All the Oil is Mine

I saw a person wearing a t-shirt with the following label:

all the oil is for US

The final capitalization is a pun and indeed changes the meaning of the whole phrase. It changes the possession of oil from mankind to the United States. I wonder how fair is this view, especially when American economy depends badly on developing and under-developed nations.

Dedicating a Book

I found this dedication very emotional and subjective. It was quite different from the run-of-the-mill dedication to wife and boss. This dedication appears in "Cascading Style Sheets: the definitive guide," Eric Meyer, O'reilly Publishers.

Dedication

In memory of my mother, Carol, for all the things she taught me.

And to my daughter, Carolyn, for all the things she has yet to teach me.

That man is poor because

Every now and then, the socialist inside me kicks my thoughts and I wonder that the capitalists and their ideas have really taken this world into a carcass like situation. If only socialists were not anti-religious and atheists in their central philosophy, I would have had deep support for them. A beautiful song from the movie Aarti, penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, composed by Roshan and rendered by Lata, focusses on the poor vs rich tussles.

bane ho ek Khaak se to duur kya qariib kyaa
lahuu ka ra.Ng ek hai amiir kyaa Gariib kyaa

wahii hai jaa.N wahii hai tan kahaa.N talak chhupaaoge
pahan ke reshamii liibaas tum badal na jaaoge
ke ek zaat hai.n sabhii to baat hai ajiib kyaa

*Gariib hai wo isliye* ke tum amiir ho gaye
ke ek baad_shaah hu_aa to sau fakiir ho gaye
Khataa ye hai samaaj kii bhalaa buraa nasiib kyaa

jo ek ho to kyuu.N na phir dilo.n kaa dard baa.NT lo
labo.n kii pyaas baa.NT lo, ruuho.n kii dard baa.NT lo
^lagaa lo sabako tum gale, habiib kyaa raqiib kyaa!^

Footnote:

* Forms the title of the post
^ It has a striking similarity to the philosophy of Bhakta Prahlad treatise in Shri Vishnu Puran.

Poem on child Krishna

baalagopaalaaShTakaM

yashodaasutaM naagaraM nandalaalaM |
vrajaikapriyaM puutanaariShTakaalaM ||
sudaamaadimitraM gale puShpamaalaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 1 ||

kalaadhaamaruupaM priyaaveshabhuupaM |
lalaaTe sukeshasya gu~mchhaM priyeshaM ||
prabhaabhaasadediipyapaathodadehaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 2 ||

pramaade viShaade prahaare prasannaM |
kuduHkhe kudeshe kumaase praharShaM ||
kudoShasya maanasya darpasya naashaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 3 ||

kapolaa~ngaka_mjaM manobhaavaramyaM |
giraatiitaruupaM paraM komalaa~ngaM ||
shivaM maadhavaM keshavaM ka~mjanetraM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 4 ||

praviiNaM naviinaM prasannaM prabuddhaM |
aha~nkaaranaashaM sukhaagaaradhaamaM ||
papaataprakaamiikupaapasya naashaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 5 ||

muraare bhayaare kharaare smaraare |
.asuraare mahaamokshadaatre jayesha ||
vichaare sukarme sudharme praviShTaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 6 ||

virMchikshamaadaM priyagvaalabaalaM |
sudhaataanveNuM sadaashiiladhenuM ||
kshamaadaM sudhaadaM shrutiGYaanagehaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 7 ||

sadaasarvaramyaM sadaachaarutiitaM |
mahaaharShadaM komalaM shiitalaM taM ||
subhaktapramodaM ramaachihnavakshaM |
bhaje.ahaM sadaa kRRiShNagopaalabaalaM || 8 ||

~Bhaaluu

MEANING

1) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who is son of Yashoda, is naughty, and is dear to Nanda, Who is the dearest to whole of Vraj, Who is the slayer of demons like Puutna and Arishtasur, Who is the dear friend of Sudama and other cowboys, and Who has a beautiful garland around His neck.

2) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Whose appearance is the abode of art Herself, Whose dear ornation is like the crown amongst ornations, Who has beautiful tresses sprawled on forehead, and Whose cloud-color body is shining as if being illuminated by light.

3) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who makes (me) happy during bad fate, unhappiness and attack, Who stirs bliss in unhappines, bad places and bad times, and Who slays viciousness like faults, anger, pride and blown-up prestige.

4) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who has cheeks and organs like a new lotus, Who is continuous engagement for mind and emotions, Whose appearance is beyond the scope of description, Who is supreme, Who has soft and beautiful body, Who is bestows bliss, Who slayed Madhu and Keshi, and Whose eyes are like beautiful lotuses.

5) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who is perfect, Who is always new, Who is happy, Who is wise, Who is slayer of pride, Who is abode of bliss, and Who is destroyer of fallen, desirous and sinners.

6) I salute You, O slayer of Mur, O fear absolver, O slayer of Khar, O destroyer of desire, O destroyer of demons, O salvation bestower! I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who is present in my thoughts, my deeds, and my dharma.

7) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who gave mercy to Brahma, Who is a dear cowboy, Who holds a flute which emanates nectar for ears, Who has cows which are always serene, Who forgives everyone, Who blesses us with His nectar like devotion, and Who is abode of all knowledge.

8) I always sing hymns of Krishna, the young cowherd rearer, Who is always enticing, Who is more beautiful than beautiful, Who provides incessant bliss, Who is soft hearted, Who is serene, Who is happiness for His devotees, and Who is adorned by a mark of Laxmi on His chest.

* * * * *

Chhanda: bhuja~ngaprayaata
Poet: Bhaaluu

``Eighteen,'' ``Slim,'' and ``Beautiful''

Disclaimer: The resemblance of the thoughts in this blog to any person, living or dead, is purely co-incidental. This post is a fiction. Some people had confusion that the ``I'' in the post is the author. It is not so. Please refrain from attaching it personally to me.

``Eighteen'', ``Slim'', and ``Beautiful''

I am looking for a girl and her description is clear from the title: eighteen, slim, and beautiful. Most will think I am interested in a girl for party time or for dating and outing frenzy or for sweet seductive moments in a personal corner of this world. Neither of these three nor their relative like ideas are correct. Then what do I really want?

``Eighteen'' means forever young. The soul was never born, nor shall it die. Then counting its age is a futile exercise. Eighteen is the age of a body and is fleeting as a fly; it was used however, to signify a bubbling youth character into the person. Her soul should be expressing with ever more cheerful activities on her body. That is what I meant by eighteen.

``Slim'' means lacking ego, pride, jealousy, and other such vicious characteristics which impede peace in mind. A slim body looses it charm in a few months if not days. But a person slim of viciousness continues to charm, amaze, and remain great throughout life; perhaps even beyond.

``Beautiful'' means skin-deep beauty. Outward beauty is nice, but inward beauty is bliss. Saying inward beauty as bliss is underplaying its role; it is eternal bliss from every standpoint. Without inward beauty the outward one loses its magic in a few moments. But with inward beauty, outward beauty is amplified, glorified, and takes the person to unsurpassable heights.

I hope, I am not misleading anymore and someone eighteen, slim, and beautiful is around and near; very near.

Answer to last week's quiz

Paul Erdös was a great mathematician. His paper count exceeds that of Euler and is considered as one of the greatest mathematicians (rightly so). All the co-authors of Paul Erdös have Erdös-number (EN from now) as one. If a person does not has paper with Erdös, but has paper with an author with EN one, that person has an EN two. This procedure moves ahead imparting EN to everyone. If you don't qualify for a finite EN, I am unsure about the answer. Infinity seems to be the most sensible answer.

Web resources on Paul Erdös:

More on EN and finding it out: http://www.oakland.edu/enp/

Quote from fellow mathematicians:

Never, mathematicians say, has there been an individual like Paul Erdös. He was one of the century's greatest mathematicians, who posed and solved thorny problems in number theory and other areas and founded the field of discrete mathematics, which is the foundation of computer science. He was also one of the most prolific mathematicians in history, with more than 1,500 papers to his name. And, his friends say, he was also one of the most unusual.

Biography: http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Erdos.html

PS: Some day, I will post some jokes from his life.

Chhanda or measured poetry: 7

|| shriihariH ||

Recap

The previous posts discussed counting syllables, parsing sentences in sanskrit into syllables, making regular or irregular patterns of syllables to form various types of poetry, and highlighted examples. This post will discuss some exceptions to the rules and other advanced issues.

yati: Pause

yati is a place in a charaNa where recitation should be paused (momentarily). This requires the word preceding yati to end at its location. There are certain chhanda which exclusively place restriction on pause-location. However, some philosophers and poets have ignored yati and thus following this notion is optional. Some poets don't agree to this notion while others do. First, a chhanda with a yati will be exemplified. Then an exception to yati will be presented.

Example of yati:

The chhanda maalinii has the following syllable pattern in each charaNa with a pause, termination of word, at the hyphen

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 - 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2.

An example of maalinii chhanda is as follows. For convenience yati has been marked with a hyphen:

atulitabaladhaamaM - haimashailaabhadehaM |
danujavanakRRishaanuM - GYaaninaamagragaNyaM ||
sakalaguNanidhaanaM - vaanaraaNaamadhiishaM |
raghupatipriyabhaktaM - vaatajaataM namaami ||

Goswami Tulsidas, ``Ramcharitmanas''

A counterexample to observing pause at the end of a charaNa, for example, is from saMkaShTanaashanaM stotraM:

bhuja~ngeshatalpeshayaayaarkachandra-
dvinetraaya tasmai nataaH smo nataaH smaH |

There should have been a termination of word at the hyphen but the rule has not been observed. There are more examples of non-observance of yati which this post will not exemplify.

