I. The Vedas: Brhati

[Tinker]

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Indian Verse
The Vedas, an overview.

Brhati ("that which grows" or "life's breath", God of Words) is an ancient Vedic stanzaic form. Brhati is named as one of the seven horses pulling the chariot of the sun.

In verse the elements of the Brhati are:

1. stanzaic, written in any number quatrains or 4 line stanzas.
2. syllabic, 36 syllables per quatrain, lines of 9 syllables each.
3. metric, the metric pattern of the line requires 2 heavy syllables. In English break the cadence with caesura and attempt to include a couple of long or heavy vowel syllables near the end of the line. ("heavy" is a dipthong, a hard vowel sound or a vowel followed by a combination of consonants)

   Too Many Years by Judi Van Gorder

   Sucking one more breath into scarred lungs,
   the once vibrant man suffers a life
   no longer desired. His passion
   and independence reclaimed by time.

   Other Vedas

• Anistubh
• Brhati
• gayatri
• Jagati
• Pankti
• Tristubh
• Ushnik

II. Sanskrit Verse