Tala and Laya: Teental, Jhaptal, Rupak, Kaharwa, Dadra and Layakari
This domain tests vibhag division, tali and khali positions, theka recitation, and the arithmetic of layakari.
The five prescribed talas
- Teental: 16 matras, 4+4+4+4; tali on 1, 5, 13 and khali on 9. Theka: dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha.
- Jhaptal: 10 matras, 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8 and khali on 6. Theka: dhi na | dhi dhi na | ti na | dhi dhi na.
- Rupak: 7 matras, 3+2+2, with khali on the sam itself. Theka: tin tin na | dhin na | dhin na.
- Kaharwa: 8 matras, 2+2+2+2, sam only, no khali. Theka: dha ge na ti | na ka dhi na.
- Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3, khali on 4. Theka: dha dhi na | dha tu na.
Laya and layakari
Laya is tempo - vilambit, madhya, drut. Layakari is the deliberate play of proportion: barabar (1:1), dugun (2:1), tigun (3:1), chaugun (4:1) and aad (3:2).
Worked example. In teental (16 matras), when does tigun return to sam? One tigun avartan contains 16 × 3 = 48 units, which equals three ordinary avartans, so sam coincides every third avartan. Dugun gives 32 units, i.e. every second avartan; chaugun every fourth. General rule: n-gun returns to sam after n avartans of the tala.
Traps. Putting rupak's khali at matra 4 when it falls on sam; shifting jhaptal's khali to 5 instead of 6; inventing a khali for kaharwa; counting vibhags when the question asks for matras; reciting the theka without marking X and 0; treating aad as 2:1 instead of 3:2.