The Chando-Vedanga of Pingala

Summary

This article offers an introduction to Piṅgala’s Chandovidaṅga, an ancient treatise on Sanskrit prosody. After summarising the traditional account of Piṅgala as the brother of Pāṇini, the author outlines the structure of the text, which defines various metres such as gāyatrī, anuṣṭubh, triṣṭubh and jagatī. The article elucidates Piṅgala’s binary system of short and long syllables and his method of enumerating poetic metres, which prefigures binary mathematics. It discusses commentaries by scholars like Kedārabhaṭṭa and Halāyudha, noting how later writers elaborated on Piṅgala’s sutras and introduced regional variations. The author emphasises the link between prosody and music, indicating how rhythmic patterns influenced the development of classical Indian music. There is also a discussion of the text’s influence on neighbouring literary traditions. By translating and analysing selected sutras, the article makes Piṅgala’s technical innovations accessible to readers and highlights the sophistication of early Indian linguistic science.