1. Chandas, the science of rhythm

chandahino na śabdo'asti na śabda chandasvarjita/^[1]

Bharata has rightly observed that, there is no word without rhythm and no rhythm without words.

From the time unknown, in Indian tradition, Knowledge has been preserved by memorizing the mantras and passing it down from generation to generation in oral format. Pupils learned from their preceptors by chanting and memorizing the mantras. It is seen that anything in lyrical form is easier to be memorized. For this sole reason, most of the portions of our scriptures are written in verse form. In the Nirukta of Yāṣka it is quoted from some Brāhmaṇa—nācchandasivāguccārati, meaning, one cannot even pronounce anything without meter.^[2] Therefore, one can observe that there is hardly any mantra that can be found in the Vedas which are bereft of chandas. All the mantras of Ṛgveda and Sāmaveda which are also known as ṛcās are written in the form of stanzas. Even the mantras of the Yayurveda, which have been written in the form of prose, are not devoid of chandas.

In the Aitareya Āraṇyaka the word chandas has been derived as—

chādayanti ha vā evaṃ chandāṃsi pāpātkarmaṇo yasyāṃ kasyāñciddiśi kāmayate ya evametacchandassāṃ chandastvaṃ veda.^[3]

The term chandas is derived from the root chād which means to cover up.^[4] So, chandas are the coverings by which Vedas remain enveloped and intact. Hence, chandas help in memorizing voluminous texts while chanting, and thus serving in preserving the ancient scriptures intact. Therefore, chandas has been rightly counted in the list of the six vedāṅgas (the other five being śikṣā, kalpa, vyākaraṇa, nirukta and jyotiṣa), which helps in comprehending the Vedas. Going forth to this conception Pāṇinīyaśikṣā metaphorically symbolized chandas with the feet of the Vedas, as the entire body of the Veda is supposed to be resting on chandas.

Cf.,

chandaḥ pādau tu vedasya hastau kalpo’tha paṭhyate/
jyotiṣāmayanaṃ cakṣurniruktaṃśrotramucyate//
śikṣā ghrāṇaṃ tu vedasya mukhaṃ vyākaraṇaṃ smṛtaṃ/
tasmād sāṅgamadhītyaiva brahmaloke mahīyate//^[5]

On the other hand, in the field of classical Sanskrit, the greatest ever grammarian Pāṇini has observed that the word chandas has been derived from the root cand meaning pleasure, while he says, candayatihlādayatiitichandasḥ and canderādeścachaḥ.

Now, if in the Vedas the chief objective of the mantras is to please the deity during oblation, the chanting of the mantras perfectly is undoubtedly the chief medium of pleasing the deities. In this regard the importance of chandas and its mode of offering pleasure can be realized.

A close look at the human life cycle leads us to the realization that human life has been abound with rhythm. From our childhood we knowingly or unknowingly are drawn towards the soothing aura of rhythmic composition. From the cradlesongs and lullabies, to the nursery rhymes taught in the primary education, from the festive songs that rejuvenate the human spirits to the offering of oblation to the country and the eulogies of the martyrs, the prayers and hymns in every religion to even the melancholic mourning-everything possess rhythm. Music and rhythm, indeed, has engulfed our lives in its every phase from an embryo in the womb to the demise of the being.

Now, we have the science of measuring this rhythm or chandas in our tradition. Piṅgala is ascribed as the pioneer to have composed the chandas-śāstra. Let us observe how to scale or measure a padya on the basis of chandas-es in the following: mātrikasyacaturbhāgapādaityabhidhīyate-If a padya (mātrika) is divided into four quarters then every quarter is termed as pāda or foot. Again, padya can be divided into two-vṛtta and jāti. The measurement based on the number of syllables or akṣara is called a vṛtta; on the other hand if a poem is measured based on mātrā or Mora, it would be termed as jāti.

Cf.—

padyaṃ catuṣpadi tacca vṛttaṃ jātiriti dvidhā/
vṛttamakṣarasaṃkhyātaṃ jātirmātrākṛtā bhavet//^[6]

This vṛtta is further subdivided into three types, viz. Samavṛtta, Ardhasamavṛtta and Viṣamavṛtta. If a verse has got equal number of syllables in every quarter, then it is named as Samavṛtta; in the Ardhasamavṛtta type of meter, the even quarters and the odd quarters are filled with same number of syllables; and in the Viṣamavṛtta type of meter, all the quarters contain different numbers of syllables.

