बृहत्संहिता (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - स्थापत्य, खगोल, मौसम व जल विज्ञान)

Adh. CIV. Sl 3.] त्र्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः 769
Sloka 2.--Generally, the transit of planets comes
within the purview of our daily experience. Hence I shall
expound its effects, O noble persons in varied metres.
Kindly excuse my volubility.
This verse is composed in the आर्या metre known as मुखचपला.
Here the author steps into the realm of Prosody too. Primarily,
metres are classified under two heads., viz., वृत्त and जाति. The for-
mer is based upon groups of three syllables called अक्षरगण, while the
latter, upon groups of four Matras or syllabic instants. आर्या belongs
to the latter class. Most of the verses in this work are in the आर्या
metre, whose construction is as follows:— The first and third quar-
ters must have 12 Matras each of three Ganas, the second, 18 and
the fourth 15. In the second, there will be four Ganas and a final
long syllable. In the 4th, the 9th Matra will be considered as a group
by itself. Thus in both the halves, there will be 7 groups and a
long syllable (2 Matras). It is a rule that the odd groups ought
not to have जगण (◡-◡) and the sixth ought to have जगण or four
Laghus (◡ ◡ ◡ ◡). Let us take the above verse itself and see if it
satisfies these conditions.
$\overset{1}{--}$, $\overset{2}{◡-◡}$, $\overset{3}{--◡}$, $\overset{4}{--}$, $\overset{5}{--}$, $\overset{6}{◡-◡}$, $\overset{7}{--}$, $-$ (12+18)
$--$, $◡-◡$, $--$, $◡ ◡ ◡ ◡$, $--$, $◡$, $--$, $-$ (12+15).
In addition to this, the above is मुखचपला आर्या ; i. e., the 2nd
and 4th Ganas of the first half should necessarily be जगण having a
long syllable on either side ; the second half follows the rules of an
ordinary आर्या. In the above example the 4th गण is not ज.
माण्डव्यगिरं श्रुत्वा न मदीया रोचतेऽथवा नैवम् ।
साध्वी तथा न पुंसां प्रिया यथा स्याज्जघनचपला ॥३॥
Sloka 3.--Or, my statements on this subject will
surely be admired by the learned who have heard those
of Mandavya, for men do not love their devout and
chaste wives so much as they do courtesans.
This verse is composed in the जघनचपला kind of आर्या whose
characteristics are that the first half is like that of the ordinary
Arya and the second like that of मुखचपला. Mandavya's statements,