Allowed exceptions

Consider the charaNa from bhavaanyaShTakaM which is in the bhuja~ngaprayaata chhanda:

gatistvaM gatistvaM tvamekaa bhavaani |

According to the chhanda-rule, the charaNa should parse as {1 2 2} X 4. However, the charaNa parses as 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 1. That is, the last syllable is short instead of long. Recall that whole motivation behind chhanda-poetry was to make poems tunable. A short syllable in the end can be stressed while singing and hence it can act as long even though it was short. Thus, the following exception is allowed

The last syllable of any charaNa is flexible to be short or long

Creating personal exceptions

As the motivation discussed, the intention of chhanda-poetry is to make the songs tunable. Once you fix the syllable pattern, there can be tough to pronounce charaNa in proper pattern and there can be a tunable charaNa with one error in the metric structure. For example, the following perfect poetry pattern is a tongue teaser:

kadaMbakumkumadravata praliptadigvadhumukhe |,

Ravan, ``Shivatandavastotra''

while the following syllable wise imperfect poetry can be sung just as nicely as any paMchachaamara chhanda:

nikaama *shyaama sundaraM |
bhavaaMbunaatha mandaraM |

Tulsidas, ``Sriramcharitmanas''

The location of the syllable error has been starred. Based on personal discussions, the author recommends to deviate from rules, not more than once in each pada, if it does not impedes the recitation or if it enhances recitation. Impediment is personal opinion, however, to make poetry timeless, it is very important that this subjective personal opinion be true for the avid readers.

maatrik chhanda

The curious reader must have noticed the omission of maatrika chhanda, the chhanda with constant number of syllables in each charaNa. The concepts remain the same, except that the syllable lengths are omitted from consideration. It is, in some sense, weaker form of poetry.

Moric chhanda

There are many chhanda which allow for a long syllable to be replaced by two short syllables. These chhanda are many. However, one should take extreme precaution in treating a chhanda as a moric-chhanda. For example, a paMchachaamara chhanda should not be used as a moric chhanda. Some classic examples from chhanda having this flexibility in syllable weights are:

shriiraamachandra kRRipaalu bhaja -
mana harana bhava-bhaya-daaruNaM |
navakanjalochana kanjamukha -
karakanja padakanjaaruNaM ||

Tulsidas, ``Vinaypatrika''

satyaM GYaanamanantaM -
nityamanaakaashaM paramaakaashaM |
goShThapraa~ngaNari~ngaNalola-
manaayaasaM paramaayaasaM ||
maayaakalpitanaanaakarama-
naakaaraM bhuvanaakaaraM |
kshmaayaanaathamanaathaM pranamat.h-
govindaM paramaanandaM ||

Adi Shankaracharya, ``Govindashtakam''

In Retrospect

It was great to emphasize and illustrate various types of chhanda, in slight depth, to my blog readers. The author is thankful to all the readers, and especially the ones who provided feedback. Hope to hear more from you in future.

|| shriihariH ||

Chhanda or measured poetry: 6

|| shriihariH ||

Recap

The previous posts finished the review of parsing sentences, sama-chhanda, and ardha-sama-chhanda. In this post viShama-chhanda will be discussed.

viShama-chhanda: difficult structures

A chhanda with all four charaNa having different syllable pattern is called as viShama-chhanda. It is simplest to define, and perhaps write, but it is hardest to conceive. Note that viShama-chhanda differs drastically from free verse. Free verse has no rules; viShama-chhanda has rules, albeit rules are different for different charaNa. Finally, relative charaNa in different pada follow the same rule. Thus, free verse should not be confused with viShama-chhanda. Personally, the author has had no experience in writing viShama-chhanda, hence the artisitic and recital structure of viShama-chhanda are not demystified in this post.


Since each charaNa has its own metric structure, it is best to summarize a viShama-chhanda by its syllable structure in numeric notation.

1) aapiiDa

The aapiiDa chhanda has the following numeric structure:

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

In absence of a known example to this chhanda, the author is extemporing an example by Lord's inspiration.

Example:

sulalitavanamaalaM |
karakalitakamalamatiramyaM ||
bhujagapati anujamamitachhavibaalaM |
tribhuvanahRRidayakamalahitamadhukaravaravande ||

Bhaaluu

Note: A simple variation to aapiiDa is by shifting the location of the shortest charaNa to second, third, and fourth positions. These are called as kalikaa, lavalii, and amRRitadhaaraa.

Conclusions

There are very little number of viShama-chhanda compared to the other two types. The topic of classification of chhanda along with examples is finished. The next post will discuss advanced topics on chhanda. These include the notion of pauses, making exceptions to the rules, breaking the rules, etc.

(Hard) Quiz of the week

What is an Erdös number?

Remark: pronounce Erdös as ur-dish (u as in but). Avoid using google.

Titbits From Tuesday

I went to San Francisco for a short while with the intent of shopping. Some incidents are worth sharing:

1. I could not find a dress pant or a dress shirt of my size. All those who think I am fat are heavily mistaken. The minimum sizes were little large for me.
   
