Types of Chandas (छन्दःप्रकाराः)

Chandas or meter is an intrinsic part of Sanskrit literature, beginning from the Vedas. Chandas-shastra is a well-developed science elaborating on the importance and nuances of prosody in Sanskrit.

शास्त्रस्य परिचयः || About the science

Chandas-shastra, or the science of Sanskrit prosody, is a very ancient branch of study emerging right from the Veda-s. Veda-s are a poetic composition, written in specific meters like Anushtubh, Trishtubh, Pankti etc. In order to understand the metrical arrangement of Veda-s, the Vedanga called Chandas emerged. Pingalacharya is the first known sage who has elaborated on the science of meters in his work ‘Chandas-sutrani’. Then this tradition continued, flourished and prospered as many treatises were written in order to describe the Sanskrit prosody. Vrttaratnakara by Kedarabhatta and Chandomanjari by Gangadasa are some foremost treatises in this science. It is said that without Chandas-shastra, a person is physically impaired.

विना व्याकरणेनान्धो बधिरः कोशवर्जितः| छन्दःशास्त्रं विना पङ्गुर्मूकस्तर्कविवर्जितः|| vinā vyākaraṇenāndho badhiraḥ kośavarjitaḥ| chandaḥśāstraṁ vinā paṅgurmūkastarkavivarjitaḥ||

Meaning: A person without grammar is blind, without lexicography, he is deaf, without prosody, is handicap and without logic, is dumb.

Thus, this shows the immense importance of Chandas-shastra upheld by the Indian tradition. Now, let us see the types of meters used in Sanskrit, elaborated by the most important treatises on Sanskrit meters. For beginning with the understanding of meters, some basic terminologies must be comprehended.

लघुगुरूणां लक्षणम् || The definitions of laghu and guru

The Ashtadhyayi of sage Panini, which is the fundamental treatise of Paninian grammar, defines laghu as –

ह्रस्वं लघु | १.४.१० hrasvaṁ laghu | 1.4.10

The meaning of this sutra is, ‘a short syllable is called laghu.’ Hrasva or short vowel is defined by the time required to pronounce it. Time is measured in mātrā-s. So, the vowel that is measured in one mātrā is called hrasva or short vowel, which is given the term laghu by this sutra. The definition of guru is given in the next sutra-s –

संयोगे गुरु | १.४.११ दीर्घं च | १.४.१२ saṁyoge guru | 1.4.11 dīrghaṁ ca | 1.4.12

Meaning – ‘The short vowel becomes guru when it is followed by conjunct consonant.’ ‘Moreover, long syllable is also termed as guru.’

Dirgha vowel is measured in two mātrā-s. It is termed as guru. A short vowel also becomes guru when a conjunct consonant follows it. This is because, because of the conjunction, more stress is applied to the short vowel resulting in requirement of more time to pronounce the syllable. Let us see the examples of all these cases:

1. Hrasva – हरि , where both vowels are short, therefore laghu
2. Dirgha – गौरी , where both vowels are long, therefore guru
3. Samyoga – कृष्ण , where first vowel is short, but stressed due to conjunction, therefore guru

In addition to this, anusvāra and visarga also cause a short vowel to become guru, for e.g., ‘स’ in संयम and ‘दु’ in दुःख are guru.

While writing, laghu is denoted by the sign ‘‿’ and guru is denoted by sign ‘|’. These two concepts form the foundation of this science of Sanskrit prosody. Based on the understanding of these, let us get to know the types of meters used in poetry.

अक्षरगणवृत्तम् || The meters based on specific groups of syllables

There are two types of meters in Sanskrit prosody, the Akshara-gana-vrtta and Mātrā-vrtta. Akshara-gana-vrtta is based on the arrangement of groups of syllables in specific order. In order to understand this type of meters, we need to first look at the gana-s, i.e., the groups of syllables.

