The first of these two verses contains fifteen, and the other only fourteen syllables. The metre is called _Parra_, and not _Porb_, as Anquetil du Perron asserts. It serves as a proof that our so-called Leonine verses, which rhyme in the middle and at the end, are not unknown to the Indians. Their public songs are always sung with an instrumental accompaniment. Their singing voices, of which they reckon six, have very singular names, and are as follows: 1. _Shlagia_, the peacock voice. 2. _Nishada_, the elephant voice. 3. _Irszubha_, the ox voice. 4. _Sandhara_, the sheep’s voice. 5. _Madhyama_, the voice of a certain bird called _Anilpakshi_. 6. _Dheivada_, the horse voice[204]. The instruments which they use with their vocal music are the large drum, _Perumpara_; the small drum, _Tudi_; two clarinets, _Kushel_; a kettle-drum beat upon with pieces of iron; two copper or brass basons, and a couple of cow’s horns. During the song they frequently clap their hands; often change their tone and voice, according as the circumstance may require; sing sometimes in _piano_, and sometimes _forte_; and either let the tone issue through the nose, or force it out between their teeth with the greatest violence, and by quick and repeated clapping with the tongue. All this gives it the character of a Bacchanalian and warlike music, which imitates the noise made by people who are engaged in battle. Their pastoral songs, on the other hand, are full of soft and tender expressions, and have in them somewhat languishing[205]. They describe the kind of life which the god _Krishna_ led as a shepherd during his residence on earth; but the former celebrate either the god _Rama_ as a hero, or describe the actions performed by _Krishna_, in the war which he carried on in conjunction with the five brothers, _Pando_ or _Pandava_, against their relations the _Cauravas_. The wars of _Rama_ are described in the epic poem _Ramayana_, which is highly esteemed in every part of India. The description of the heroic deeds of _Krishna_ is contained in the book _Yudhishtira-vigea_, a poem in the Samscred language, on which the Indians set a great value also. The subject of the latter, a particular explanation of which may be found in my account of the Borgian manuscripts, is briefly as follows: