Hear now the teaching as it was spoken. The wise Sūta described the nature of words and meters, their forms and their qualities, for the benefit of those seeking understanding. He began by illustrating the impermanence and separateness of things: “He leaves us; he would go, he goes.” Even the shadow cast by a hut, like all other connections, is of a similar fleeting nature. These examples show how entities and their relationships are formed and dissolved, each distinct in their own way. Turning to the science of compound words, Sūta declared that there are six principal types: karmadhāraya, dvigu, trivedī, grāma, and the compound known as tatpuruṣa. He elaborated further: there are compounds describing what is made, what is for a purpose, the fear of wolves, or a certain wealth. The learned, those who know truth, the bahuvrīhi, and the indeclinable avyayi—these too are recognized forms. He spoke of the states and superimpositions as previously taught, and of the dvandva, or dual compound, which is found among the divine sages and men. Taddhita forms such as Pāṇḍava, Śaiva, Brāhaya, and Brahmatā were cited as examples of derivation. Sūta then listed various words and their genders: words such as divine, fire, friendship, lordship, Śukra, Ṛṣṭu, Swayambhuva, and father are masculine. Yet, those who move, the cow, the bull, and other masculine beings are not praised in this context. Words ending with ‘hal’—such as horse, yoke, earth, wind, flesh-eater, and deer—are masculine. The self, king, youth, path, Pūṣa, the slayer of Brahman, and ‘hal’ itself are included in this group. He then turned to the feminine: excrement, urine, semen, honey, oil, wood from the cremation ground, forest, water, bones, and worldly objects are all considered feminine. Action, clarified butter, body, fire, poison, and the neuter gender; wife, old age, river, fortune, prosperity, earth, and bride are also feminine. Further, eyebrow, rebirth, cow, sister, and mother are feminine, as are speech, blood, direction, anger, a young woman in general, and the hips. Heaven, day, the rainy season, Soma, and the meter Ushnik are feminine by quality, substance, or action. Thus, the feminine forms have been explained. He continued with the masculine: white, black, red, pure, village chief, wise, clever, lotus-born, doer, intelligent, many, and good son are all masculine. Truthful, serpent, and fire are masculine as well, as are those not to be eaten, those that fall far, all, universe, both, one less, and the other. Names such as Ḍatara, Ḍatama, Nema, Tvaḥ, Sama, Simetara, Pūrva, Adhara, Dakṣiṇa, and Uttarāvara are masculine. So too are Para and Antara. Yet, the pronouns yat, tat, kim, and adas are neuter. Yuṣmat, asmat, and tat—representing first, second, and third persons—are of the dual number. He explained that number words—such as a few, two, and others—follow similar rules. Verbs like śṛṇoti (hears), juhoti (offers), jahāti (abandons), and dadhāti (places) were given as examples. Other verbs, such as dīpyati (shines), stūyati (is praised), putrīyati (desires a son), dhanīyati (desires wealth), truṭyati (breaks), mriyate (dies), cicīṣati (wishes to collect), and ninīṣati (wishes to lead) were also mentioned. Words like viśva and others, expressing all, for all, from all, ending in all, of all, and in all, were cited for their universal application. He described the forms of pūrva: pūrva, pūrvā, pūrvasmāt, pūrvasmin, and pūrva itself. Sūta then said, “The perfect forms of verbs have been shown by name alone; having heard the details from Kumāra, Kātyāyana explained further.” Turning to the science of meter, Sūta spoke thus: “The marks of the Āryā meter are as follows: the group called tvaṣṭa is always joined, not in odd positions; in the sixth syllable, jo or nlau may occur, and the word in the sixth is from the second.” From the beginning, in the seventh, a short syllable is found; in the second half, a śara. The three groups and the foot are proper, and the vipulā arises from the crossing of fire. He explained, “In the middle, the second is y; jau is capalā, from the beginning of the foot; in the second half, sajaghanā; these are the marks of the Āryā and Jāti meters.” Āryā has its mark in the first half; if it is gīti, then in both halves. Upagīti arises from the second half, and udgīti from the interchange. Āryāgīti has a guru at the end; these are the marks of the Gotijāti meter. If there are six kalās in odd positions, eight in even, not continuous; samā is not dependent, and in Vaitālīya, there is a guru at the end. When two y's are inside as before, this is considered the Aupacchandasika meter. Bhādgau is to be known as āpātalikā, and likewise dakṣiṇāntikā; parāśrita is the second la, present in all feet. The udīcya metre occurs unevenly, while the prācya metre is in pairs; with the fifth syllable in the fourth foot, both proceed together. From the union of the first foot of udīcya and the paired feet arises the single-footed yugmapāda; in vaitālīya, both feet are charming and smiling—this is its collection. The face should not begin with na; the fourth foot should have a gaṇa. The pathyā face is with ja in the same; otherwise, it is reversed or different. In usame, na, and capalā, vipulā is the seventh laghu; in all, saitava has mrau and tau, and in the ocean, those two are preceded by tat. Sixteen syllables, with acala-dhṛti, are said to be equal in mātrā. Nava, mala, and likewise go at the end; jo, nlau, and also as in the ocean. Viśloka is four times, or twice that, called navāsikā. In bāṇa, eight and nine, la is citrā, consisting of sixteen; equal mātrā is prescribed—this is called padākulaka. A metre without mātrā is with syllables; la is without heavy syllables; heavy syllables are always la in the foot—this is the established rule. Twenty-eight la will go in the first half of the second; thirty in the crest, la will go, and by the reversal of khañja, it is thus. Sixteen in anaṅga-krīḍā, thirty-two la in the last; twenty-seven la will go in both feet, both are beautiful. “The mātrā metres have been spoken; now I will declare the syllabic metres,” Sūta said. He continued: “The śrīruktha is to be known as gena; utyuktha is feminine with two heavy syllables; mo is woman, ro is deer, madhyā is magau, kanyā is pratiṣṭhā. Bho gau is paṅkti, well established, slender in the middle, remembered as tayau; with nayā and bāla-lalitā, it is indeed the gāyatrī metre. Masagai and madalekhā are called uṣṇik metre by the wise; bhau gau is famous as citrapadā, vidyunmālā is mamau gagau. Māṇavaka is bhāttalaga, mnau gau is remembered as haṃsaruta; samānikā, rajagalā, jaralā, gaḥ is pramāṇikā; with these two, another arrangement is called anuṣṭup metre.” Thus did Sūta, with reverence and precision, impart the knowledge of compounds, genders, verbs, and the intricate beauty of meters, for the benefit of all who would listen and seek wisdom.