There are eight groups of syllables and their classification is very methodical and mathematical in nature. The eight gana-s are –

1. भ-गण
2. ज-गण
3. स-गण
4. य-गण
5. र-गण
6. त-गण
7. म-गण
8. न-गण

Now let us see the definition of these gana-s. They are explained in all the treatises on Chandas-shastra, but we shall see a simple definition given in Chandomanjari which is as follows:

मस्त्रिगुरुस्त्रिलघुश्च नकारो भादिगुरुः पुनरादिलघुर्यः | जो गुरुमध्यगतो र लमध्यः सोऽन्तगुरुः कथितोऽन्तलघुस्तः ||

mastrigurustrilaghuśca nakāro bhādiguruḥ punarādilaghuryaḥ | jo gurumadhyagato ra lamadhyaḥ so'ntaguruḥ kathito'ntalaghustaḥ ||

This means that, “Ma consists of three long syllables, Na has three short syllables. Bha has long syllable at first position, Ya has short syllable at first position. Ja has long syllable at its middle, Ra gets short syllable at its middle. Sa has long syllable at its last position, Ta has short syllable at its last position.

By this definition, the laghu and guru patterns of all these gana-s or groups, can be understood –

1. भ-गण - guru-laghu-laghu | ‿  ‿
2. ज-गण - laghu-guru-laghu ‿ | ‿
3. स-गण - laghu-laghu-guru ‿ ‿ |
4. य-गण - laghu-guru-guru ‿ | |
5. र-गण - guru-laghu-guru | ‿ |
6. त-गण - guru-guru-laghu | | ‿
7. म-गण - guru-guru-guru | | |
8. न-गण - laghu-laghu-laghu ‿ ‿ ‿

उदाहरणानि || Examples of Akshara-gana-vrtta-s

• After understanding these gana-s, let us see an example of an Akshara-gana-vrtta called Indravajrā which is defined as –

‘स्यादिन्द्रवज्रा यदि तौ जगौ गः’ | ‘syādindravajrā yadi tau jagau gaḥ'

Meaning: It is Indravajrā meter if there are two Ta gana-s, followed by a Ja and two guru syllables.

So the laghu-guru sequence of this metre is as follows:

| | ‿    | | ‿    ‿ | ‿    | |

An illustration of the same is a famous line from a devotional poetry –

श्रीकृष्ण गोविन्द हरे मुरारे हे नाथ नारायण वासुदेव |

• Another illustration is of a similar meter called 'Upendravajrā' which is just the same as Indravajrā, only that its first letter is short. The same is told in its definition,

उपेन्द्रवज्रा प्रथमे लघौ सा | upendravajrā prathame laghau sā

Again we have a popular verse from devotional poetry as the example of Upendavajra -

त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव | त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणं त्वमेव त्वमेव सर्वं मम देवदेव ||

• A popular meter in Sanskrit poetry in Shardulavikridita. Its definition is -

सूर्याश्वं यदि मः सजौ सततगाः शार्दूलविक्रीडितम् | sūryāśvaṁ yadi maḥ sajau satatagāḥ śārdūlavikrīḍitam |

The order of the gana-s is Ma, Sa, Ja, Sa, Ta, Ta followed by a guru. This is a long meter consisting of 19 syllables. An example of the same is a verse speaking about the importance of Bhagavad Gita -

पार्थाय प्रतिबोधितां भगवता नारायणेन स्वयं व्यासेन ग्रथितां पुराणमुनिना मध्येमहाभारतम् | अद्वैतामृतवर्षिणीं भगवतीमष्टादशाध्यायिनीम् अम्ब त्वामनुसन्दधामि भगवद्गीते भवद्वेषिणीम् ||

• Another meter which is popularly used in devotional verses, which is also useful for singing, is Bhujanga-prayāta meter. Its definition is

भुजङ्गप्रयातं चतुर्भिर्यकारैः | bhujaṅgaprayātaṁ caturbhiryakāraiḥ |

Four Ya gana-s form this meter containing 12 syllables. An example for the same is from Shankaracharya's Veda-sāra Shiva-stava -

