Pali Prosody Literature

Prosody - kavya

-direct influence from Sanskrit. It seems Pali Prosody has been based from Medieval Period.Vuttodaya was written by Sangharakkhita Thera, Kamandaki, and Chandoviciti are Pali works on metres. Subodhalankara is a work on rhetoric by Sangharakkhita Thera. There are two good books on Prosody; they are Kavisarapakaranam and Kavisaratikanissaya.

gajja -prose
pajja - verse

Pajja becomes famous because it is like a poem or song that can touch our heart.

"Kavya- sastra-vinodeno kalo gacchat dhimatam/
Vyasasena ca murkhanam nidraya kalahena va/

= The time of the wise passes by entertainment with arts and sciences that of the foolish goes by troubles, sleep or quarrel.

Fate - daiva
faith - saddha

--> A Story of three sons of King, they are foolish.....Vishnu Sharma taught them by stories...

---> In a literature, the Prosody plays very important role. Even in the Vedas (Oldest form of Religious Texts) Rich of such poeties features.

'Stepping out of her slippers
Her hands raised before me,
palm-to-palm over her heart
she softly tenderly,
in measured words spoke to me first:
"You are young, recluse..."'

---> There are few well-known Prosody works in Sanskrit.

-Vruttaratnakara - by Kedarabhattha
-Kavyadarsa by Dandin
-Kavyalankara by Vamana
-Kavyamimamsa by Rakasekhara

---> Following these two texts, two Pali Prosody texts were composed as follows:
-Sbodhalankara and Vuttodaya
-Both composed by Ven. Sangharakkhita

(Eight) 8 Ganas:
-Ma,ya, Ra,sa, Ta,ja, Bha, Na

There are long and short: Long is called Garu; and short is called Lagu.
- E, O, are long


Yo vadatampavaro manujesu
Sakyamunibhagavakatakicco
Paragatobala viriyasamangi
tamsugatamsaranattanupemi