05-03-2007, 02:02 PM
Just for completeness let me add that metrical-science (chhandaH-shAstra) in India has had many phases.
1. The oldest phase defined chhandas (metres) by counting the syllables (aksharas). This is the the system of vedic metres.
2. When pingala wrote his masterpiece vedanga text of "chhandaH-sUtram", he introduced the ideas of "laghu" (light) and "guru" (heavy) syllables. He also created triplets of these to define a basic unit of a metre. Out of these two units, laghu and guru, eight triplets are possible. These eight became the eight gaNa-s of Pingala.
"laghu" was assigned a mAtrA (time-interval ) of one and "guru" of two. This was the first time when an explicit time-measurement was introduced for metrical purposes.
3. To reemphasize: metres in India can be classified in two broad categories:
<b>(i) akshara-chhanda </b>: metres defined by counting of syllables
<b>(ii) mAtrA-chhanda</b> : metres defined by counting time-measurements (mAtrA) to syllables. "laghu" syllables getting one mAtrA and "guru" syllables getting two mAtrAs.
4. All vedic metres are "akshara-chhandas". Most non-vedic metres are "mAtrA-chhandas".
5. Since most non-vedic metres were time-measurement based, many people think that there is something deficient in vedic-metres because they stick with counting of syllables, not how long a syllable may last. So in vedic meteres two "laghu" syllables will get same weightage as two "guru" syllables.
But there is a serious misconception in this view.
<b>A syllable (akshara) is anchored around a vowel (svara). All consonants preceding the vowel get assigned to it. In the case of final consonant of a pada, that consonant gets assigned to the preceding vowel. So, the number of syllables depends only on the number of vowels. Consonants merely define the type of syllable(akshara), they don't affect the count.</b>
Overemphasis on mAtrA-chanda in non-vedic metres would lead people into thinking that short vowels naturally have one mAtrA and long vowels naturally have two mAtrAs.
But the fact is that <b>a vowel doesn't depend upon how long it is is pronounced! </b>. A vowel is pronounced when the vocal cords are sounded while keeping a fixed configuration of the oral cavity. As long as that configuration is held, the same vowel will be pronounced whether for one second or one minute.
This fact was recoginsed in vedic shiksHA-texts. This is also the reason "aa" is a separate vowel and not just an "a" being held twice as long, as is sometimes casually mentioned. Try pronouncing "aa", ii", "uu" vowels and notice the configuration of your mouth as compared to "a", "i" or "u". They are different! It is not just a time-interval that separates them. Your mouth has to be configured differently to pronounce them. They are separate vowels.
<b>As long as that distinctive configuration of the oral-cavity is maintained, the same vowel is being pronounced. This led the vedics to separate a syllable (akshara) from its time-measurement. A syllable is anchored on its vowel (svara), and doesn't have an unique connection with how long it is to be pronounced.</b>
It so happens that hrasva-vowels (short vowels like "a", "i" or "u") can be distinctly pronounced in a shorter time than the dIrgha vowels ("aa", "ii", "uu", "ai", "o", "au" etc). So if one wanted to fire off aksharas as rapidly <b>and distinctly</b> as possible, one would notice that, hrasvas take smaller amount of time than the dIrghas. This was the reason for the convention of assigning one-mAtrA to the hrasva-vowels (and laghu aksharas) and two mAtrAs to the dIrgha-vowels (or guru aksharas) was started.
In light of this it is easy to see that syllabic-meters (akshara-chhandas) of vedas, are just a different type of metres, not in any way deficient from the mAtrA-chandas of later times. It would be clear if you listen to vedic chants, they often are very slow, and there is no hurry to pronounce each akshara, and so each akshara can be given its own sweet time. Remember that an akshara (or a vowel) is independent of how long it is held. This is different from classical metres, where aksharas (syllables) come rapid-fire one after another and assigning different mAtrAs (time measures) to different type of aksharas becomes more important.
1. The oldest phase defined chhandas (metres) by counting the syllables (aksharas). This is the the system of vedic metres.
2. When pingala wrote his masterpiece vedanga text of "chhandaH-sUtram", he introduced the ideas of "laghu" (light) and "guru" (heavy) syllables. He also created triplets of these to define a basic unit of a metre. Out of these two units, laghu and guru, eight triplets are possible. These eight became the eight gaNa-s of Pingala.
"laghu" was assigned a mAtrA (time-interval ) of one and "guru" of two. This was the first time when an explicit time-measurement was introduced for metrical purposes.
3. To reemphasize: metres in India can be classified in two broad categories:
<b>(i) akshara-chhanda </b>: metres defined by counting of syllables
<b>(ii) mAtrA-chhanda</b> : metres defined by counting time-measurements (mAtrA) to syllables. "laghu" syllables getting one mAtrA and "guru" syllables getting two mAtrAs.
4. All vedic metres are "akshara-chhandas". Most non-vedic metres are "mAtrA-chhandas".
5. Since most non-vedic metres were time-measurement based, many people think that there is something deficient in vedic-metres because they stick with counting of syllables, not how long a syllable may last. So in vedic meteres two "laghu" syllables will get same weightage as two "guru" syllables.
But there is a serious misconception in this view.
<b>A syllable (akshara) is anchored around a vowel (svara). All consonants preceding the vowel get assigned to it. In the case of final consonant of a pada, that consonant gets assigned to the preceding vowel. So, the number of syllables depends only on the number of vowels. Consonants merely define the type of syllable(akshara), they don't affect the count.</b>
Overemphasis on mAtrA-chanda in non-vedic metres would lead people into thinking that short vowels naturally have one mAtrA and long vowels naturally have two mAtrAs.
But the fact is that <b>a vowel doesn't depend upon how long it is is pronounced! </b>. A vowel is pronounced when the vocal cords are sounded while keeping a fixed configuration of the oral cavity. As long as that configuration is held, the same vowel will be pronounced whether for one second or one minute.
This fact was recoginsed in vedic shiksHA-texts. This is also the reason "aa" is a separate vowel and not just an "a" being held twice as long, as is sometimes casually mentioned. Try pronouncing "aa", ii", "uu" vowels and notice the configuration of your mouth as compared to "a", "i" or "u". They are different! It is not just a time-interval that separates them. Your mouth has to be configured differently to pronounce them. They are separate vowels.
<b>As long as that distinctive configuration of the oral-cavity is maintained, the same vowel is being pronounced. This led the vedics to separate a syllable (akshara) from its time-measurement. A syllable is anchored on its vowel (svara), and doesn't have an unique connection with how long it is to be pronounced.</b>
It so happens that hrasva-vowels (short vowels like "a", "i" or "u") can be distinctly pronounced in a shorter time than the dIrgha vowels ("aa", "ii", "uu", "ai", "o", "au" etc). So if one wanted to fire off aksharas as rapidly <b>and distinctly</b> as possible, one would notice that, hrasvas take smaller amount of time than the dIrghas. This was the reason for the convention of assigning one-mAtrA to the hrasva-vowels (and laghu aksharas) and two mAtrAs to the dIrgha-vowels (or guru aksharas) was started.
In light of this it is easy to see that syllabic-meters (akshara-chhandas) of vedas, are just a different type of metres, not in any way deficient from the mAtrA-chandas of later times. It would be clear if you listen to vedic chants, they often are very slow, and there is no hurry to pronounce each akshara, and so each akshara can be given its own sweet time. Remember that an akshara (or a vowel) is independent of how long it is held. This is different from classical metres, where aksharas (syllables) come rapid-fire one after another and assigning different mAtrAs (time measures) to different type of aksharas becomes more important.