पशूनां पतिं पापनाशं परेशं गजेन्द्रस्य कृत्तिं वसानं वरेण्यम् । जटाजूटमध्ये स्फुरद्गाङ्गवारिं महादेवमेकं स्मरामि स्मरारिम् ॥

मात्रावृत्तम् || The meters based on mātra-s

Mātrā-vrtta-s are those meters which are governed by the number of mātrā-s in each pāda. For example, a mātrā-vrtta can have 16 mātrā-s in a pāda and in order to fulfil the required mātrā-s, any combinations of laghu and guru syllables can be used by the poet. Laghu consists of 1 mātrā and guru consists of 2 mātrā-s. Thus, 16 laghu-s or 8 guru-s can complete 16 mātrā-s, or a combination of 6 laghu-s and 5 guru-s can do the same.

Āryā is an important mātrā-vrtta. Its definition is given as follows:

यस्याः प्रथमे पादे द्वादश मात्रास्तथा तृतीयेऽपि | अष्टादश द्वितीये चतुर्थके पञ्चदश सार्या || yasyāḥ prathame pāde dvādaśa mātrāstathā tr̥tīye'pi | aṣṭādaśa dvitīye caturthake pañcadaśa sāryā ||

Meaning: If there are 12 mātrā-s in the first and third quarter, 18 in the second and 15 in the fourth quarter, then it is Āryā metre. The example of this meter is found the Shatpadi Stotram by Adi Shankaracharya. Its first verse is –

अविनयमपनय विष्णो दमय मनः शमय विषयमृगतृष्णाम् | भूतदयां विस्तारय तारय संसारसागरतः ||

Where the underlined syllables form the first and third pāda. We can count and check the number of mātrā-s used in the verse.

Then we have variants of Āryā vrtta forming a family of Āryā, which have Giti, Udgiti, Upagiti, and Aryagiti. Let us briefly see the number of mātrā-s in each pāda of all these variants as well-

1. Arya - 12, 18, 12, 15
2. Giti - 12, 18, 12, 18
3. Upagiti - 12, 15, 12, 15
4. Udgiti - 12, 15, 12, 18
5. Aryagiti - 12, 20, 12, 20

There are many more Mātrā-vrtta-s in Sanskrit, and even more in other regional languages like Marathi, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.

यतिनियमाः || Rules for Yati (Pause)

While talking, conversing or singing, a human being, naturally has to pause for breath, for several times. We cannot recite long strings of verses without pausing for breath. Therefore, the Chandas-shastra has decided certain specific places in the verses, where a reader is supposed to halt for a second and then proceed ahead. These places are called as 'Yati'. Chandas-shastra is very strict about the rules of Yati, and the poet as well as reader has to follow the specifications of Yati, very sincerely. Let us see, for example, the meter seen before, Shardutavikridita.

सूर्याश्वं यदि मः सजौ सततगाः शार्दूलविक्रीडितम् | - this is the defintion of the meter.

Let us focus on the first part 'सूर्याश्वं'. This is a reference to the places of Yati in this meter. Surya or sun refers to number 12, and ashva or horse refers to number 7. Thus, this meter with 19 syllables will have its first Yati after the 12th syllable, and the next Yati after 7 syllables counting from the 12th syllable, i.e., after the 19th syllable. It is a rule that there has to be a pause after each and every pāda. Thus, shardulavikridita has one Yati within its pāda, and the second one is at the end of the pāda. Smaller meters like Indravajrā and Upendravajrā do not have any Yati.

Why is this Yati or pause so important? This is because, there are certain rules regarding Yati to be followed by poets while composing poetry. There should not be a cut in the middle of a compound in the place of Yati. Some sandhi-s are also prohibited in Yati-sthāna-s so as to make the pause sound natural. The Yati-s are designed in such a way that they allude to the tune of the meter and give a natural place for halting.