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P = Vàsudev Laxmaõ Shàstrã Paõ÷ãkar (ed), Vittaratnàkara of ørãmat Kedàrabhañña, with the commentary by Nàràyaõabhañña (3^rd Edition Bombay, 1906). As on the whole this edition seemed to be the most reliable I have made it the basis for the present work.

V = Welivitiye Sri Sorata Thero (ed), Vruththarathnakaraya (1926, reprinted Colombo, 2001). This edition has the text printed in Devanàgari at the front of the book, and this has been used for noting the variants, except where otherwise stated. The Vyàkhyà contains a transliteration of the text into Sinhala script, and Ven. Sorata's very useful commentary. There are many additions to the text in the Vyàkhyà as explained in the foreword, however there are also many differences in the readings, and some omissions, which have not been explained.

S = Very Rev. C.A. Seelakkhandha Mahà Sthavira (ed), Vrittaratnàkara by Pandit Kedàrabhatta, with its commentary Vrittaratnàkarapancikà by Prof. Srã Ràmacandra Kavi Bhàrati (Bombay, 1908).

Dh = ørã Dharànanda øàstrã (ed), ørã Bhaññakedàraviracitam Vttaratnàkaram (1^st printing Delhi, 1972, reprinted 1999); the text as printed at the beginning of the book (pgs xiii - xxiii) has been compared for the variant readings.

Other works consulted:

Chøà = Paõóit Kedàranàth of Jaypur (ed), Chhandas øàstra by ørã Piïgalanàga, with the commentary Mitasa¤jãvanã by ørã Halàyudha Bhañña (3^rd edition Bombay, 1938). The most authoritive work on Sanskrit prosody, written as såtras, rather than as kàrikàs, as with VR, ChM, SB, Vutt. etc.

ChM = Vàsudev Laxmaõ Shàstrã Paõ÷ãkar (ed), Chhandoma¤jarã of Gaïgàdàsa (Bombay, 1906). Published together with P.

øB = Vàsudev Laxmaõ Shàstrã Paõ÷ãkar (ed), ørutabodha of Kàlidàsa (Bombay, 1906). Published together with P.

Vutt: Vuttodaya, The Composition of Metre, by Ven. Saïgharakkhita, ânandajoti Bhikkhu (ed, 2003). Vuttodaya is an edited translation of Vttaratnàkara into Pàëi made by Saïgharakkhita Mahàsàmi. We can often see from the translation what reading Ven. Saïgharakkhita had in the manuscripts he was following and this sometimes helps us to reconstruct the text of Vttaratnàkara, at least so far as it was known in 12^th century ørã Lanka.

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The immediate purpose in preparing this edition of Vttaratnàkara was to have a text to accompany the edition of Vuttodaya that is currently under preperation. Vuttodaya itself is an edited translation of the Sanskrit work, and we therefore are in an almost unique position of being able to show what the lines looked like in the Sanskrit, together with its Pàëi translation.

Although in the body of the text the normal sort of variants occur, in the Samavtta section (Ttãyo 'dhyàyaþ) in particular the variations are very great. The samavtta metres are the main metres used in the Classical period, and it seems everybody felt free to augment the metres listed in this section, so that it is almost impossible to see what the original text must have looked like.

Because of this, in preparing this edition I have tried to err on the side of caution, and have only admitted a kàrikà into the text, when it is supported by all the editions consulted. Verse 5 of the present work states that the book will describe 136 metres (only). As it stands it is not easy to see how this number can be reconciled with the number of metres that are now actually described in the text.

The Sama-, Ardhasama-, & Viùamavtta sections alone account for 127 metres; and if we count the metres in the Màtràvtta section there are 25 metres (or 33, if we include the Vaktra variations in the count).

When we compare the present text of Vttaratnàkara with Chandas øàstra & Vuttodaya, we can see that there are some metres in the former text not found in either of the others, nearly all of these occur in the Samavtta section of the text, which is where the main variations occur anyway. If we were to exclude those metres from the text, the number given in verse 5 would in fact be about correct. ¹

I would therefore suggest that all the metres in the Samavtta section upto Pàïkti in Supratiùñhà (i.e. vss 65 - 70), are probably additions; ² and the same applies to the following metres: øa÷ivadanà 72; Vasumatã 73; Mauktikamàlà 104; Upasthità 105; Maõimàlà 118; Prabhà 125; Màlanã 126; Elà 144; Candralekhà 145; Narkuñaka 153. I have therefore placed these metres in brackets in this edition, although nothing definite about their status can be made until someone examines the manuscript evidence and establishes an authorative edition.

In this edition I have adopted certain usages, like normally writing cch in place of ch after short vowels; omitting the doubling of certain akùara after r, e.g. àryà, in place of àryyà; ardhà, in place of arddhà; prakãrtita, in place of prakãrttita, etc. These variants, which occur in the editions consulted, are merely orthographical, and have therefore not been noted in the variant readings.

ânandajoti Bhikkhu,
2003/2547

End Notes

1 It is not always clear how we should, in fact, count the metres. Does Vaktra count as 1 metre or as 8? Should we count âryà as 1 or 6?

2 Perhaps added for the sake of completion.