2. I finally picked a shirt and took it to the counter. After the storekeeper gave me the receipt, I was taken aback; I read the receipt description ``women shirt.'' I asked, ``Is this shirt for women? It looks like a men's shirt.'' She replied, ``O yes, this is women's.'' I again checked the collar, the button style, and wondered. Just then the storekeeper chipped in, ``The receipt says woven and not women.''
3. I entered a Macys store and I started looking for a men's corner. Later I found that it was completely for women's. Poor bhaaluu got lost inside a women's store.
   
4. I saw a street side beggar. His board read, ``Ever been unlucky.'' Isn't it true that everyone has had a bad fate at some point in time. According to the philosophy I believe in, everyone, except incarnation, is born due to bad fate.
   
5. I saw at least 10,000 car on my way back. I wonder how much air do we pollute, how much fuel do we burn, and how much heat do we generate each day. No wonder earth is warming up every day.

That's all for today. Have a great wednesday.

Chhanda or measured poetry: 5

shriihariH

May Lord give me enough strength to survive the loser-like-blogspot-programming.

Recap

The last posts discussed the notion of parsing sentences into syllables, the various classes of syllable patterns used in sanskrit poetry, and the vaarNika sama-chhanda. This post will explore the ardha-sama-chhanda.

ardha-sama-chhanda: alternating patterns

Recall that a chhanda with two different syllable patterns, one for first and third charaNa, and two for second and fourth charaNa is called as ardha-sama-chhanda. Flexibility with rules adds flexibility and diversity in creation. However, it is not clear to the author if these flexibilities have any artistical, viz., recital and musical, impacts.

1) anuShTupa (anuShTubha)

If all the charaNa have eight syllables each, the first and third charaNa have fifth, sixth and seventh syllable as 1 2 2, the second and the fourth charaNa have fifth, sixth and seventh syllable as 1 2 1 then the chhanda is called anuShTupa. It is helpful to understand this rule mathematically. Let * be an optional, long or short, syllable. Then the first and third charaNa have the syllable pattern * * * * 1 2 2 *; the second and fourth charaNa have the syllable pattern * * * * 1 2 1 *.

Examples:

yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya
glaanirbhavati bhaarata |
abhyutthaanamadharymasya
tadaatmaanaM sRRijaamyahaM ||

Krishna, ``Srimadbhagavatagita''

ma~ngalaM bhagavaan.h viShNuH
ma~ngalaM garuDadhwajaH |
ma~ngalaM puNDariikaakshaH
ma~ngalaayatano hariH ||

Author Unknown, ``Source unknown''

na tvevaahaM jaatu naasaM
na tvaM neme janaadhipaaH |
na chaiva na bhaviShyaamaH
sarve vayamataH paraM ||

Krishna, ``Srimadbhagvatgita''

Note: This chhanda forms the backbone of most Sanskrit epics. There are some lesser used variants of anuShTupa chhanda as well. For example, the simplest one restricts all the charaNa to have fifth syllable as short, i.e., it is a sama-chhanda with syllable pattern * * * * 1 * * *. The meaning of last shloka is in Quote 2.

2) aakyaanakii

This chhanda is made up of upendravajraa and indravajraa charaNa. upendravajraa is 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 while indravajraa is 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 2. The aakhyanakii chhanda alternates between both of them. If the alternation is reversed, the chhanda is called vipariit-aakhyaanakii, opposite of aakhyaanakii. Examples follow.

Examples:

karpuuragauraM karuNaavataaraM
saMsaarasaaraM bhujagendrahaaraM |
sadaa vasante hRRidayaaravinde
bhavaM bhavaanii sahitaM namaami ||

Author unknown, ``Source unknown''

shriikRRiShNa govinda hare muraare
he naath naaraayaNa vaasudeva |
jihve pibasvaamRRitametadeva
govinda daamodara maadhaveti || 1 ||
sukhaavasaane tvidameva saaraM
duHkhaavasaane tvidameva geyaM|
dehaavasaane tvidameva jaapyaM
govinda daamodara maadhaveti || 2 ||

Bilwa Mangal, ``Govinda Damodarastotra''

Note: The Govinda Damodarastotra is one of the longest stotra the author has come across. It is really a wonderful piece of poetry and a must read. ||1|| includes the famos ``shrii kRRiShNa hare muraare'' aarti for Lord Vishnu.

Comments

The next post will discuss a few viShama chhanda, the hardest one to conceive of. Then we will discuss a few advanced topics, like exceptions to rules, the notion of a pause during recitation, when to make an exception in chhanda rules, and so on.

Chhanda or measured poetry: 4

|| shriihariH ||

Recap

The last post initiated discussions on vaarNika-sama-chhanda and this post will review more of the same kind.

