Alankar & Chhand (अलंकार व छंद)
Figures of Speech and Metres in Marathi
Overview
Alankar (अलंकार) and Chhand (छंद) form the aesthetic backbone of Marathi poetry and prose. In the Maharashtra Police Bharti exam, questions from this topic test your ability to identify specific figures of speech in given sentences and recognise metrical patterns in verse.
Alankar literally means "ornament" — literary devices that beautify language. Chhand refers to the rhythmic structure or metre of poetry, governed by rules of syllables (अक्षरे) and beats (मात्रा). Mastering the definitions and examples of major alankars and chhands is sufficient for this exam; deep literary analysis is not required.
Focus on memorising 8–10 common alankars with one clear example each, and 4–5 frequently tested chhands with their defining characteristics. Recognition, not composition, is the exam skill.
Key Concepts
- Alankar (अलंकार): Literary devices that add beauty, emphasis, or vividness to language. Divided into Shabdalankar (sound-based) and Arthalankar (meaning-based).
- Shabdalankar (शब्दालंकार): Ornaments based on sound/word arrangement — e.g., Anupras (alliteration), Yamak (same word with different meanings).
- Arthalankar (अर्थालंकार): Ornaments based on meaning/comparison — e.g., Upama, Rupak, Utpreksha.
- Chhand (छंद): The metrical or rhythmic pattern in poetry, determined by the number and arrangement of syllables or mātras.
- Matra (मात्रा): The unit of syllabic weight — a short vowel (ऱ्हस्व) = 1 matra; a long vowel (दीर्घ) = 2 matras.
- Akshar Chhand: Metre counted by total syllables (अक्षरगणवृत्त).
- Matra Chhand: Metre counted by total matras (मात्रावृत्त).
- Jati Chhand: Metres with specific patterns of short and long syllables (जाति छंद).
Formulas / Key Facts
Major Alankars (Must Memorise)
| अलंकार | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| अनुप्रास | Same consonant sound repeated | सरळ सुंदर सरिता वाहे |
| यमक | Same word repeated with different meanings | "काळ आला, काळ गेला" (time came, death went) |
| श्लेष | One word having two meanings | "ती सूर्यमुखी फुलली" (sunflower / sun-faced girl) |
| उपमा | Direct comparison using "जसे, सारखे, सम" | "चंद्रासारखे मुख" (face like the moon) |
| रूपक | Metaphor — one thing IS another | "मुख कमळ" (face is a lotus) |
| उत्प्रेक्षा | Imaginative comparison using "जणू, जणूकाय" | "जणू चंद्र उगवला" (as if the moon rose) |
| अतिशयोक्ती | Exaggeration beyond reality | "रडता रडता अश्रूंचा महापूर आला" |
| व्यतिरेक | Subject shown superior to compared object | "तू चंद्राहूनही सुंदर" (You are more beautiful than the moon) |
| दृष्टांत | Illustration through a parallel example | "जसे पाणी जमिनीत मुरते, तसे ज्ञान मनात मुरते" |
| स्वभावोक्ती | Natural description without comparison | "पक्षी झाडावर बसले, पानांत लपले" |
Major Chhands (Must Memorise)
| छंद | Defining Feature | Example Source |
|---|---|---|
| ओवी | 4 lines (चरण); 1st, 2nd, 3rd lines rhyme; 4th is free | Tukaram's Abhang, Dnyaneshwari |
| अभंग | 4 lines; all four or first three rhyme; devotional poetry | Sant Tukaram, Namdev |
| अर्या | Fixed matra count per half-line (12 + 18 pattern common) | Classical Marathi kavya |
| श्लोक | Sanskrit-derived; 4 quarters (पाद), each with fixed syllables | Shlokas in Marathi adaptations |
| दिंडी | 4 lines; specific akshar count; used in pilgrimage songs | Warkari literature |
| पद | Flexible metre; rhyme-based; used in Bhakti songs | Sant Eknath, Namdev |
Quick Identification Tips
- "जसे / सारखे / प्रमाणे" → Upama
- "जणू / जणूकाय" → Utpreksha
- Direct "X is Y" without comparison word → Rupak
- Same sound at start of words → Anupras
- Same word, different meanings → Yamak
- Extreme exaggeration → Atishayokti
Worked Examples
Example 1: Identify the Alankar
Sentence: "तिचे मुख कमळ आहे."
Step 1: Check for comparison words (जसे, सारखे) — Not present. Step 2: Check if one thing is directly called another — Yes, "मुख" IS called "कमळ". Step 3: This is रूपक अलंकार (Metaphor).
Example 2: Identify the Alankar
Sentence: "ती गुलाबासारखी कोमल आहे."
Step 1: Comparison word present — "सारखी". Step 2: Two distinct things being compared — "ती" and "गुलाब". Step 3: This is उपमा अलंकार (Simile).
Example 3: Identify the Chhand
Verse: Sant Tukaram's "वृक्षवल्ली आम्हां सोयरीं वनचरें..."
Step 1: Count lines — 4 चरण (lines). Step 2: Check rhyme — First three lines rhyme, fourth is free or different. Step 3: This is the अभंग छंद.
Example 4: Shabdalankar vs Arthalankar
Sentence: "राम राम म्हणत गेला, राम घरी परतला."
Analysis: The word "राम" is repeated — once as greeting (राम राम), once as the person's name. Same word, different meanings → यमक अलंकार (Shabdalankar category).
Common Mistakes
- Confusing Upama and Rupak
- Wrong: Calling "मुख कमळ" an Upama.
- Correct: Upama needs comparison words (जसे/सारखे). Without them, direct identity = Rupak.
- Confusing Utpreksha and Upama
- Wrong: Treating "जणू चंद्र आला" as Upama.
- Correct: "जणू / जणूकाय" signals imagination, not direct comparison = Utpreksha.
- Mixing Yamak and Anupras
- Wrong: Thinking repeated sounds always mean Yamak.
- Correct: Anupras = same consonant sound repeats; Yamak = same word repeats with different meanings.
- Confusing Ovi and Abhang
- Wrong: Treating all 4-line devotional verses as Abhang.
- Correct: Ovi has a specific rhyme pattern (1-2-3 rhyme, 4 free). Abhang may have all four rhyming.
- Ignoring "अतिशयोक्ती" when exaggeration is obvious
- Wrong: Labelling extreme statements as Upama or Rupak.
- Correct: If the description is impossible/exaggerated ("अश्रूंचा समुद्र"), it is Atishayokti.
Quick Reference
- उपमा: Uses जसे/सारखे — "X सारखे Y"
- रूपक: No comparison word — "X हे Y आहे"
- उत्प्रेक्षा: Uses जणू/जणूकाय — imaginative supposition
- अनुप्रास: Same consonant sound repeats — alliteration
- यमक: Same word, different meanings
- अभंग/ओवी: 4-line devotional metre; check rhyme pattern for distinction
- Matra = syllabic weight: Short vowel = 1, Long vowel = 2