Chhanda and alankara

The essentials

छन्दः (metre) is the fixed pattern of syllables in a verse. A verse (श्लोकः) normally has four पादाः (quarters). Each syllable is लघु (light, marked I) or गुरु (heavy, marked S). Syllables are grouped in threes into eight गणाः, remembered by the sūtra यमाताराजभानसलगाः. अलङ्कारः (figure of speech) is what adorns poetry — by sound (शब्दालङ्कारः) or by meaning (अर्थालङ्कारः).

Key points

• A syllable is गुरु if its vowel is long, or if a short vowel is followed by a conjunct consonant, anusvāra or visarga; the last syllable of a pāda may be treated as guru.
• Gaṇas: य ISS, म SSS, त SSI, र SIS, ज ISI, भ SII, न III, स IIS.
• अनुष्टुप् (श्लोकः): 8 syllables per pāda; the 6th is guru and the 5th laghu in every pāda; the 7th is laghu in pādas 2 and 4 and guru in pādas 1 and 3.
• इन्द्रवज्रा (11): त त ज ग ग. उपेन्द्रवज्रा (11): ज त ज ग ग. वंशस्थम् (12): ज त ज र.
• वसन्ततिलका (14): त भ ज ज ग ग. मालिनी (15): न न म य य, pause after 8 and 7.
• मन्दाक्रान्ता (17): म भ न त त ग ग, pauses after 4, 6, 7 — the metre of मेघदूतम्. शिखरिणी (17): य म न स भ ल ग.
• शार्दूलविक्रीडितम् (19): म स ज स त त ग, pause after 12 and 7. स्रग्धरा (21): म र भ न य य य.
• अनुप्रासः: repetition of the same consonant sounds. यमकम्: the same group of letters repeated with different meanings. श्लेषः: one word with two meanings at once.
• उपमा: comparison of two different things with four parts — उपमेयम् (thing compared), उपमानम् (standard), साधारणधर्मः (common quality), वाचकशब्दः (इव, यथा, वत्, सदृशः). Example: मुखं चन्द्र इव सुन्दरम्.
• रूपकम्: the subject is identified with the standard (अभेदः), without इव — मुखं चन्द्रः (the face is the moon).
• उत्प्रेक्षा: imagining the subject as the standard, signalled by मन्ये, शङ्के, ध्रुवम्, नूनम्.
• अर्थान्तरन्यासः: a particular statement supported by a general truth, or the reverse.

Exam tips

• To find a metre, count syllables in one pāda first; then mark laghu–guru and split into gaṇas.
• If इव/यथा shows similarity, think उपमा; if the two are declared identical, think रूपक.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting that a short vowel before a conjunct becomes guru (the अ in पक्व is guru).