Sama Chhanda: More Examples

4) stragviNii

This is the first chhanda that wasn't mentioned before. If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is {2 1 2} X 4, it is called as stragviNii chhanda. Very beautiful poems are present in this very regular meter, which oscillates between long and short syllables. A few examples follow:

Example(s):

achyutaM keshavaM raamanaaraayaNaM |
kRRiShNadaamodaraM vaasudevaM hariM ||
shriidharaM maadhavaM gopikaavallabhaM |
jaanakiinaayakaM raamcha.NdraM bhaje ||

Adi Shankaracharya, ``Achyutashtakam''

aadidevaM jagatkaaraNaM shriidharaM |
lokanaathaM vibhuM vyaapakaM shankaraM ||
sarvabhakteShTadaM muktidaM maadhavaM |
satyanaaraayaNaM viShNumiishaM bhaje ||

Author Unknown, ``Satyanaarayanashtakam''

Note: Both the poems follow the same case of noun, adorning Lord with adjectives, and terminate in the verb bhaje. Also, the devotees will notice that, Achyutashtakam is a nice intermingling of adjectives for Raam, Krishna, and Vishnu.

5) mandaakraantaa
If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2, the chhanda is called as mandaakraantaa. The word mandaakraantaa is composed of two words, viz, manda and aakraanta, which means slow and fast, respectively. The {1 2 2} X 3 tail is the aakraanta part while the beginning is the manda part.

Example:

shaantaakaaraM bhujagashayanaM -*
padmanaabhaM sureshaM |
vishvaadhaaraM gaganasadRRishaM-
meghavarNaM shubhangaM ||
lakshmiikaantaM kamalanayanaM-
yogibhirdhyaanagamyaM |
vande viShNuM bhavabhayaharaM-
sarvalokaikanaathaM ||

Sri Ved Vyasa, ``Vishnusahastranaam stotra''

Note: This example is one of the most popular dhyaan or meditation on Sri Vishnu.

6) tuuNaka
If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2, i.e., eight 2 and seven 1 alternating, the chhanda is called as tuuNaka. Notice its huge similarity with the paMchachaamara or vibhaavarii chhanda. As the reader expects, this chhanda boasts an exceptionally fast rendition or chanting.

Example:

dharmasetupaalakaM tvadharmamaarganaashakaM |
karmapaashamochakaM susharmadaayakaM vibhuM ||
swarNavarNasheShapaashashobhitaa~ngamaNDalaM |
kaashikaapuraadhinaathakaalabhairavaM bhaje ||

Author Unknown, ``Kaal-Bhairavashtakam''

Comments

Examples of sama-chhanda are endless and this post may have stirred the enthusiast's mind for further discovery. Next, ardha-sama-chhanda will be discussed which boasts of the most widely chhanda called anuShTupa or shloka chhanda. The popular chhanda may be summarized in a table or list in lexicographic order in a later post.

Footnote

* Apologies for the width restriction in blog. Each charaNa has been broken into two for fitting. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Apologies

Sometimes the comment services are not available. I apologise for the same. I wish there was an easier way out to all this. Keep your comments safe and do remember to post them again. Thanks a lot,

Best
B

Chhanda or measured poetry: 3

|| shriihariH ||

Recap

In the past two posts, the notion of parsing a sentence into long and short syllables (Click here), and various classifications of chhanda that are prevalent in the literature (Click here) were reviewed. In this post, the simplest form of chhanda, the vaarNika-sama-chhanda, is discussed in huge detail.

Warning

This post and onwards is very technical and perseverance is needed to master the ideas discussed.

Sama Chhanda: Definition and Examples

Recall that a chhanda is composed of pada or feet, and each pada has four charaNa. If each charaNa or foot has identical syllable rule, it is called as a (vaarNika) sama-chhanda.

Classically, books discuss the chhanda in increasing number of syllables in every charaNa. This post breaks this pattern and present the ideas in a non-classical manner. Personal appreciation of poetry suggests that examples help a lot in understanding the theory. Further, good examples motivate a person to write creatively. With these two views in mind, this post presents the material non-classically. Chhanda like naarii (with each charaNa rule as 2 2) fail to impress the beginner.

A few examples of sama-chhanda follow:

1) paMchachaamara or vibhaavarii
If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is {1 2} X 4 or {1 2} X 8, it is called as paMchachaamara or vibhaavarii chhanda. One example was highlighted in a previous post. A few more examples are given below. The reader is urged to verify the rules and notice exceptions if any. If exceptions are noted, then try to sing the poem and observe if the violation of rules obstructs the pronunciation in any manner. This point will be discussed after the treatment of the subject in retrospect.

Example(s):

namaami bhaktavatsalaM |
kRRipaalu shiil komalaM ||
bhajaami te padaaMbujaM |
akaaminaaM swadhaamadaM ||

G.~Tulsidasa, ``Raamcharitmanas: Aranya kaaND''

muraarikaayakaalimaalalaamavaaridhaariNii |
tRRiNikRRitatriviShTapaa trilokashokahaariNii ||
manonukuulakuulaku~mjapu~mjadhuutadurmadaa |
dhunotu me manomalaM kalindanandinii sadaa ||

Adi~Shankaracharya, ``Sri-Yamunashtakam''

jaTaataviigalajjala pravaahapaavitasthale
galevalambyalambitaaM bhujangatungamallikaaM |
DamaDDamaDDamaDDamanninaadamaDDamarvayaM
chakaaracha.nDataa.nDavaM tanotu naH shivashshivaM |

Ravan, ``Tandav Stotra''

Note: paMchachaamar is one of most dynamic chhanda for singing. Try reading the pada in fast speed and amaze yourself.

