[16] In the earliest period, which he calls "Bardic", when often the names of the individual poets are known, a variety of metres are used, including, for example, a ten-syllable version of the triṣṭubh; some poems of this period also often show an iambic rhythm (ᴗ – ᴗ –) in the second section of the triṣṭubh and jagatī metres.
When the Rig-Veda is chanted, performers traditionally recite the first two padas of Gāyatrī without making a break between them, in accordance with the generally used saṃhitā text.
Note that the 3x8 syllable structure refers to the last three lines of the Gayatri Mantra (starting from tat savitur vareṇyaṃ).
The first line, oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, is an introduction to invoke the mantra to work on three Vyāhṛti or planes (physical, mental and spiritual).
[25] When there is a pause, a short syllable at the end of a line can be considered long, by the principle of brevis in longo.
Although the Gāyatrī is very common in the Rigveda, it fell out of use early and is not found in Sanskrit poetry of the classical period.
For example, E. V. Arnold divides it into three "members" as follows:[28] He calls the central section the "break", since at this point the mainly iambic rhythm of the opening is broken.
The first hymn of the Rigveda to use jagatī throughout is 1.55, of which the first stanza is as follows: Transliteration: diváś cid asya varimā́ ví papratha índraṃ ná mahnā́ pr̥thivī́ caná práti bhīmás túviṣmāñ carṣaṇíbhya ātapáḥ śíśīte vájraṃ téjase ná váṃsagaḥ