Chhand evam Alankar: Metre and Figures of Speech
What Chhand evam Alankar tests
This section tests two technical skills: identifying Sanskrit metres by syllable count and gana pattern, and naming figures of speech with a reasoned explanation. You need both definition and application.
Core rules
- In chhand, mark laghu (।) and guru (ऽ); guru is a long vowel, a conjunct-final syllable, or a nasalised long vowel in many traditions.
- Learn the eight ganas: म, य, र, स, त, ज, भ, न. Anushtubh has four quarters of eight syllables; longer metres are identified by their fixed gana scheme.
- In alankar, first state the literal meaning, then show the figure's components.
- Upama compares; Rupak identifies; Utpreksha imagines; Anuprasa repeats consonants; Yamak repeats the same word with different meaning; Shlesh uses double meaning.
Worked example
Line: धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे।
- Count: धर्मक्षेत्रे = 4 syllables; कुरुक्षेत्रे = 4 syllables. The quarter has 8 syllables, and the full verse has four such quarters (32), so it is अनुष्टुभ्. Alankar example: मुखं चन्द्र इव शोभते is उपमा, because इव explicitly compares मुख with चन्द्र. मुखमेव चन्द्रः is रूपक, because the face is identified with the moon.
Traps
Counting written letters instead of syllables; missing a conjunct that makes a syllable guru; calling a comparison रूपक when इव is present; and naming अनुप्रास without showing repeated consonants. Always justify the label in one sentence.