क्रुष्टेन देवा जीवन्ति प्रथमेन तु मानुषाः
The gods live by the highest note, while humans by the first note.
अन्धजाः पितरश्चैव चतुर्थस्वरजीविनः
The blind-born and the ancestors live by the fourth note.
अतिस्वरेण नीचेन जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमाः
With an excessively low note, all stationary and moving beings exist.
दीप्तायताकरुणानां मृदुमध्यमयोस्तथा
Of those that are bright, extended, and compassionate, so too are the soft and medium ones.
दीप्ता मन्द्रे द्वितीय च प्रचतुर्थे तथैव च
Brightness is in the lower register, the second, and likewise in the fourth.
श्रुतयो या द्वितीयस्य मृदुमध्यायताः स्मृताः
The intervals of the second note are remembered as soft, medium, and extended.
आयतात्वं भवेन्नीचे मृदुता तु विपर्यये
Extension occurs in the low note, while softness is in the opposite.
द्वितीये विरता या तु क्रुष्टश्च परतो भवेत्
Those that are restrained in the second, and the highest follows thereafter.
अत्रैव विरता या तु चतुर्थेन प्रवर्तते
Here, those that are restrained proceed with the fourth note.
नातितारश्रुतिं कुर्यात्स्वरयोर्नापि चान्तरे
One should not produce an excessively high interval, nor between the notes.
द्विविधा गतिः पदान्तस्थितसंधिः सहोष्मभिः
The movement is twofold: the junction at the end of a word, together with aspiration.
स्वरान्तराविरतानि ह्रस्वदीर्घघुटानि च
The restrained intervals between notes are short, long, and abrupt.
दीप्तामुदात्ते जानीयाद्दीप्तां च स्वरिते विदुः
One should know brightness in the raised tone, and brightness also in the svarita, as the wise do.
उदात्तश्चानुदात्तश्च स्वरितप्रचिते तथा
There are raised, unraised, and those accumulated with svarita.
अत ऊर्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि आचिकस्य स्वरत्रयम्
Now I shall explain the three tones of accent in recitation.
य एवोदात्त इत्युक्तः स एव स्वरितात्परः
That which is called udātta is immediately followed by svarita.
वर्णस्वरो ऽतीतस्वरः स्वरितो द्विविधः स्मृतः
A syllable's accent, when it has passed beyond, is called svarita, and this is said to be of two kinds.
स तु सप्तविधो ज्ञेयः स्वरः प्रत्ययदर्शनात्
This svara should be understood as sevenfold, according to the indication of the context.
सप्तस्वरान्प्रयुञ्जीत दक्षिणं श्रवणं प्रति
One should apply the seven tones with respect to the right ear's hearing.
उच्चादुञ्चतरं नास्ति नीचान्नीचतरं तथा
There is nothing higher than the high, nor lower than the low.
उच्चनीचस्य यन्मध्ये साधारणमिति श्रुतिः
That which is between high and low is called 'neutral' by the tradition.
उदात्ते निषादगान्धारावनुदात्तें ऋषभधैवतो
In udātta are included niṣāda and gāndhāra; in anudātta, ṛṣabha and dhaivata.
यत्र कखपरा ऊष्मा जिह्वामूलप्रयोजनाः
Where gutturals, sibilants, and those pronounced from the root of the tongue occur,
जात्यः क्षैप्रो ऽभिनिहित स्तैरव्यञ्जन एव च
Born by nature, pronounced quickly, distinctly, and with stable consonants,
स्वराणामहमेतेषां पृथग्वक्ष्यामि लक्षणम्
I shall now separately describe the characteristics of these tones.
सपकारं सवं वापि ह्यक्षरं स्वरितं भवेत्
A syllable, whether with 'ka' or with 'va', may become svarita.
इउवर्णो यदोदात्तावापद्येते पवौ क्वचित्
Wherever the vowel 'i' becomes udātta, sometimes in 'pa' and 'va',
एओ आभ्यामुदात्ताभ्यामकारो निहितश्च यः
Wherever 'e' or 'o' arise from two udātta vowels, or where 'a' is pronounced distinctly,
उदात्तपूर्वे यत्किञ्चिच्छन्दसि स्वरितं भवेत्
Whatever follows an udātta in metre becomes svarita.
अवग्रहात्परं यत्र स्वरितं स्यादनन्तरम्
Wherever svarita occurs immediately after an avagraha,