2) toTaka
If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is {1 1 2} X 4, it is called as totaka chhanda. One example was highlighted in a previous post. A few more examples are given below. As before, the reader is urged to verify the rules and notice exceptions if any.

Example(s):

jagadiish sudhiish bhavesh vibho |
paramesh paraatpar puut pitaH ||
praNataM patitaM hatabuddhibalaM |
janataaraNa taaraya taapitakaM ||

Author~Unknown, ``Parameshwarstotram''

viditaakhilashaastrasudhaajaladhe |
mahitopanishtkathitaarthanidhe ||
hRRidaye kamale vimalaM charaNaM |
bhava shankar deshik me sharaNaM ||

Totakacharya, ``Totakashtakam''

lalite kalite vanite sumukhi |
agade dhanade shubhade varade ||
dhanadhaanyakare vimale kamale |
jaya devi trilokamanaatmasukhe ||

Bhaaluu, ``lalitashtakam''

Note: toTaka is a serene chhanda for singing and is often used for ornate stutis.

3) bhuja~ngaprayaata

If the syllable pattern in each charaNa is {1 2 2} X 4, it is called as bhuja~ngaprayaata chhanda. As with toTaka and paMchachaamar one example was highlighted in a previous post. A few more examples are given below. Please verify the rules and notice exceptions if any.

Example(s):

na taato na maataa na bandhurna daataa |
na putro na putrii na bhRRityo na bhartaa ||
na jaayaa na vidyaa na vRRittirmamaiva |
gatistvaM gatistvaM tvamekaa bhavaani ||

Adi Shankaracharya, ``Bhavanyashtakam''

bhajehaM sadaa raamamindiivaraabhaM |
bhavaaraNyadaavaanalaabhaabhidhaanaM ||
bhavaaniihRRidaa bhaavitaanandaruupaM |
bhavaabhaavahetuM bhavaadiprapannaM ||

Indra, ``Sriramastotram''

Note: bhuja~ngaprayaata is a dynamic chhanda with a lot of stress on long syllables. Often it is used for praying to Shiva. This chhanda has an interesting story behind it. Once Garuda decided to devor on Sheshnaag. Sheshnaag, who incarnated as Pingala and formalized chhanda-poetry for the first time, tried to escape into water but Garuda held Him in claws. Sheshnaag promised to tell Garuda the treatise on chhanda, arguing that this theory will disappear with Him, on a condition: If Sheshnaag announces and leaves into water, Garuda should accept defeat. During the course of lecture, Sheshnaag said ``bhuja~ngaprayaataM'' two times and left into water. ``bhuja~ngaprayaataM'' is the name of the chhanda discussed before, and it literally means "snake is leaving.'' Sheshnaag used this trick and defeated Garuda. Note that bhuja~ngaprayaataM has a syllable pattern of 1 2 2 1 2 2.

Final Remarks

Seeing the length of this post, more sama-chhanda will be discussed in next post.

Chhanda or measured poetry: 2

|| shriihariH ||

Recap

The notion of counting or assigning weights to syllables was discussed. Using the rules of counting, parsing a sentence into a string of 1 and 2, short and long respectively, was exemplified^.

Notation

A charaNa or a foot is a single measured sentence. A pada or a feet is a collection of four charaNa or four foot. Loosely speaking, a pada is like a stanza in most of the forms of poetry encountered in daily life except for the qualityless free-verse.

Chhanda: Definition and Classifications

As the title of the post suggests, chhanda means a piece of measured poetry. A poem in which every sentence is measured by syllables according to some pre-defined rule is called a chhanda. Primarily, there are two ways to measure poetry:

(a) If the number of syllables used is fixed, the chhanda is called as ``maatrik chhanda,'' which loosely means number-based-chhanda.

(b) If the values or weights or lengths of the syllables are fixed according to a certain rule, the chhanda is called as ``vaarNik chhanda,'' which loosely translates as syllable-based-chhanda.

One more classification is present in either type of chhanda. The measurement in the four charaNa of a pada can be varied and that leads to the following sub-classifications:

(a) sama or similar: If all the four charaNa are identical in measurement rule, it is called as sama-chhanda.

(b) ardha-sama or alteranating: If first and third, and second and fourth charaNa have identical measurement rules and the chhanda is not sama-chhanda, it is called as ardha-sama-chhanda.

(c) viShama or difficult: If all the four charaNa are different by measurement rule, it is called as viShama-chhanda.

