Types of Chandas (छन्दःप्रकाराः)

शास्त्रस्य परिचयः|| About the science

Chandas-śāstra, 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 metres like Anuṣṭubh, Triṣṭubh, Paṅkti etc. In order to understand the metrical arrangement of Veda-s, the Vedāṅga called Chandas emerged. Piṅgalācārya is the first known sage who has elaborated on the science of metres in his work ‘Chandas-sūtraṇi’. Then this tradition continued, flourished and prospered as many treatises were written in order to describe the Sanskrit prosody. Vṛttaratnākara by Kedārabhaṭṭa and Chandomañjarī by Gaṅgādāsa are some foremost treatises in this science. It is said that without Chandas-śāstra, a person is physically impaired.

विना व्याकरणेनान्धो बधिरः कोशवर्जितः|

छन्दःशास्त्रं विना पङ्गुर्मूकस्तर्कविवर्जितः||

“Without grammar, a person is blind, without lexicography, he is deaf, without prosody, is handicap and without logic, is dumb.”

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

लघुगुरूणां लक्षणम् | The definitions of laghu and guru

The Aṣṭādhyāyī of sage Pāṇini, which is the fundamental treatise of Paninian grammar, defines laghu as –

ह्रस्वं लघु | १.४.१०

The meaning of this sūtra 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 sūtra. The definition of guru is given in the next sūtra-s –

संयोगे गुरु | १.४.११

दीर्घं च | १.४.१२

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

Dīrgha 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) Dīrgha – गौरी , where both vowels are long, therefore guru

3) Saṁyoga – 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 metres used in poetry.

अक्षरगणवृत्तम् || The metres based on specific groups of syllables

There are two types of metres in Sanskrit prosody, the Akṣara-gaṇa-vṛtta and Mātrā-vṛtta. Akṣara-gaṇa-vṛtta is based on the arrangement of groups of syllables in specific order. In order to understand this type of metres, we need to first look at the gaṇa-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 gaṇa-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 gaṇa-s. They are explained in all the treatises on Chandas-śāstra, but we shall see a simple definition given in Chandomañjarī which is as follows:

मस्त्रिगुरुस्त्रिलघुश्च नकारो भादिगुरुः पुनरादिलघुर्यः|

जो गुरुमध्यगतो र लमध्यः सोऽन्तगुरुः कथितोऽन्तलघुस्तः||

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 gaṇa-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 Akṣara-gaṇa-vṛtta-s

After understanding these gaṇa-s, let us see an example of an Akṣara-gaṇa-vṛtta called Indravajrā which is defined as –

‘स्यादिन्द्रवज्रा यदि तौ जगौ गः’

‘It is Indravajra metre if there are two Ta gaṇa-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 |’

मात्रावृत्तम् || The metres based on mātrā-s

Mātrā-vṛtta-s are those metres which are governed by the number of mātrā-s in each pāda. For example, a mātrā-vṛtta 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.

Ārya is an important mātrā-vṛtta. Its definition is given as follows:

‘यस्याः प्रथमे पादे द्वादश मात्रास्तथा तृतीयेऽपि |

अष्टादश द्वितीये चतुर्थके पञ्चदश सार्या ||’

‘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 metre is found the Ṣaṭpadī Stotram by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. 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.

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

References

1.Chandomañjarī, Gangadasa, ed. Brahmananda Tripathi, Chaukhambha Surbharati Prakashan, Varanasi

2.Chandoracanā, Madhav Patvardhan, Karnatak Publishing house, Mumbai, 1937

3.Aṣṭādhyāyī, Panini, Chaukhambha Surbharati Prakashan, 2015