CHHANDAS

1. Chhandas or Sanskrit prosody refers to one of the six

Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies. It is the study of poetic
metres and verse in Sanskrit. In simple terms it describes the
number of syllables in a line. The seven major ancient Sanskrit
metres are the three 8-syllable Gāyatrī, the four 8-syllable
Anustubh, the four 11-syllable Tristubh, the four 12-syllable
Jagati, and the mixed pāda metres named Ushnih, Brihati and
Pankti.

2. The seven popular types mentioned in Paragraph-1 above

is listed in table below:-
S Mapped
No Name Structure Sequence Varieties Usage
24 syllables; Common in Vedic texts
1. Gayatri 3 verses of 6x4 11 Example: Rigveda 7.1.1-30,
8 syllables 8.2.14
28 syllables;
2 verses of
Vedas, not common Example:
2. Ushnih 8; 7x4 8
Rigveda 1.8.23-26
1 of 12
syllables
Most frequent in post-Vedic
Sanskrit metrical literature;
embedded in the Bhagavad
32 syllables; Gita, the Mahabharata, the
3. Anushtubh 4 verses of 8x4 12 Ramayana, the Puranas,
8 syllables Smritis and scientific treatises
Example: Rigveda 8.69.7-16,
10.136.7

36 syllables;
2 verses of
8;
Vedas, rare Example: Rigveda
4. Brihati 1 verse of 9x4 12
5.1.36, 3.9.1-8
12;
1 verse of 8
syllables
40 syllables; Uncommon, found with
5. Pankti 5 verses of 10x4 14 Tristubh Example: Rigveda
8 syllables 1.191.1012

Second in frequency in post

Vedic Sanskrit metric
44 syllables; literature, dramas, plays, parts
6. Tristubh 4 verses of 11x4 22 of the Mahabharata and
11 syllables Bhagavad Gita, major 1st-
Millennium Kavyas Example:
Rigveda 4.50.4, 7.3.1-12
Third most common, typically
48 syllables; alternates with Tristubh in the
same text, also found in
7. Jagati 4 verses of 12x4 30
separate cantos. Example:
12 syllables Rigveda 1.51.13, 9.110.4-12
3. In addition to these seven, there are many other syllable-
based metres (Akshara-chhandas). Examples are:-

(a) Atijagati (13x4, in 16 varieties),

(b) Sakkari (14x4, in 20 varieties),
(c) Atisakkari (15x4, in 18 varieties),
(d) Ashti (16x4, in 12 varieties),
(e) Atyashti (17x4, in 17 varieties),
(f) Dhriti (18x4, in 17 varieties),
(g) Atidhriti (19x4, in 13 varieties),
(h) Kriti (20x4, in 4 varieties) and so on….