As one expects, sama-chhanda is easiest to sing and tune while hardest to write. On the other hand, viShama-chhanda is on the other extreme. From previous post, we notice that bhuja~Ngaprayaat, paMchachaamara, and toTaka are sama-chhanda. In the next post, some examples of various types of chhanda will be discussed.

Footnote(s)

^ For those who don't know sanskrit alphabet, a post is coming up soon.

Chhanda or measured poetry: 1

|| shriihariH ||

Prerequisite

Knowledge of Hindi/Sanskrit alphabets.

Transliteration

All the Sanskrit-in-roman transliteration follow the iTrans scheme. Please visit www.aczoom.com/itrans for the transliteration table and www.aczoom.com/itrans/online for creating your own Sanskrit documents.

Motivation

The motivation behind ``measuring'' the sentences in a poem is to make it ``tunable'' to standard tunes. The concept and rules of measuring will be presented in this post. The prime motivation behind measurement is to make the poem tunable, i.e., its principle should be deeply rooted in the vocals or pronunciation of syllables. In Sanskrit, syllables, the fusion of a consonant and vowel, can be classified as short or long (1 or 2) according to the pronunciation time. Roughly, the pronunciation times for all long syllables are same and about twice as much of short syllables. The exact classification of long and short follows shortly. The reader must note that this is a unique ability of Sanskrit not present with other languages, for example, English.

Once the pronunciation time is fixed, pronunciation length of a sentence is synonymous with the pattern of syllables used. Thus the measurement in terms of pronunciation time creates a link, more technically mapping, between the singing time and the measured syllable lengths. This is a central idea in Sanskrit chhanda poetry. We now discuss the detailed rules of classifying syllables as short or long.

Long and Short Syllables

Essentially there are only two rules:

1) The vowels or the consonants following in the vowels a, i, u, and RRi are short or 1. All other vowels or the consonants following in these other vowels are long or 2.

2) If a consonant or vowel, either short or long, follows into an incomplete consonant, sanyukt-akshar, then the consonant or vowel together with the incomplete successor is considered long, regardless of whether it was short or long. For example: In viShNu, the syllable vi is short. However, it follows in Sh, an incomplete consonant. Thus, viSh is considered as a long syllable. Nu is short; thus viShNu is 2 1. Similarly, in kuurma, the syllable kuu is long and it follows in an incomplete consonant r; kuur according to the rule is a long syllable. Thus kuurma is again 2 1.

Parsing a Sentence

With the aforementioned rules, any sentence in Sanskrit can be parsed uniquely into a string of long and short symbols. For example,

jaya raama ramaa ramanaM samanaM

parses into

ja-ya-raa-ma-ra-maa-ra-ma-naM-sa-ma-naM

or

1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2

As another example, consider the famos ``Krishna-AshtakaM''

bhaje vrajaikamaNDanaM samastapaapakhaNDanaM

parses into

bha-jev-ra-jai-ka-maN-Da-naM-sa-mas-ta-paa-pa-khaN-Da-naM

or

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

Exercise

Parse and verify that the following from ``SankaShTanaashanaM Stotra''

namo matsyakuurmaadinaanaaswaruupaiH
sadaabhaktakaaryodyataayaartihantre

parses into

1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2
1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2.

Aside

Each pattern of long and short syllables is usually given a name. The {1 1 2} X 4 pattern is called toTaka, the {1 2} X 4 or {1 2} X 8 pattern is called paMchachaamara or vibhaavarii, and the {1 2 2} X 4 pattern is called bhuja~Ngaprayaata.

What next?

Next we will focus on definition of chhanda poetry and some examples.

Images of Sri-Raam: Ramcharitmanas:

The beginning of every chapter (kaaND) in Ramcharitmanas is a description of the image of Sri-Raam. This post presents these descriptions with the translations. The words of the poet, Tulsidas, are the colors, the chhanda is the canvas, and the woven words are the painting. The metaphors form the ornaments, and the devotion imparts animation to the imagery.

yanmaayavashvartti vishvama-*
khilaM brahmaadidevasuraa
yatsattvaadamRRiShaiva bhaati
sakalau rajjau yathaaherbhramaH |
yatpaadaplavamekameva hi
bhavaaMbodhestitiirShaavataaM
vandehaM tamasheShakaaraNa-
paraM raamaakhyamiishaM hariM ||

I revere Lord Hari, known by the name of Sri-Raam, who is superior to and lies beyond all causes, whose delusions sway the entire universe including gods from BrahmŒa (the Creator), downwards and demons, whose presence lends positive reality to the world of appearances, and whose feet are the only willow for those who are eager to cross the ocean of mundane existence.

prasannataaM yaa na gataabhiShekatastathaa
na mamle vanavaasaduHkhastathaa|
mukhaaMbujashrii raghunandanasya me
sadaastu saa manjulamangalapradaa ||

May Sri-Raam bring splendor and bliss in my life, Whose lotus like face is indifferent, i.e., which didn't become happy on the news of possession of the throne or didn't become sad due to the news of exile to dreary forests.

