Three: The Mixing of Metres
3.4 Siloka and other metres
So far we have mainly been considering the mixing of metres that employ similar structural principles, and that may account for the ease with which it was felt to be possible to move between the metres. However, when we come to Siloka, we have a syllabic metre with an Addhasamavutta structure. None of the other metres have this particular combination of characteristics of course, but still we frequently find Siloka lines appearing alongside other metres, perhaps because it was by far the most common and familiar of the metres employed.
Normally the situation appears to be that account has been taken of the structure of the Siloka in mixing, and we usually find Siloka odd and even lines appearing in their expected positions in the verse. Below we will see that various combinations can be illustrated:
Siloka & Tuṭṭhubha
Th. 1253 = Tuṭṭhubha, a - Siloka, bcd etc.
Dhp. 330 = Siloka, ab - Tuṭṭhubha, cd
Sn. 1061 = Tuṭṭhubha, ab - Siloka, cd
Sn. 1055 = Siloka, a - Tuṭṭhubha, bcd
Sn. 423 = Siloka, abd - Tuṭṭhubha, c
Sn. 482 = Tuṭṭhubha, abc - Siloka, d
Sn. 995 = Tuṭṭhubha, abd - Siloka, ef (Jagatī, c):
So Bāvarī attamano udaggo,
taṁ devataṁ pucchati vedajāto:
katamamhi gāme nigamamhi vā pana,
katamamhi vā janapade lokanātho ?
Yattha gantvā namassemu Sambuddhaṁ dipaduttamaṁ? (Sn 995)
Siloka & Jagatī
Th 306 = Siloka, ab - Jagatī, cd
Th 1089 = Siloka, abc - Jagatī, def
Siloka & Mattāchandas
Th 1 = Op, acd - Siloka, b
Th 551 = Siloka, a - Vetālīya, bcd
Th 1004 = Āpātalikā, ab - Vetālīya, c - Siloka, d!:
Ubhayena-m-idaṁ maraṇam-eva, The line has an extra syllable in the cadence, we could think of reading maraṇaṁ va to correct the metre.
nāmaraṇaṁ pacchā va pure vā,
paṭipajjatha mā vinassatha,
khaṇo ve mā upaccagā! (Th 1004)
Siloka & Gaṇacchandas
Siloka lines appear in gaṇacchandas verses a surprising number of times. It seems to be the rule that when the two metres share a pādayuga, Siloka takes the odd line.
Gotama’s gāthās Th 587-596 provide a good example of the mixing of Siloka lines in what are otherwise gaṇacchandas verses:
Ācāragocare yutto
ājīvo sodhito agārayho
cittassa ca saṇṭhapanaṁ:
etaṁ samaṇassa paṭirūpaṁ.
Cārittaṁ atha vārittaṁ,
iriyāpathiyaṁ pasādaniyaṁ
adhicitte ca āyogo:
etaṁ samaṇassa paṭirūpaṁ. (Th 590-1)