Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.21.41
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAppreciate the Vastness of Vedic Sound
“The Vedic meters are Gāyatrī, Uṣṇik, Anuṣṭup, Bṛhatī, Paṅkti, Triṣṭup, Jagatī, Aticchanda, Atyaṣṭi, Atijagatī and Ativirāṭ.”
What the purport teaches
- The verse names eleven Vedic meters, beginning with Gāyatrī and ending with Ativirāṭ. These are forms of Vedic sound.
- Gāyatrī has twenty-four syllables, Uṣṇik twenty-eight and Anuṣṭup thirty-two. Each succeeding meter has four more syllables than the previous one.
- Vedic sound is called bṛhatī, or most expansive. Ordinary living entities cannot understand all its technical details.
Try this today
Write down the syllable counts of Gāyatrī, Uṣṇik and Anuṣṭup, and notice the increase of four.
Ask yourself
Can I appreciate the vastness of Vedic sound without expecting to master every technical detail?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.