niilaaMbujashyaamakomalaa.ngaM
siitaasamaaropitavaamabhaagaM |
paaNau mahaasaayakachaaruchaapaM
namaami raamaM raghuvanshanaathaM ||

I bow to Raam, Who has delicate blue-lotus like organs, Who is adored by the presence of Sitaa (Lakshmi) on His left side, Who holds fiery arrows and beautiful bow in His hands, and Who is the gem in the lineage of Raghu.

saandraanandapayodasaubhaga-
tanuM piitaaMbaraM sundaraM |
paaNau baaNasharaasanaM-
kaTilasattuuNiirabhaaraM varaM ||
raajivaayatalochanaM dhRRit-
jaTaajuuTen sa.nshobhitaM |
siitaalakshmaNasa.nyutaM pathi-
gataM raamabhiraamaM bhaje ||

I sing glory of Raam, Who agglutinates happiness into our life, Who has a beautiful blue cloud like body, Who is adored by a beautiful yellow robe, Who is eternally beautiful, Who has bow and arrows in hands, Who has a quiver ornating His waist, Whose eyes are like red blooming lotuses, Who is adorned with a tuft of hair-locks, Who walked through the forests, Who is continuous respite for eyes, and Who is accompanied with Sitaa and Lakshmana.

brahmaaMbodhisamudbhavaM-
kalimalapradhvansanaM chaavyayaM |
shriimachhaMbhumukhendu-
sundaravare sa.nshobhitaM sarvadaa ||
sa.nsaararaamayabheShajaM-
sukhakaraM jaanakiijiivanaM |
dhanyaaste kRRitinaH pibanti-
satataM shriiraamanaamamRRitaM ||

The souls are blessed who incessantly live on the nectar of the name of Sri-Raam, Which is responsible for the creation of Brahma and other knowledge-bodies, Which destroys the malignity of Kaliyug, Which is indifferent or unchanged, Which is constantly shining like a moon inside the mouth of Shiva, i.e., Shiva consistently chants the name of Raam, Which brings forth happiness, and Which is the life of Sitaa.

shaantaM shaasvatamaprameya-
managhaM nirvaaNashaantipradaM |
brahmashambhuphaniindrasevya-
maniishaM vedaantavedyaM vibhuM ||
raamakhyaM jagadiishvaraM sura-
guruM maayaamanuShyaM hariM |
vandehaM karuNaakaraM raghu-
varaM bhuupaalachuuDaamaNiM ||

I sing praises of Raam, Who is indifferent, Who is eternal, immeasurable in any way and dispeller of sins, Who bestows us with nirvana and peace, Who is served by Brahma, Shiva, and Shesh alike, Who is talked about in Upanishads and Vedas, Who creates splendor, Who is the Lord of this whole universe, Who is the supreme teacher, Who took the form of a human, Hari, Who is the abode of mercy, and is the best jewel among the rulers witnessed on earth.

raamaM kaamarisevyaM bhavabhaya-
haraNaM kaalamattebhasi.nhaM |
yogiindraM GYaanagamyaM guNanidhim-
ajitaM nirguNaM nirvikaaraM ||
maayaatiitaM sureshaM khalavadhani-
rataM brahmavRRindaikadevaM |
vande kandaavadaataM sarasija-
nayanaM devamurviisharuupaM ||

I sing praises of Raam, Who is served by the slayer of Kaamdev, i.e., Shiva, absolves the fear of cycle of life and death, a lion for mad elephant like Kaal (time), Who is supreme among knowledgables, beyond the scope of knowledge, abode of all the qualities, undefeated, without qualities and desire, formless, beyond the scope of Maya, supreme to demi-gods, destroys cunning and wicked, only reverred one for Brahma and saints, Who is like a beautiful blue cloud, Who has lotus like enticing eyes, and is the Lord of the earth (Urvi).

kekiikaNThabhaniilaM suravaravila-
sadviprapaadaabjachihnaM |
shobhaaDhyaM piitavastraM sarasija-
nayanaM sarvadaa suprasannaM ||
paaNau chaapanaaraachaM kapinikara-
yutaM bandhunaa sevyamaanaM |
naumiiDyaM jaanakiishaM raghuvara-
manishaM puShpakaaruuDhaM ||

I bow prostrate to Raam, Who has a blue body like the neck of a peacock, is adorned with the foot-mark of a saint on chest^, the abode of splendor, decorated in yellow robes, Who has beautiful lotus like eyes, always happy, Who holds bow and arrow in His hands, Who is accompanied by monkeys on the Pushpak, Who is served by Lakshmana, and is Lord of Jankii (Sitaa).

* Due to line-width restrictions, each charaNa in the poem is broken into two lines. I apologize for the inconvenience to the readers.

^ Bhrigu, the son of Brahma, was once appointed to test who is greatest among Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. During the test, Bhrigu smashed his feet over chest of Vishnu. Since then Vishnu has the mark of Bhrigu's or Brahman's feet over His chest.