Innovation in Sanskrit Chandas
The interplay between traditional Sanskrit Chandas (meters) and modern Hindi film songs has long been a fascinating subject for me ever since I was introduced to the Sanskrit Chandas. As you all know that in the realm of music, certain songs have the uncanny ability to captivate our hearts, leaving a lasting impression that defies the passage of time. We call those songs the “Immortal” ones. My deeper association with the various metrical patterns in Sanskrit revealed to me that the enchanting appeal of these melodies often stems from their connection to the ancient rhythmic measures of Sanskrit Chandas. This innovative exploration seeks to shed light on the profound relationship between Hindi film songs and the timeless Chandas, unveiling the secret to their immortality.
Sanskrit Chandas or meters, form the foundation of classical Indian poetry and music. The balanced harmony, symmetry, and fixed measures of sound in Chandas have been revered for ages for their ability to immortalize verses and instill them deep into the memory of listeners. This rhythmic mould serves as a great aid to memory, making it easier to remember songs and poetry compared to prose passages or lists of things.
Inspired by the enduring appeal of certain Hindi film songs, as I ventured to analyze the timing and measures of these melodies, I discovered amazing results. The objective was to discern if there was a correlation between these captivating tunes and the classical Chandas of Sanskrit. To my astonishment, the tune (not lyrics) of every scanned song revealed a connection with specific Chandas, offering an intriguing insight into the interplay of ancient rhythms in modern music. Let me give some examples:
The world of music often transcends cultural boundaries, and it is no different for the beautiful patriotic song in Hindi, ‘e watan watan mere abaad rahe tu’ from the film ‘Raazi.’
The rhythmic structure of this song aligns remarkably well with a fifteen-syllable Sanskrit meter called Tunakam (तूणकम्). This is an elegant meter i Sanskrit which comprises four lines, each containing fifteen syllables, its rhythmic arrangement follows a pattern of one long syllable followed by one short, repeated five times. This rhythmic scheme can be represented as: gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa.
(Please note that in the above scheme ‘gaa’ stands for ‘guru’ or a heavy syllable; and ‘la’ stands for a ‘laghu’ or a light syllable.)
As an example, I give here a Sanskrit verse, taken from Devistotramanjari by Vasishtha Ganapati Muni, and composed in Tunakam meter, which can be sung in harmony with the tuneful essence of ‘e watan, watan mere…’:
चण्डमुण्डधूम्रनेत्ररक्तबीजनाशिनी चन्द्रखण्डचूडचित्तमोहिनी परात्परा। निर्जरीसमूहमौलिरत्नरञ्जिताङ्घ्रिका राजताद्रिवासिनी विलासिनी गतिर्मम॥
caṇḍamuṇḍadhūmranetraraktabījanāśinī candrakhaṇḍacūḍacittamohinī parātparā.
nirjarīsamūhamauliratnarañjitāṅghrikā rājatādrivāsinī vilāsinī gatirmama..
The rhythmic arrangement (laghu-guru-krama) and the harmonic pause (yati) in this Sanskrit verse in Tunakam meter resonates seamlessly with the melodious tunes of ‘e watan, watan mere abaad rahe tu.’
Here is the audio-visual presentation of above example:
Even the new composition of the song ‘sar farosi ki tamanna’ by AR Rehman in film ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ is perfectly in consonance with Tunakam.
Listen to the Sanskrit verse in the new tune of ‘sar farosi kii tamanna’ here:
Similarly, in the song ‘aa bhi jaa, aa bhi jaa, e subah aa bhi jaa’ from the film ‘Sur,’ we find a connection with the Sanskrit meter called Sragvini (स्रग्विणी). This is a twelve-syllable Sanskrit meter which comprises four lines, each containing twelve syllables, its rhythmic arrangement follows a pattern of long-short-long, long-short-long, long-short-long, and long-short-long. This rhythmic scheme can be represented as: gaa la gaa gaa la gaa gaa la gaa gaa la gaa.
The song ‘aa bhi jaa, aa bhi jaa, e subah aa bhi jaa’ from the film ‘Sur’ is a beautiful composition, the melody of which carries a unique appeal that resonates with the hearts of its listeners.
What I discovered from my experiment that one can melodiously sing any Sanskrit verse in Sragvini to the same tuneful spirit as ‘aabhi jaa aabhi jaa’. Here I provide an example of the following Sanskrit verse, taken from Achyutashtakam by Shankaracharya,
अच्युतं केशवं रामनारायणं कृष्णदामोदरं वासुदेवं हरिम् ।
श्रीधरं माधवं गोपिकावल्लभं जानकीनायकं रामचंद्रं भजे ॥
acyutaṃ keśavaṃ rāmanārāyaṇaṃ kṛṣṇadāmodaraṃ vāsudevaṃ harim .
śrīdharaṃ mādhavaṃ gopikāvallabhaṃ jānakīnāyakaṃ rāmacaṃdraṃ bhaje ..
Listen to the above Sanskrit verse in sragvini meter in the tune of ‘aa bhi jaa’:
स्रग्विणी Sragvini also has a strong resonance with the famous patriotic song ‘Ai watan Ai watan hamko teri kasam’ from film ‘Saheed’.
Listen to the rendering of the ‘achyutam keshavam’ verse in the tune of ‘Ai watan, Ai watan’:
One such popular Hindi song, ‘Sau Saal Pehle Mujhe Tumse Pyaar Tha’, from the film ‘Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai’, has a fascinating connection to the meter called Dodhakam (दोधकम्) which is an exquisite eleven-syllable poetic meter in Sanskrit. It comprises four lines, each containing eleven syllables, arranged in a pattern of long-short-short, long-short-short, long-short-short, and long-long. This rhythmic scheme can be represented as: gaa la la gaa la la gaa la la gaa gaa.
