Meters of the Srimad Bhagavatam

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In general there are four different meters in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Of course there are different varieties on these four meters, but here I will give one meter for each different type of verse (meter).

In short:

There are verses with 8 syllables - the Bhagavad-gita meter, 11 syllables - the Srimad-Bhagavatam meter (version 1 - similar to 12 syllables - and version 2 - similar to 14 syllables), 12 syllables - the Srimad-Bhagavatam meter and 14 syllables and the odd 15 syllables - the Sri Brahma-samhita meter.

The first one we call the 'Bhagavad-gita Meter', as it is exactly the same meter as in the Bhagavad-gita, and it consists of 8 syllables

For example, 18.66 of Bhagavad-gita:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Synonyms

sarva-dharmān — all varieties of religion; parityajya — abandoning; mām — unto Me; ekam — only; śaraṇam — for surrender; vraja — go; aham — I; tvām — you; sarva — all; pāpebhyaḥ — from sinful reactions; mokṣayiṣyāmi — will deliver; mā — do not; śucaḥ — worry.

Translation

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

8 syllables sounds as follows: Bhagavad-gita 18.66

For example, 2.3.10 of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaṁ param

Synonyms

akāmaḥ — one who has transcended all material desires; sarva-kāmaḥ — one who has the sum total of material desires; vā — either; mokṣa-kāmaḥ — one who desires liberation; udāra-dhīḥ — with broader intelligence; tīvreṇa — with great force; bhakti-yogena — by devotional service to the Lord; yajeta — should worship; puruṣam — the Lord; param — the supreme whole.

Translation

A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.

Has the same meter as Bhagavad-gita 18.60: 

And sounds as follows (8 syllables): Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.10

This 'Bhagavad-gita meter' has 8 syllables.

Then there is the 'Classic Bhagavatam meter' .

The 'Classic Bhagavatam meter' consists of 12 syllables.

For instance

ŚB 10.51.53

bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej

janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ

sat-saṅgamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau

parāvareśe tvayi jāyate matiḥ

Synonyms

bhava — of material existence; apavargaḥ — the cessation; bhramataḥ — who has been wandering; yadā — when; bhavet — occurs; janasya — for a person; tarhi — at that time; acyuta — O infallible Lord; sat — of saintly devotees; samāgamaḥ — the association; sat-saṇgamaḥ — saintly association; yarhi — when; tadā — then; eva — only; sat — of the saintly; gatau — who is the goal; para — of superior (the causes of material creation); avara — and inferior (their products); īśe — for the Supreme Lord; tvayi — Yourself; jāyate — is born; matiḥ — devotion.

Translation

When the material life of a wandering soul has ceased, O Acyuta, he may attain the association of Your devotees. And when he associates with them, there awakens in him devotion unto You, who are the goal of the devotees and the Lord of all causes and their effects.

12 syllables sounds as follows: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.51.53 on Soundcloud

And there is the Sri Brahma-samhita meter, and this meter has 14 syllables.

Bs 5.30

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam-

barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam

kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Synonyms: 

veṇum — the flute; kvaṇantam — playing; aravinda-dala — (like) lotus petals; āyata — blooming; akṣam — whose eyes; barha — a peacock's feather; avataṁsam — whose ornament on the head; asita-ambuda — (tinged with the hue of) blue clouds; sundara — beautiful; aṅgam — whose figure; kandarpa — of Cupids; koṭi — millions; kamanīya — charming; viśeṣa — unique; śobham — whose loveliness; govindam — Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original person; tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship.

Translation: 

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

14 syllables sounds like this: Sri Brahma-samhita 5.30

For example, Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.43 has 14 syllables:

ŚB 7.9.43

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās

tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ

śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-

māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān

Synonyms

na — not; eva — certainly; udvije — I am disturbed or afraid; para — O Supreme; duratyaya — insurmountable or very difficult to cross; vaitaraṇyāḥ — of the Vaitaraṇī, the river of the material world; tvat-vīrya — of Your Lordship’s glories and activities; gāyana — from chanting or distributing; mahā-amṛta — in the great ocean of nectarean spiritual bliss; magna-cittaḥ — whose consciousness is absorbed; śoce — I am simply lamenting; tataḥ — from that; vimukha-cetasaḥ — the fools and rascals who are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; indriya-artha — in sense gratification; māyā-sukhāya — for temporary, illusory happiness; bharam — the false burden or responsibility (of maintaining one’s family, society and nation and elaborate arrangements for that purpose); udvahataḥ — who are lifting (by making grand plans for this arrangement); vimūḍhān — although all of them are nothing but fools and rascals (I am thinking of them also).

