Inquiry re: the nature of 'kaarikaa'

[Srinivasan Pichumani]

Prof.Cardona writes:
>>kArikA tu svalpavRttau bahor arthasya sUcinI.
>>This captures the essence: it is a verse that conveys a
>>great deal in a short compass, so that it is a verse
>>equivalent of a sUtra (which also can at least in part be
>>metrical)

As a parallel, this is essentially the greatness of the "kuRaL" 
form too, as used in the immortal TirukkuRaL of TiruvaLLuvar.
The historian P.T.Srinivasa Iyengar (1863-1931) mentions in 
one of his books, in passing, this verse form of the TirukkuraL's 
teachings as against the largely prosaic ;-) form of Sanskrit 
dars'ana literature. 

-Srini.