chandōrṇavaḥ

Vasantatilakam

Pattern

t · bh · j · j · g · g

ऽऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।।ऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।।ऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।।ऽ।ऽऽ ऽऽ।ऽ।।।ऽ।।ऽ।ऽऽ

Description

The vasantatilakam (“ornament of the spring”) is one of the most popular meters in Sanskrit poetry. It is also probably one of the oldest, being found in the earliest Sanskrit inscriptions and in quotations in Patañjali's Mahābhāṣyam. Piṅgala and the Jānāśrayī note that it was also called Siṁhōnnatā by Kāśyapa (Chandaḥsūtram 7.10, Chandōvicitiḥ 4.73); the teacher Saitava called it Uddharṣiṇī according to Piṅgala (7.9) but Indumukhī according to the Jānāśrayī (4.72). The manuscripts of the Vṛttaratnākaraḥ (3.75) give a wide variety of alternative names for this meter.

The syllabic pattern is:

ऽ ऽ । ऽ । । । ऽ । । ऽ । ऽ ऽ

None of the authorities define a yatiḥ (obligatory word-break) for this form.

Definitions

Piṅgala, Chandaḥsūtram 7.7:

vasantatilakā tbhau jau gau

Nāṭyaśāstram 15.87:

ādau dvē ca caturthaṁ cāpy aṣṭamaikadaśē guru
antyōpāntyē ca śakvaryāṁ vasantatilakā yathā

Ratnamañjūṣā 6.18:

vasantatilakaṁ maunīpē

Jānāśrayī 4.51:

vasantatilakaṁ bākis

Jayadeva, Chandaḥśāstram 7.7:

tbhau jau vasantatilakaṁ gurukadvayaṁ cēt

Ratnākaraśānti, Chandōratnākaraḥ 2.52:

jñēyaṁ vasantatilakaṁ tabhajā jagau saḥ

Jayakīrti, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.169:

prāhur vasantatilakāṁ tabhajā jagau gaḥ

Kedārabhaṭṭa, Vr̥ttaratnākaraḥ 3.74:

uktā vasantatilakā tabhajā jagau gaḥ

Hemacandra, Chandōnuśāsanam 2.231:

tbau jau gau vasantatilakā

Examples

Uttararāmacaritam 1.14

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

kaṣṭō janaḥ kuladhanair anurañjanīyas tan nō yad uktam aśivaṁ na hi tat kṣamaṁ tē naisargikī surabhiṇaḥ kusumasya siddhā mūrdhni sthitir na caraṇair avatāḍanāni

The people, difficult as they are, have to be pleased
by those who value their family name.
As for that awful thing I said,
you really didn’t deserve it.
Everyone knows that the natural place for a fragrant
flower is on the head, not trampled beneath the feet.

Vēṅkatēśvarasuprabhātam 11

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

yōṣāgaṇēṇa varadadhni vimathyamānē ghōṣālayēṣu dadhimanthantīvraghōṣāḥ rōṣāt kaliṁ vidadhatē kakubhaś ca kumbhāḥ śēṣādriśēkharavibhō tava suprabhātam

As curds are churned by groups of young women,
the loud sounds of churning milk arises in the hamlets,
the milkpots and the directions seem to quarrel out of anger,
Oh Lord atop the Śeṣādri Mountain, a beautiful morning to you!

Vēṅkatēśvarasuprabhātam 28

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.

lakṣmīnivāsa niravadya guṇaikasindhō saṁsārasāgarasamuttaraṇaikasētō vēdāntavēdya nijavaibhavabhaktabhōgya śrīvēṅkaṭācalapatē tava suprabhātam

Blameless abode of Lakṣmī, the only river of virtues,
the only bridge for getting across the ocean of saṁsāra,
known from the Upaniṣads, enjoyed by the devotees of your majesty,
lord of the Vēṅkaṭa mountain, good morning to you.

Śr̥ṅgāraprakāśasya Maṅgalācaraṇam

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 that of Sheldon Pollock in Asiatische Studien / Études asiatique 52 (1998): 142.

achinnamēkhalam alabdhadr̥dhōpagūḍham aprāptacumbanam avīkṣitavakrakānti kāntāvimiśrivapuṣaḥ kr̥tavipralambha- sambhōgasakhyam iva pātu vapuḥ purārēḥ

May the body of Siva, Enemy of the Triple City, provide protection —
a body that seems to know at once enjoyment and frustration:
It is fused with the beloved
but cannot loosen her belt
or gain an embrace or obtain a kiss
or see her glowing face.