Śikhariṇī

Pattern

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।ऽऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।।।ऽ ।ऽऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।।।ऽ ।ऽऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।।।ऽ ।ऽऽऽऽऽ ।।।।।ऽ ऽ।।।ऽ

Description

The śikhariṇī is an atyaṣṭiḥ meter (with 17 syllables per quarter). The syllabic mattern is:

। ऽ ऽ ऽ ऽ ऽ, । । । । । ऽ, ऽ । । । ऽ

There is an obligatory word-break (yatiḥ) after the sixth and eleventh syllables, although the second word-break seems to be less strictly observed than the first.

Definitions

Piṅgala, Chandaḥsūtram 7.19:

śikhariṇī yamau nsau blau g r̥turudrāḥ

Nāṭyaśāstram 15.101:

ādyāt parāṇi pañcātha dvādaśaṁ satrayōdaśam
antyaṁ saptadaśē pādē śikhariṇyāṁ gurūṇi ca

Nāṭyaśāstram 15.102:

caturbhistasyaiva pravaralitasya trikagaṇair
yadā lau gaś cāntē bhavati caraṇē ’tyaṣṭigaditē
yadā ṣaḍbhiś chēdō bhavati yadi mārgēṇa vihitas
tadā vr̥ttēṣv ēṣā khalu śikhariṇī nāma gaditā

Ratnamañjūṣā 6.36:

śikhariṇī rāsiśī

Jānāśrayī 4.86:

śikhariṇī ṅūmlāj

Jayadeva, Chandaḥśāstram 7.13:

yamau nsau blau gantā rasaharavirāmā śikhariṇī

Ratnākaraśānti, Chandōratnākaraḥ 2.61:

yamū naḥ sō bhō lvau rasaharavirāmā śikhariṇī

Jayakīrti, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.209:

r̥tucchēdō ’tyaṣṭau yamanasabhalād gaḥ śikhariṇī

Kedārabhaṭṭa, Vr̥ttaratnākaraḥ 3.87:

rasai rudraś chinnā yamanasabhalagā gaḥ śikhariṇī

Hemacandra, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.286:

yamnasbhalgā śikhariṇī caiḥ

Examples

Nītiśatakam 10

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 mine.

śiraḥ śārvaṁ svargāt paśupatiśirastaḥ kṣitidharaṁ mahīdhrāduttuṅgād avanim avanēś cāpi jaladhim adhō ’dhō gaṅgēyaṁ padam upagatā stōkam athavā vivēkabhraṣṭānāṁ bhavati vinipātaḥ śatamukhaḥ

From heaven to Śiva’s head,
from Śiva’s head to the mountain,
from the tall mountain to the earth,
and from the earth to the ocean:
this Gaṅgā has reached progressively
lower stages, bit by bit. Yes, for those
who have lost their capacity to judge,
they will hit rock bottom hundreds of times
in their descent.

Kirātārjunīyam 18.47

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

asaṁhāryōtsāhaṁ jayinam udayaṁ prāpya tarasā dhuraṁ gurvīṁ vōḍhuṁ sthitam anavasādāya jagataḥ svadhāmnā lōkānāṁ tam upari kr̥tasthānam amarās tapōlakṣmyā dīptaṁ dinakr̥tam ivōccair upajaguḥ

Having quickly obtained victorious success,
that man of indomitable power stood forth
to carry the heavy burden so that the earth would not sink low.
Taking his place above the worlds through his innate power,
he blazed like the sun through the splendor of austerity
as the immortals praised him in uplifted song.

Saundaryalaharī 1.1, 1.2, 1.22

This example was recited by H. V. Nagaraja Rao and recorded by Gil Ben-Herut in 2006. Translated by me.

śivaḥ śaktyā yuktō yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṁ na cēd ēvaṁ dēvō na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditum api atas tvām ārādhyāṁ hariharaviriñcādibhir api praṇantuṁ stōtuṁ vā katham akr̥tapuṇyaḥ prabhavati
tanīyāṁsaṁ pāṁsuṁ tava caraṇapaṅkēruhabhavaṁ viriñciḥ saṁcinvan viracayati lōkān avikalam vahaty ēnaṁ śauriḥ katham api sahasrēṇa śirasāṁ haraḥ saṁkṣudyainaṁ bhajati bhasitōddhūlavidhim
bhavāni tvaṁ dāsē mayi vitara dr̥ṣṭiṁ sakaruṇām iti stōtuṁ vāñchan kathayati bhavāni tvam iti yaḥ tadaiva tvaṁ tasmai diśasi nijasāyujyapadavīṁ mukundabrahmēndrasphuṭamakuṭanīrājitapadām

Śiva’s power can emerge if he is joined with Śakti.
Otherwise, that god hardly even move.
So you, whom deities such as Hari, Hara and Brahma ought to honor —
how can one who has not stored up merit
do you reverence, or praise you?
Brahma creates the worlds by gathering up
the very fine powder that is produced
by the lotuses of your feet in its entirety,
Hari somehow carries it with his thousand heads,
and Hara compresses it and applies it as ash.
Bhavāni, please direct your compassionate glance
at me, your servant. The one who says this,
‘Bhavāni,’ desiring to praise you,
you immediately show him the path to absorption
in which your feet are lustrated by the crowns
of Viṣṇu, Brahma, and Indra.