REET Level 2 study notes
Sanskrit Alankara and Chandas (Figures of Speech and Metre)
Alankara is a poetic ornament: sabdalankara (anuprasa, yamaka, slesa) charm the sound, while arthalankara (upama, rupaka, utpreksa, atisayokti, drstanta) charm the sense. Chandas is metre: matrika counts matra, varnika or vrtta fixes syllables through eight ganas (ya ma ta ra ja bha na sa) plus la and ga. For REET Level-2 Sanskrit a Class 6 to 8 teacher must define each figure and metre, recognise it from one verse, give a classical example, and avoid the rupaka-upama and metre-miscount traps using the synonym-swap and laghu-guru tests.
Key points
- RBSE REET Sanskrit asks only definition and example of alankara and chandas, not full poetics theory.
- Sabdalankara (anuprasa, yamaka, slesa) lose their charm if a synonym is substituted; arthalankara keep it.
- Upama keeps the like-word iva or yatha; rupaka drops it; utpreksa replaces it with manye or sanke.
- Atisayokti exaggerates past the natural limit; drstanta mirrors a statement and a parallel instance.
- Laghu is one matra, guru is two; a short vowel before a conjunct, anusvara or visarga becomes guru.
- Matrika chandas counts total matra; varnika or vrtta fixes syllables through eight three-syllable ganas.
- The eight ganas are ya ma ta ra ja bha na sa, recalled by the mnemonic ya-ma-ta-ra-ja-bha-na-sa-la-ga.
- Key vrttas: anustubh thirty-two syllables; indravajra eleven ta-ta-ja-ga-ga; mandakranta seventeen.
- Common traps: rupaka read as upama, anuprasa read as yamaka, and miscounting guru before conjuncts.
- Teach recognition before naming, anchored in Vygotsky, Bruner, Piaget and Krashen for Classes 6 to 8.
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Alankara is a poetic ornament: sabdalankara (anuprasa, yamaka, slesa) charm the sound, while arthalankara (upama, rupaka, utpreksa, atisayokti, drstanta) charm the sense. Chandas is metre: matrika counts matra, varnika or vrtta fixes syllables through eight ganas (ya ma ta ra ja bha na sa) plus la and ga. For REET Level-2 Sanskrit a Class 6 to 8 teacher must define each figure and metre, recognise it from one verse, give a...