These metres have a different method of organising the line: not by counting the syllables, but according to the total number of measures (mattà) there are in a line. In these metres a light syllable is counted as one measure, and a heavy one as two, and it is therefore possible to determine the exact amount of measures there are in a line. When this is done of course the syllabic count will vary.

Note that a syllable at the end of the line is normally counted as two mattà whether it is heavy or not, a light syllable counted in this way is called pàdantagaru.

with occasional resolution of a heavy syllable giving rise to other patterns in the opening. Through syncopation of syllables in adjacent groups we occasionally find different patterns in the opening of the prior lines, so that sometimes:

Occasionally we find a light syllable at the beginning of the line, which must be counted as heavy in order to complete the mattà count (this we may call pàdàdigaru, in compliment to pàdantagaru).

Examples: Vetàlãya, Dhp 15-18, 235-238; Subhà Jãvakambavanikà's gàthàs Thã 367-399; Jaràsutta Sn IV:6

Opacchandasaka, Uragasutta Sn I:1; Cundasutta Sn 1:5; Kàtiyàna's gàthàs Th 411- 416.

Vetàlãya example from Jaràsutta (Sn IV:6) (vs 804):

Opacchandasaka example from Kàtiyàna's gàthà (Th 412):

These are the two fixed metres derived from the above.

Rathoddhatà (a Vetàlãya even pàda):

Similarly Pupphitaggà (from Opacchandasaka) in the canon is still somewhat flexible:

Note that in both of these metres the fixed forms have unusual variations in the openings, the latter especially showing the classical period's fondness for runs of light syllables.

Examples: Rathoddhatà, early: Gotama's gàthàs Th 258-260; Ambapàlã's gàthàs Thã 252-270; late: Kuõàla Jàtaka Ja 536.

Both metres are used independently in Lakkhaõasuttanta D.30.

Rathoddhatà example Ambapàlã's gàthà (Thã 256):

Pupphitaggà example from Lakkhaõasuttanta (D. 30. 1. 12):

In the canon the most common forms of the odd lines:

the even lines:

we sometimes find syncopation producing different patterns in the opening of these lines.

When it attains to its classical form, it is restricted to:

Examples: Kokàliyasutta (pt) Sn III:10; Vangãsa's gàthàs (pt) Th 1214 - 1222, the latter gàthàs being mixed with Vetàlãya.

Example from Kokàliyasutta (Sn III:10) (vs 673):

In the canon this metre has two dissimilar lines repeated to make up a verse, and the structure was still quite fluid:

Svàgatà odd lines:

Svàgatà even lines:

Note how close this is to âpàtalikà at this stage. In the later period however the even line is fixed and repeated four times, so that the structure is then defined as:

Examples: early, Mahàsamayasuttanta DN. 20 vs 3 (quoted below as the example); late: Jàtakanidànakathà vs 291.

Once a measure count was established, it was not long before a second structural principle was introduced, which was to organise the lines into bars, or gaõas, normally having 4 measures to the bar, which may therefore take one of the following forms:

The rhythm of these metres is defined by the alternation of two rhythmic structures:

This appears to be the earliest of the bar metres, and indeed, is most probably a transitional metre between mattàcchandas and gaõacchandas metres. There are two structures to the metre: the first is the normal form; the second is an extended form, which after the word break, restarts with a full gaõa, thus:

Normal structure:

Extended structure:

Examples: Mettàsutta Khp 9; Tuvañakasutta Sn IV:14; Vangãsa's gàthàs (pt) Th 1242-1245; Upàlisutta MN:56

Example from Tuvañakasutta (vs 922-3):

In the gaõacchandas metres in the Pàëi canon, there are two structures to the pàdayuga (pair of lines), they are:

Gaõacchandas 1st pàdayuga:

Gaõacchandas 2nd pàdayuga:

The only difference between the two pàdayugas lies in the 6th gaõa.

Ariyà, which is the most common metre in this class, has the first pàdayuga described above followed by the second, this gives a mattà count of 30 + 27.

Examples: Isidàsã's gàthàs Thã 400 - 447, and Sumedhà's gàthàs Thã 448 -522

Example Thã 458-9:

The next three metres are much less common:

Gãti has the first pàdayuga repeated to make up a verse,

mattà = 30 + 30.

Example: Paripuõõaka's gàthà Th 91:

Uggãti has the second pàdayuga followed by the first, mattà = 27 + 30.

Example: the last of Vijitasena's gàthàs Th 359:

Upagãti has the second pàdayuga repeated, mattà = 27 + 27.

Example: Gotama's gàthàs 587, 588, & 591, the latter being mixed with Siloka.

Other gaõacchandas variations, including pàdayugas with a full last gaõa (giving a mattà count of 32), are apparantly not found in the canon.

Only two examples of gaõacchandas hypermetre have been found in the canon so far, they are Veóha and Gubbinã. The structure of both is similar and can be defined as follows:

The Veóha metre is normally composed of descriptive compounds (vaõõakas) of varying length. The only examples discovered so far are in the Kuõàla-jàtaka Ja 536. Sometimes there are only four gaõas in the compound, then the structure looks like this:

but the text of these compounds now is very corrupt, and they sometimes have only three gaõas (lacking the first).

As the example here is a 6 gaõa compound:

Gubbinã has the same structure, but need not consist solely of compounds. The only known example is the frequently repeated praise of the Three Treasures beginning "Iti pi so..."

These metres can be divided into 3 kinds according to their verse structure:

1) Samavutta, has the same line repeated four times.

2) Addhasamavutta, has two dissimilar lines repeated.

3) Visamavutta, has four dissimilar lines.

The more popular of these fixed metres, Upajàti, Vaüsaññhà, Rucirà, and Rathoddhatà, and Svàgatà have been described in 2.8 2.12 & 2.14 above.

Some others occur, which we may outline here:

Pamitakkharà (from gaõacchandas):

Example: Lakkhaõasuttanta (DN. 30. 2. 15):

Upaññhità:

Dodhaka (an âpàtalikà even line repeated):

Example: the last two verses of Kokàliyasutta (Sn III:10) (vs 677-8):

Other Metres: there are 3 others have not been named:

âpàtalikà, which in its classical form belongs to this class, has been described in 15 above. Pupphitaggà was described in 2.12.

Aparavatta, which is derived from Vetàlãya, shows the following structure:

Example: Bhallàñiya Jàtaka Ja 504 vs 25:

In Lakkhaõasuttanta DN. 30 we find two metres belonging to this class, which has four dissimilar lines to the verse. The first is derived from mattàchandas:

Uggatà (from gaõacchandas):

Example from Lakkhaõasuttanta, (D. 30. 2.12):

As can be seen from the references supplied to the fixed metres above, the late Lakkhaõasuttanta of the Dãgha Nikàya supplies us with a number of metres which are either rare or not otherwise found in canonical Pàli. For easy reference the metres are listed below, giving the bhàõavàra and paragraph number of the PTS edition in brackets: