Mālā is a figurative term for a form that 'strings' together varieties of something in a definite order, such as a garland of letters or syllables
"Mālā is a figurative word for a form that 'strings' together a
number of varieties of something in a definite order; e.g. akṣaramālā or
garland of letters/syllables."
VIMARŚA
317
19. Šuka is a parrot and sārī or sārikā is mainā in Hindi, the Latin name
being Turdus Salica. The pair of these two is profusely used in folklore and
other poetry as the characters that carry on a dialogue. The parrot is the male
and sārī is the female. The śukasārika prabandha uses this well-known motif
for presenting a dialogue in song.
20. 'Rāga' seems to signify 'rāgālapti' of later texts (cf. SR III.190
c-196).
21. 'Vicitra' in Sanskrit means variegated and not strange which is
the general meaning attached to it in Hindi.
22. Tribhangi literally means having three bends or curves.
23. This name is still current in oral tradition to-day for a composition
that uses a dialect of Hindi svaras (sarigama), drum-syllables or tena syllables
and a text of some other language, usually Persian or Sanskrit or drum
syllables and tena syllables. In any case, four types of text have to be used.
But the prescription of four ragas and talas is not followed to-day.
24. Mālā is a figurative word for a form that 'strings' together a
number of varieties of something in a definite order; e.g. akṣaramālā or
garland of letters/syllables.
25. This word is also used in explaining a sthaya that has succeeding
phrases beginning with the last svara of the respective preceding phrases
(Kalā on SR III. 112). Literally it means a circle.
26. Gandharvas are semi-divine beings, but a musicians' caste also
bears this name. Here the latter seems to be relevant.
27,28. This is again one of the eight kinds of karaṇa prabandha. See
note 4. Pāța is figuratively identified with the hands of the prabandha-
puruşa on account of its being produced with the hands on drums.
29. 'Vastu' seems to be used here as a synonym of prabandha.
30. Here rhyme or antyānuprāsa alone is not intended; hence
'anuprāsa' has been rendered as 'alliteration'.
31. Ganas are syllabic groupings of three syllables each, embodying
different formations of longs and shorts. See note 42 under Chapter II.
32. The word marga, though literally meaning path, has been used
here for order or system.
33. Nāda is all-pervasive in music; the special mention of nāda here
could perhaps be taken to mean tonal phrases without the combination of
text or solfa-syllables, rendered generally with akara.
34. Kaiśikī is the fourth among the four vṛttis or modes of presentation
in drama. It embodies song, dance and gentle or soft movements.