Sanskrit

[Hauma Hamiddha]

<!--QuoteBegin-Spinster+Feb 15 2005, 12:22 AM-->QUOTE(Spinster @ Feb 15 2005, 12:22 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> Please write commentary on Shyamala Dandakam ( I believe Kalidas had written this one)

Also how may Indian languages have the tradition/ Chandas for Dandakam?

I know for sure Sanskrit and Telugu language support the tradition of Dandakam Chandas.

Is it true most mantras are Anushtup Chanda? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Tradition has it that the shyAmalA daNDakaM was composed by kAlidAsa. Western Indologists have questioned it by stating that it expresses full blown kula Tantric thoughst that were absent in kAlidAsa's days. So it is believed to be secondary attribution. I am not so sure of this argument. But it definitely it shows signs of of the well-developed tripurasundarI stream of the kula Tantrism. shyAmalA is the prime minister and of the commanders of the army of lalitA who slew the asura viSha~nga in the bhaNDAsura war, riding on the car called the geyachakra.

daNDaKaM is usually applied to meters with irregular padas with syllable counts over 25. The daNDakaM was obviously acquired by Telugu as a part of its Sanskritization that culminated during the Vijayanagaran period of Tenali Rama.


The anuShtubh is the main meter of sholkas classic sanskrit. It has 16+16 syllables and is very widely used in the epics, purANas and tantras. It is also encountered in vedic in number of mantras.