# The Schools of Hindi Prosody **Presenter**: [[Hiroko Nagasaki]] **Session**: [[Session 4. Metrical and Narrative Structures]] **Abstract**: Hindi prosody, while grounded in classical texts, exhibits considerable variation in the definition of metre and verse forms across different authors and historical periods. This paper investigates these variations, beginning with the seminal works of Keśav Dās, a renowned court poet of Orcha in the 16th century. Notably, some manuscripts of Hindi prosody, called Piṅgala, suggest scholarly traditions, although limited in number. This paper categorises these authors into different schools based on their definitional approaches to metre, particularly highlighting the role of mathematical concepts, which, surprisingly, play a crucial role in poetic theory. The first aim of this paper is to explore why mathematics, seemingly unrelated to literature, is essential for understanding the structure of poetry. Furthermore, this research compares the Hindi prosodical schools adhering to more classical definitions that align with the Prākṛt Paiṅgalam tradition, as represented by Sukhdev Miśra, against those developing original definitions, such as those by Dev, an independent poet who proposed a unique categorisation of the metre by naming each multiple of gaṇa. The second aim is to delineate the differences in prosodical definitions during the Early Modern period and examine the preferred metrical forms described in the treatises, investigating why early Hindi poets and authors of prosodical treatises never used certain rhythmic combinations which are theoretically possible. Finally, this paper seeks to map the schools of Hindi prosody by analysing how metrical forms have been selected or rejected in standard Chand śāstra texts authorised by Jagannāth Prasād ‘Bhānu’, thus offering new insights into the mathematical foundations of Hindi poetic traditions. These methods, originating from the Sanskrit metrician Piṅgala, employ combinatorial techniques that predate and parallel those found in Pascal’s triangle.