Cf.

samamardhasamaṃ vṛttaṃ viṣamañceti tat tridhā/
samaṃ samacatuṣpādaṃ bhavatyardhasamaṃ punaḥ//
ādistṛtīyavad yasya pādasturyo dvitīyavat/
bhinnacihnacatuṣpādaṃ viṣamaṃ parikīrttitaṃ//^[7]

On the other hand, a mātrā or mora is measured by the time taken in pronouncing a letter. These letters may be divided into ekamātrā, dvimātrā or trimātrā. It should be mentioned here that the term mātrā also means measurement. Again, based on the number of mātrā, jāti type of chandas can be divided into three clusters, viz. Āryā, Vaitāliya and Mātrāsamaka.

There are ten letters as the gaṇas recommended in the tradition of our chandasśāstra for scaling the verses to determine the meters. Those are-ma, ya, ra, sa, ta, ja, bha, na, ga and la. Gaṅgādāsa opined that just as Viṣṇu is pervading the entire universe these letters too are encompassing all the chandass.^[8]

These gaṇas have been described by Gaṅgādāsa in a beautiful poem as:

mastrigurūstrilaghuścanakāro bhādiguruḥ punarādilaghuryaḥ/
jo gurumadhyagato ralamadhyaḥ so’ntaguruḥ kathito’ntalaghustaḥ//
gurureko gakārastu lakāro laghurekakaḥ/^[9]

Now, to understand the meaning of the poem a list of the gaṇas can be stated below–

ma:—	‘- - -’
na:—	‘⏑ ⏑ ⏑’
bha:—	‘- ⏑ ⏑’
ya:—	‘⏑ - -’
ja:—	‘⏑ - ⏑’
ra:—	‘- ⏑ -’
sa:—	‘⏑ ⏑ -’
ta:—	‘- - ⏑’
ga:—	‘-’
la:—	‘⏑’

In the above, we have taken the symbol ‘-’ for denoting long syllable or guruvarṇa,and ‘⏑’ to represent laghuvarṇa or short syllable. Thus it can be stated that ma-gaṇa has three guru varṇas, na-gaṇa has three laghuvarṇas, bha-gaṇa consists three syllables having the former a guruvarṇa and so on. Again while reciting a poem; narrating it at a stretch in a single breadth degrades the essence and beauty of the poem. Therefore, a short respite is necessary to exhibit the inner approaches. This further helps in maintaining the rhythm intact. This short respite is called a yati or a caesura. This yati or caesura is a natural pause of the tongue while reciting.

Therefore, Gaṅgādāsa has rightly said,

yatirjihveṣṭaviśrāmasthānaṃkavibhirūcyate|^[10]

The yati or pause has been shown in the following at the time of scanning the verses with the symbol ‘║’. The number of letters after which a pause is occurred differs from meter to meter. There are certain words denoting the number of syllables. In the following a table has been drawn to show the words denoting the number of letters:

Number of Syllables	Words used in the definition
One	bhū, dharā, vasudhā, bhūmi, avani, indu
Two	pakṣa
Three	netra, anala, śikhi, hutavaha, rāma
Four	veda, samudra, ambudhi, abdhi, yuga
Five	bāṇa, śara
Six	ṛtu, rasa, ripu, guṇa, vipakṣa, kāla, ari, vedāṅga
Seven	sūryāśva, aśva, haya, loka, muni, gaṇa, naga, bhūmidhara, dharādhara, ṛṣi, samudra
Eight	vasu, sarpa, bhogī
Nine	graha, aṅka, randhra
Ten	dik, āśā
Eleven	rudra
Twelve	sūrya, āditya

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nāṭyaśāstra, XV.42

[2]:

Nirukta, as quoted in Vaidikavāṅmayasyetihāsa, by Acharya Jagadish Chandra Mishra, Chaukhamba Surabharati Prakashan, Varanasi,2002

[3]:

The Aitareya Āraṇyaka, Published by Keith, Arther Berriedale, Oxford, At the Clarendon Press,1909, p.105

[4]:

chandāṅsi chādanāt/ Nirukta of Yāska, VII.12

[5]:

Pāniṇiyaśikṣā,verse-41,42

[6]:

I.4, p.3

[7]:

Chandomañjarī, I.5,6, p.4

[8]:

myarastajabhnagairlāntairebhirakṣaraiḥ/ samastaṃ vaṅmayaṃ vyāptaṃ trailokyamiva viṣṇunā// Chandomañjarī, I.7, p. 4

[9]:

I.8, p.5,6

[10]:

p.14