KANDA PADYA
Kanda padya (ಕಂದಪದ್ಯ) is a prosodic form which is extremely popular in the
ancient and medieval Kannada poetry. It contains four lines of unequal length.
The first and the third lines contain equal number of ‘matras’.
The remaining two lines are also of equal length. Forms like this are
designated as ‘ardha sama vrutta’. ‘Kanda’ is essentially a prosodic form in ‘Matraa Vrutta’. However certain
minor conditions are imposed making use of the concepts in the 'akshara gana chandassu'
This fact becomes significant if one takes in to consideration that ‘kanda’s are usually prevalent in ‘Champu
Kavyas’ that were written during the early phase of
Kannada poetry and continued unabatedly for a number of centuries. Kandas are used in champu kavyas in combination with ‘Varna
Vruttas’ and many indigenous meters. Very rarely one
comes across an entire work composed in Kanda padyas.
This meter is used in literary works as well as knowledge based texts. One
comes across these even in inscriptions.
The word ‘kanda’ as well as the
meter are usually traced to the Sanskrit meter ‘aaryaa’
(ಆರ್ಯಾ) and the Prakrit meter ‘Khandayi (ಖಂದಇ) It does not belong to the indigenous ‘amsha gana chandassu.
Scholars have put forward many arguments in favor of their beliefs. The
structure of a typical kanda padya
is as follows.
4 4
4
4 4
4 4 4
4 4
4
4 4
4 4 4
Here the
number four represents a unit containing four ‘maatra’s.
Hence a kanda padya
contains sixteen units (gaNa) and the total number of
maatras is sixty four. (Thirty two in each half) The
odd numbered ganas should not be a ‘ja’ gana which means that its
pattern should not be ‘u-u’.(Lahgu-Guru-Laghu)
However the sixth and the twelfth unit have to be a ‘ja’
gana or they should have the pattern ‘uuuu’ (four laghus). The eighth
and the sixteenth units must have a ‘guru’ at the end. There is a pause in the
rendering of the poem after the first letter of the sixth and twelfth ganas. (Yati) The seventh and the
fourteenth unit should begin with anew word if it contains four laghus in succession. This meter sticks to the rule of initial rhythm (AdiprAsa) very
strictly and one find a lot internal rhyming though not according tostipulated rules.Scholars have done some
hair splitting and tried to find some variations of this meter but not with
much success.
A survey of Kandas right from
the beginning to the modern times reveals a gradual tendency of flouting the
rules whether they are literary works or inscriptions. Early poets such as
The earliest occurrence of Kandas
in Kannada is traced to two poems that were found in the Jain mutt at Singanagadde village in Narasimharajapura
taluk. Only three kandas
belong to the pre-Kavirajamarga era. However there is
an extensive use of this meter in Champu kavyas. Most of them have ‘Kanda’ as their major component
with other vruttas being used sparingly. This is true
of Srivijaya of Kavirajamarga
fame,
‘Kanda’ is the favorite prosodic form of writers who have
written knowledge based texts in Kannada. ‘Kavvyavalokana’,
(Nagavarma-2) ‘Shabdamanidarpana’ by Keshiraja and ‘Ashvashastra’ by Abhinavachandra are a few among them.
This meter owes its popularity to the facility with which
one can combine Kannada and Sanskrit words, the flexibility that makes room for
experimentation, a scope to introduce lyricism, conversation and description
depending on the needs of the situation. Consequently scholars have heaped
praise on this meter and its practitioners. Two illustrations of well
constructed kandas are given below.
1.
ಕಾವೇ/ರಿಯಿಂದÀ/ಮಾಗೋ/
ದಾವರಿ/ವರಮಿ/ರ್ಪನಾಡ/ದಾಕ/ನ್ನಡದೊಳ್
ಭಾವಿಸಿ/ದ ಜನಪ/ ದಂ ವಸು/
ಧಾವಳ/ಯ ವಿಲೀ/ನ ವಿಶದÀ/ವಿಷಯ ವಿ/ಶೇಷಂ (ಕವಿರಾಜಮಾರ್ಗಂ,
1-36)
2.
ಬಿಡದೆ
ಪೊ/ಗೆ
ಸುತ್ತೆ /ತೋಳಂ/
ಸಡಿಲಿಸ/ದಾ ಪ್ರಾæ/ಣ ವಲ್ಲ/ಭರ್ ಪ್ರಾ/ಣಮನಂ1
ದೊಡೆಗಳೆ/ದರೋಪ/ರೋಪರೊ/
ಳೊಡಸಾ/ಯಲ್ಪಡೆ/ದರಿನ್ನ/ವೇಂ ಸೈ/ಪೊಳವೇ/ 11 (ಆದಿಪುರಾಣಂ, ಪಂಪÀ, 5-24)
References: 1. ‘Praacheena
Kannada Sahitya Ruupagalu’
by R.S. Mugali, 1973,
2. ‘Kannada Chandah Svaropa’, by T.V.Venkatachalashastri, 1978,
3. ‘Kannada Chandassamputa’ edited by L.Basavaraju,
1974,
4. ‘Kanda-lakshana, ugama,
itihasa’ by N.S.Taranatha,
Kannada Chandassina Charitre,
1980, Kannada Adhyayanasamsthe,