The song ‘Sau Saal Pehle Mujhe Tumse Pyaar Tha’ is a timeless classic that continues to appeal hearts even after decades of its release. The following Sanskrit verse in Dodhakam meter, taken from Umasahsram of Vasishtha Ganapati Muni, can be sung in the same tuneful spirit as ‘Sau Saal Pehle Mujhe Tumse Pyaar Tha’:
आयतलोचनचुम्बितकर्णा दानयशोजिततोयदकर्णा ।
शोणनगेशमनःप्रियवर्णा नाशयताज्जगदार्तिमपर्णा ॥
āyatalocanacumbitakarṇā dānayaśojitatoyadakarṇā |
śoṇanageśamanaḥpriyavarṇā nāśayatājjagadārtimaparṇā ||
Listen to the above Sanskrit verse in Dodhakam meter in the tune of ‘sou saal pehele’ here:
Now see the amazing confluence of Sanskrit Chandas with the Hindi film songs exemplified by two notable songs ‘Choti Si Aasha’ from the film ‘Roja’ and ‘Maula Maula’ from the movie ‘Delhi 6’ composed by the legendary A.R. Rahman. These songs derive their rhythmic base from a Sanskrit meter called Bhujanga-prayātam, infusing them with a timeless and captivating charm.
Bhujanga-prayātam is a twelve-syllable Sanskrit meter known for its unique rhythmic arrangement. This meter consists of four lines, each containing twelve syllables, with a specific arrangement of long and short syllables. The pattern can be represented as: la gaa gaa la gaa gaa la gaa gaa la gaa gaa.
The follwoing verse from Shankaracharya’s Bhavanyashtakam can be seamlessly sung in the tune of ‘Choti si aashaa’.
न तातो न माता न बन्धुर्न दाता
न पुत्रो न पुत्री न भृत्यो न भर्ता ।
न जाया न विद्या न वृत्तिर्ममैव
गतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥
na tāto na mātā na bandhurna dātā
na putro na putrī na bhṛtyo na bhartā .
na jāyā na vidyā na vṛttirmamaiva
gatistvaṃ gatistvaṃ tvamekā bhavāni ..
Listen to the above Sanskrit verse in Bhujanga-prayatam in the tune of ‘Choti si aashaa’ here:
The same verse in again can be sung in the tune of ‘Maula Maula’ without compromising with the arrangement of syllables as per the meter and the harmonic pause. Here is the example:
Now let’s see the rhythmic similarity between a verse from Shankaracharya’s “Krishnashtakam”, composed in the sixteen-syllable Sanskrit meter called Panchachamaram, and the Hindi film song ‘Aye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein Tum Bahar Ban Ke’ from the film ‘Raja Hindustani’.
Panchachamaram is a Sanskrit meter known for its rhythmic elegance. It comprises four lines, each containing sixteen syllables, with a specific arrangement of long and short syllables. The pattern can be represented as: la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa.
Here is the example of Panchachamara from Shankaracharya’s “Krishnashtakam”:
भजे व्रजैकमण्डनं समस्तपापखण्डनम्
स्वभक्तचित्तरञ्जनं सदैवनन्दनन्दनम् ।
सुपिच्छगुच्छमस्तकं सुनादवेणुहस्तकम्
अनङ्गरङ्गसागरं नमामि कृष्णनागरम् ॥
bhaje vrajaikamaṇḍanam samastapāpakhaṇḍanam
svabhaktacittarañjanam sadaivanandanandanam.
supicchagucchamastakam sunādaveṇuhastakam
anaṅgaraṅgasāgaram namāmi kṛṣṇanāgaram ..
The verse ‘Bhaje Vrajaikamandanam’ and the tune of ‘Aye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein Tum Bahar Ban Ke’ both share the same rhythmic pattern of Panchachamaram. The la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa la gaa arrangement in both compositions creates an amazing flow, infusing them with a timeless and harmonious charm. And, the harmonious alignment of Panchachamaram in both the devotional stuti and the romantic Hindi film song exemplifies the universality of musical expression.
Listen to the verse ‘Bhaje Vrajaikamandanam’ in the tune of ‘‘Aye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein Tum Bahar Ban Ke’:
Concluding Note
Through this exploration, I have sought to demonstrate the profound connection between the art of Sanskrit chandas (metrical patterns) and the melodies of popular music. The meticulous structure of Sanskrit chandas, with its fixed syllabic arrangement, not only embodies precision but also offers an unparalleled flexibility that allows it to harmonize seamlessly with diverse tunes, including those immortalized in Hindi film songs and folk traditions. This experiment by me is to find out how ancient poetic traditions continue to resonate with the universal language of music, transcending time and cultural barriers.
The beauty of Sanskrit chandas lies in its ability to adapt to various melodic frameworks without losing its intrinsic rhythm and harmony. It is heartening to realize that the melodies that touch our hearts and remain etched in our memories often have roots in the rhythmic genius of ancient India. This realization opens up new possibilities for reviving Sanskrit through music, bringing its timeless wisdom closer to the contemporary audience in an innovative and joyful manner.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to Kankana Goswami of Guwahati, a gifted young Sanskrit scholar whose melodious voice, clear pronunciation, and classical training have been instrumental in bringing this experiment to life. Her dedication and artistry have added depth and authenticity to this endeavor.
I hope this humble experiment of mine inspires others to explore the rich heritage of Sanskrit chandas and discover the eternal connection between poetry and music.
-Sampadananda Mishra
