gaḥ samudrartulōkaiḥ

Ratnākaraśānti, Chandōratnākaraḥ 2.65:

mandākrāntā mavanasurarā vaḥ samudrartulōkaiḥ

Jayakīrti, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.210:

mandākrāntā gatir̥tuyatir mādbhanau tau ca gau cēt

Kedārabhaṭṭa, Vr̥ttaratnākaraḥ 3.91:

mandākrāntā jaladhiṣaḍagairmbhau natau tād gurū cēt

Hemacandra, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.290:

mō bhnau tau gau mandākrāntā ghacaiḥ

Examples

Mēghadūtaḥ 1

This example was recited by H. V. Nagaraja Rao and recorded by Gil Ben-Herut in 2006. The translation was done by Blake Wentworth.

kaścit kāntāvirahaguruṇā svādhikārāt pramattaḥ śāpēnāstaṁgamitamahimā varṣabhōgyēna bhartuḥ yakṣaś cakrē janakatanayāsnānapuṇyōdakēṣu snigdhacchāyātaruṣu vasatiṁ rāmagiryāśramēṣu

A certain yakṣa, negligent in the performance of his duties,
was deprived of his power by his master’s curse,
which was to be endured for one year, hard because of separation from his beloved.
He took residence among the hermitages of Ramagiri,
where the trees give cool shade,
and the waters are purified by the baths of Janaka’s daughter.

Mēghadūtaḥ 117

This example was recited by H.V. Nagaraja Rao and recorded by Nathan Levine in Toronto in 2018. The recordings were uploaded to archive.org by Anusha Rao. The translation is my own.

ētat kr̥tvā priyam anucitaprārthanāvartinō mē sauhardād vā vidhura iti vā mayy anukrōśabuddhyā iṣṭān dēśān vicara prāvr̥ṣā saṁbhr̥taśrīḥ mā bhūd ēvaṁ kṣaṇam api ca tē vidyutā viprayōgaḥ

Once you’ve done me this favor
that I have had the audacity to ask of you,
whether out of friendship
or because you’re taking pity on a poor thing like me,
go on to whatever places you might wish,
with the monsoon season filling you with beauty:
and may you never be separated from your loved one,
lightning, the way I have been from mine, for even a moment.

Mēghadūtaḥ 105

This example was recited by H.V. Nagaraja Rao and recorded by Nathan Levine in Toronto in 2018. The recordings were uploaded to archive.org by Anusha Rao. The translation is my own.

śyāmāsvaṅgaṁ cakitahariṇīprēkṣaṇē dr̥ṣṭipātaṁ vaktracchāyāṁ śaśini śikhināṁ barhabhārēṣu kēśān utpaśyāmi pratanuṣu nadīvīciṣu bhrūvilāsān hantaikasmin kvacid api na tē caṇḍi sādr̥śyam asti

I have been seeing your body in priyaṅgu plants,
your gaze in the eyes of frightened deer,
the color of your face in the moon,
your hair in the amazing plumage of peacocks,
the play of your eyebrows in the small waves of rivers —
but my god, angry girl, there is nothing
that even comes close to you.

Amaruśatakam 102

This example was recited by H.V. Nagaraja Rao and recorded by Nathan Levine in Toronto in 2018. The recordings were uploaded to archive.org by Anusha Rao. The translation is my own.

prāsādē sā diśi diśi ca sā pr̥ṣṭataḥ sā puraḥ sā paryaṅkē sā pathi pathi ca sā tadviyōgāturasya haṁhō cētaḥ prakr̥tir aparā nāsti tē kāpi sā sā sā sā sā sā jagati sakalē kō ’yam advaitavādaḥ

In the palace she’s there.
In every direction she’s there.
She’s there behind me, there before me,
there on the couch, there on every road,
oppressed as I am by separation from her.
My heart! There is no substance at all apart from her:
it is she, she, she who is there, in this entire world —
what is this non-dualism that has come upon me?