Scanning a Verse: Anuṣṭubh or Āryā?
Three candidates in a practice examination are given a four-line Sanskrit verse and asked to identify its metre and comment on its tone. The verse is: “सत्यं वद सदा पुत्र, धर्मं चर सुखावहम्। विद्यां देहि गुरोः पादे, यशः प्राप्नुहि शाश्वतम्॥” Candidate A says it is āryā because the lines are short; Candidate B says it is anuṣṭubh but cannot explain why; Candidate C counts 8 syllables in the first quarter, 8 in the second, 8 in the third and 8 in the fourth. The invigilator allows 6 minutes. The paper also asks for one figure of speech, but the verse contains no clear upamā or rūpaka. Candidate C wants to write “anuṣṭubh, because each quarter has 8 syllables and the second and fourth quarters end in -am.” The candidate is unsure whether the string of imperatives (vada, cara, dehi, prāpnuhi) sounds too harsh for a blessing.
1. Which candidate is right about the metre, and what evidence should the answer cite? Give the scan of the first quarter.
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Candidate C is right, but the answer must show the scan. First quarter: sat-yaṃ (1–2) va-da (3–4) sa-dā (5–6) pu-tra (7–8). Second: dhar-maṃ (1–2) ca-ra (3–4) su-khā-va-ham (5–8). Third: vid-yāṃ (1–2) de-hi (3–4) gu-roḥ (5–6) pā-de (7–8). Fourth: ya-śaḥ (1–2) prāp-nu-hi (3–5) śāś-va-tam (6–8). That regular 8×4 structure is anuṣṭubh. Candidate A’s reason is invalid because āryā is not identified merely by short lines; it is identified by gaṇa patterns and caesura. Candidate B has the label but not the evidence. The best answer gives the syllable count and one cadence point, not just the name.
2. The paper asks for one alamkara. The verse has no upamā. What should the candidate write, and what should she avoid? Mention one sound pattern.
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The safest figure is anuprāsa (alliteration), not upamā. The verse repeats s/ś sounds: satyam, sadā, sukhāvaham, śāśvatam; that is a sound pattern the candidate can point to. She should avoid inventing upamā because there is no comparison marker such as iva or yathā and no second object compared. If the examiner expects a sense figure, she may note the personification-like phrase ‘time will give’ only if she labels it carefully as a suggested reading, not as certain. In a 1-mark alamkara question, a defensible sound figure with evidence is better than a wrong sense figure with a fancy name.
3. The candidate is unsure whether the imperatives are too harsh. How should she comment on tone in one or two lines?
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The imperatives are not a doṣa. Sanskrit advice verses commonly use vada, cara, dehi, prāpnuhi; the tone is controlled by the vocative ‘putra’ and by the respectful phrase ‘guroḥ pāde’. The effect is affectionate counsel and blessing, not a military command. The candidate should write: ‘The imperative mood gives direct, memorable advice; with “putra” and “guroḥ pāde” it sounds like a blessing, not harshness.’ She should not call it ‘repetition’ unless a word actually repeats; the repeated structure is grammatical parallelism, which supports the tone.