Mañjubhāṣiṇī

Pattern

s · j · s · j · g

।।ऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।ऽ।ऽ ।।ऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।ऽ।ऽ ।।ऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।ऽ।ऽ ।।ऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।ऽ।ऽ

Description

The verse-form that is today called mañjubhāṣiṇī (perhaps more correctly nandinī) is a meter of the atijagatī class, with thirteen syllables per line. Its pattern is:

। । ऽ । ऽ । । । ऽ । ऽ । ऽ

It is apparently absent from the Chandaḥsūtram of Piṅgalam, the Ratnamañjūṣā, Jayadēva’s Chandaḥśāstram, and Ratnākaraśānti’s Chandōratnākaraḥ. Despite Velankar’s note that the meter is defined as the Vilambitā in the Nāṭyaśāstram (32.151), I have not found a reference in the Baroda edition. The Vr̥ttaratnākaraḥ of Kedāra does not define this meter, but some of commentaries do (Sulhaṇa). This leaves the Jānāśrayī as the earliest texts to define the meter, until Jayakīrti’s synthesis in the late tenth century. Its earliest name was nandinī (Jānāśrayī+); it was also known as Jayā (Jayakīrti+). When Hēmacandra defines it, this time as Nandinī, he gives the following additional names: kanakaprabhā, jayā, sumaṅgalī. He says that Bharata calls it manōvatī (once again, I have been unable to trace it).

Definitions

Jānāśrayī 4.65:

nandinī lirai

Jayakīrti, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.159:

sajasā jagāv iti jayātha nandinī

Hemacandra, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.210:

sjau sjau gō nandinī

Examples

Uttararāmacaritam 3.4

Recitation by H.V. Nagaraja Rao, recorded by Gil Ben-Herut in 2005. Translation by me.

paripāṇḍudurbalakapōlasundaraṁ dadhatī vilōlakabarīkam ānanam karuṇasya mūrtir atha vā śarīriṇī virahavyathēva vanam ēti jānakī

Her face was beautiful, with cheeks slight and pale,
and her braid rolling around,
as she goes to the forest,
the pitiful in physical form,
or indeed embodied, afflicted
by the pain of separation.