Translation

O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them.

This meter with 14 syllables can be chanted with the same meter as in the Sri Brahma-samhita.

14 syllables sounds like this: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.43

Then there is a so-called 'Irregular Meter' consisting of 11 syllables.

For instance,

ŚB 7.5.32

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ

spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ

mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ

niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

Synonyms

na — not; eṣām — of these; matiḥ — the consciousness; tāvat — that long; urukrama-aṅghrim — the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is famous for performing uncommon activities; spṛśati — does touch; anartha — of unwanted things; apagamaḥ — the disappearance; yat — of which; arthaḥ — the purpose; mahīyasām — of the great souls (the mahātmās, or devotees); pāda-rajaḥ — by the dust of the lotus feet; abhiṣekam — consecration; niṣkiñcanānām — of devotees who have nothing to do with this material world; na — not; vṛṇīta — may accept; yāvat — as long as.

Translation

Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.

This can be chanted with the 'Classic Srimad Bhagavatam Meter' but also with the 'Brahma Samhita Meter'.

The 'Classic Srimad Bhagavatam Meter' on Soundcloud of ŚB 7.5.32 for 11 syllables.

The 'Sri Brahma-samhita Meter' of ŚB 7.5.32 for 11 syllables.

Then there is the odd 15 syllables, and could be chanted with a Classic Srimad Bhagavatam Meter meter:

ŚB 12.12.69

sva-sukha-nibhṛta-cetās tad-vyudastānya-bhāvo

’py ajita-rucira-līlākṛṣṭa-sāras tadīyam

vyatanuta kṛpayā yas tattva-dīpaṁ purāṇaṁ

tam akhila-vṛjina-ghnaṁ vyāsa-sūnuṁ nato ’smi

Synonyms

sva-sukha — in the happiness of the self; nibhṛta — solitary; cetāḥ — whose consciousness; tat — because of that; vyudasta — given up; anya-bhāvaḥ — any other type of consciousness; api — although; ajita — of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the unconquerable Lord; rucira — pleasing; līlā — by the pastimes; ākṛṣṭa — attracted; sāraḥ — whose heart; tadīyam — consisting of the activities of the Lord; vyatanuta — spread, manifested; kṛpayā — mercifully; yaḥ — who; tattva-dīpam — the bright light of the Absolute Truth; purāṇam — the Purāṇa (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam); tam — unto Him; akhila-vṛjina-ghnam — defeating everything inauspicious; vyāsa-sūnum — son of Vyāsadeva; nataḥ asmi — I offer my obeisances.

Translation

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization and was living in a secluded place, giving up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the pleasing, most melodious pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He therefore mercifully spoke this supreme Purāṇa, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of the Lord.

And the odd 17 syllables and could as well be chanted with a Classic Srimad Bhagavatam Meter meter:

ŚB 10.87.18

उदरमुपासते य ऋषिवर्त्मसु कूर्पद‍ृश:

परिसरपद्धतिं हृदयमारुणयो दहरम् ।

तत उदगादनन्त तव धाम शिर: परमं

पुनरिह यत् समेत्य न पतन्ति कृतान्तमुखे ॥ १८ ॥

udaram upāsate ya ṛṣi-vartmasu kūrpa-dṛśaḥ

parisara-paddhatiṁ hṛdayam āruṇayo daharam

tata udagād ananta tava dhāma śiraḥ paramaṁ

punar iha yat sametya na patanti kṛtānta-mukhe

Synonyms

udaram — the abdomen; upāsate — worship; ye — who; ṛṣi — of sages; vartmasu — according to the standard methods; kūrpa — gross; dṛśaḥ — their vision; parisara — from which all the prāṇic channels emanate; paddhatim — the node; hṛdayam — the heart; āruṇayaḥ — the Āruṇi sages; daharam — subtle; tataḥ — thence; udagāt — (the soul) rises up; ananta — O unlimited Lord; tava — Your; dhāma — place of appearance; śiraḥ — to the head; paramam — the highest destination; punaḥ — again; iha — into this world; yat — which; sametya — reaching; na patanti — they do not fall down; kṛta-anta — of death; mukhe — into the mouth.

Translation

Among the followers of the methods set forth by great sages, those with less refined vision worship the Supreme as present in the region of the abdomen, while the Āruṇis worship Him as present in the heart, in the subtle center from which all the prāṇic channels emanate. From there, O unlimited Lord, these worshipers raise their consciousness upward to the top of the head, where they can perceive You directly. Then, passing through the top of the head toward the supreme destination, they reach that place from which they will never again fall to this world, into the mouth of death.

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