Padyam: Syllable Count Alone Mislabels a Mixed Indravajrā Verse
In a 4-mark Padyam question, the candidate must name the chandas of a four-pada verse printed in Devanagari. The rough work shows every pada has 11 syllables. Candidate C writes “इन्द्रवज्रा” and adds “because every pada has 11 syllables.” The invigilator’s gaṇa sheet records the padas as: 1 ja-ta-ja-ga-ga; 2 ta-ta-ja-ga-ga; 3 ja-ta-ja-ga-ga; 4 ta-ta-ja-ga-ga. The prescribed definition is: indravajrā = ta-ta-ja-ga-ga in all four padas; upendravajrā = ja-ta-ja-ga-ga in all four; upajāti = a mixture of the two. C has the right syllable count and names two padas correctly, but the overall label is wrong. The examiner must choose between 1, 2, or 3 marks out of 4, and decide whether to penalise only the label or also the reasoning. C’s other answers show accurate gaṇa scanning.
1. Name the correct chandas and show the pada-by-pada reasoning. Why is “इन्द्रवज्रा” only a partial answer?
Read the worked answer
The correct name is upajāti.
- Pada 1: ja-ta-ja-ga-ga = upendravajrā.
- Pada 2: ta-ta-ja-ga-ga = indravajrā.
- Pada 3: ja-ta-ja-ga-ga = upendravajrā.
- Pada 4: ta-ta-ja-ga-ga = indravajrā.
All four padas have 11 syllables, but they are not all indravajrā. Indravajrā requires ta-ta-ja-ga-ga throughout; here that pattern appears only in padas 2 and 4. Because the verse mixes indravajrā and upendravajrā, the whole verse is upajāti. “इन्द्रवज्रा” correctly names the even padas, so it is a partial description, not the name of the whole verse.
2. Set a 4-mark rubric and score C. Should the reasoning or only the label be penalised?
Read the worked answer
A workable rubric:
1 mark - correct syllable count (11).
1 mark - correctly identifies indravajrā in padas 2 and 4.
1 mark - correctly identifies upendravajrā in padas 1 and 3.
1 mark - gives the overall name upajāti.
C scores 2/4: 1 for the count and 1 for the two indravajrā padas. C does not identify the upendravajrā padas, and the overall label is wrong.
Penalise the label and the missing identification, not the gaṇa scanning. C’s count is right, and two padas are correctly named. The phrase “because every pada has 11 syllables” is insufficient reasoning, but it is not a false scansion. The deduction belongs to the overall name and the unexamined padas.
3. Give one scanning habit that would prevent this error in a four-pada verse.
Read the worked answer
Write the gaṇa letters above each pada before naming the metre, then compare the four rows vertically. If all four rows are identical, name the single metre; if the rows alternate between two known patterns, test for upajāti.
A second check is to say the definition aloud: “indravajrā = ta-ta-ja-ga-ga in all four padas.” The word “all” is the test C missed. This habit takes less than a minute and prevents syllable counting from replacing the gaṇa comparison.