Shloka

Common card · No. 470425

Shloka or śloka (Sanskrit: श्लोक śloka, from the root श्रु śru, lit. 'hear') in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is "any verse or stanza; a proverb, saying"; but in particular it refers to the 32-syllable verse, derived from the Vedic anuṣṭubh metre, used in the Bhagavad Gita and many other works of classical Sanskrit literature. In its usual form it consists of four pādas or quarter-verses, of eight syllables each, or (according to an alternative analysis) of two half-verses of 16 syllables each. The metre is similar to the Vedic anuṣṭubh metre, but with stricter rules. The śloka is the basis for Indian epic poetry, and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence, occurring as it does far more frequently than any other metre in classical Sanskrit poetry. The śloka is the verse-form generally used in the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Puranas, Smritis, and the scientific treatises of Hinduism such as Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita. The Mahabharata...

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