namastE !

nEnu #SCIT# ni #follow# avaTam modalu peTTina daggara nunci
CandO baddha kavitA rIti paTla mIlO unna AdaraNa cUsAka
idi rAyAlanipincindi.

mAku #school# lO 9, 10 klAsullO Candassu gurinci ceppinA 
padyAlu cadavaTam, vATi naDaka gurtincaDam nErpa lEdu.
I vishayAlu bahuSA E school lOnU cepparEmO. ayitE padyAlu
rAyAlani kutUhala paDE vAriki gaNa, yati, prAsalu pATincaDam
oka tappanisari avarOdham. utsAhavantulu dAnni dATaTAniki 
cAlA rakAlugA kRshi cEstAru. kAnI  " ippuDu utpalamAla rAya 
bOtunnAnu ... anTE Ba ra na Ba Ba ra va gaNAlu ... 10 va 
aksharam tO yati maitri ... " ani gaNAlu mundEsukoni rAyAlanTE
cAlA kashTam ; adi sari ayina paddhati kUDA kAdu.

#So what is the way around this ?!!#

padyAla naDaka grahincaTam. padyAlu bAgA caduvutU ekkaDa yati 
vastundO akkaDa viravaTam cEstU (yati anTE virAmaM ani kadA 
ardham !) #practice# cEstE swantaMgA padyAlu rAsE nATiki kanIsam
gaNAlaku anuguNaMgA padAlu paDatAyi.

#The following is the way, I stumbled upon, to do this :#

oka nADu nAku mA bAmma I padyam vinipinciMdi :-

	BanDana BImuDArta jana BAndhavuDujwala bANa tUNa kO
	danDa kaLA pracanDa Buja tAnDava kIrtiki rAma mUrtikin
	renDava sATi daivamika lEDanucun kaDa gaTTi BErikA 
	DanDaDa DAnDa DAnDa ninadaMbu lajAnDamu ninDa matta vE
	danDamu nekki cAtedanu dASaradhI karuNA payOnidhI !!

#(yes this IS an# utpalamAla padyam #with 5 lines instead of 4)#

indulO nAlugO pAdam lOni DanDaDa DAnDa DAnDa .... anE #pattern#
nannu Akarshincindi.  #Suppose# oka pAdam mottam alA rAstE ? ani
#try# cEsAnu :

	DAnDaDa DAnDa DAnDa DaDaDam DaDaDam DaDaDam DaDam DaDam
	|______ yati maitri ____| 10 va aksharam

#Actually I am cheating here. I did not make out this total
pattern in one attempt.#

mundu Ba ra na Ba Ba ra va gaNAla kOsam laGuvuki Da anI 
guruvuki Dam anI rAsAnu. A taruvAta caduvaTAniki vIlaina 
groups gA cEsAnu.

	  Ba       ra      na      Ba      Ba      ra       va
	#U  I I  U  I  U   I I I   U I I   U  I I  U  I U   I U#
	DAnDaDa DAnDa DAn DaDaDa DamDaDa  DamDaDa DamDaDam DaDam


	DAnDaDa DAnDa DAnDa DaDaDam DaDaDam DaDaDam DaDam DaDam

yati maitri kudarAlsina sthAnAniki #natural# gA #break# vastundi.

#This is somewhat similar to the musician stressing a syllable 
at the beginning of a# tALam #cycle.#

ippuDu pai padyam ee #pattern# ki aNuguNamgA cadivi cooDanDi yati sthAnam
#correct# gaa vastundO rAdO!!


DAnDaDa   DAnDa   DAnDa   DaDaDam   DaDaDam   DaDaDam   DaDam   DaDam

BanDana   bhImu   DArta   jana bAn  dhavu dujj vala bA  Na too  Na kO
danDa ka  LA pra  panca   Buja tAn  Dava kIr   tiki rA  ma moo  rtikin
renDava   saaTi   daiva   mika lE   Danucun    kaDa gaT Ti bhE  rikA
DAnDaDa   DAnDa   DAnDa   ninadam   bu lajAm   Damu nim Da mat  ta vE
damDamu   nekki   caaTe   danu  dA  Sarathee   karuNA   payO    nidhee

padyAnni ilA virici rAsinamduku, cadava manTunnanduku kshamincaali.
kAnee oka sAri naDaka alavATu ayitE ilA viravakunDAnE phalAnA vRttam
ani gurtinca vaccu.

ee #pattern# ilaagE unDaalani kAnee, "DAnDaDa" lE vADAlani kAnee Emee lEdu.
meeku naccinaTlugA rAsukoni, padyAlni cadavaTam #practice# cEya vaccu.
#Just make sure that you get a natural pause at the #yati sthAnam.

#E.g. using# ta na na ... utpalamAla # can also be written as# 


	tAnana tAna tAna tana tAnana tAnana tAna tAna nA

ilA utpalamAla vrAsina taruvAta #natural# gA campakamAla #try# cEsAnu.
#And stumbled upon another interesting fact. There is NO difference
between the two patterns, except for the initial# guruvu #(U) of# 
utpalamAla #becoming two# laghuvulu #(I I) in# campakamAla.

#On further investigation I realized that the # vRttAlu # of #chandassu#
have been grouped into pairs such that the beginning #guruvu# (U) of one 
is made into 2 #laghuvulu# (II)  in the other, the #yati sthAnam#
remaining the same.

The co - #vRttam# of #utpalamAla# is #campakamAla#. 

So while #utpalamAla# is #

	tAnana tAna tAna tana tAnana tAnana tAna tAna nA

campakamAla ( na ja bha ja ja ja ra )#is # 

	tana nana tAna tAna tana tAnana tAnana tAna tAna nA
	|______ yati maitri ______| 11 va aksharam

#(for the Doubting Thomases :-) :-#

          na    ja      Ba     ja     ja      ja    ra
       #I I I  I U I   U I I  I U I  I U I  I U I  U I U #
	tanana natAna tAnata  nanAta nanAta nanAta nAtanA 
	|______ yati maitri ____| 11 va aksharam

)

#the yati sthAnaM is not disturbed.

Similarly  the patterns for #mattEBam# and #SArdUlam# are :#

sArdUlam  :   ma sa ja sa ta ta ga 

	DamDamDam DaDa DamDa DamDa DaDaDam  DamDamDa DamDamDa Dam

mattEBam  :   sa Ba ra na ma ya va

	DaDa DamDam DaDa DamDa DamDa DaDaDam  DamDamDa DamDamDa Dam

#Again the co-vRttAs #mattakOkila# and #taralam# are :#

mattakOkila  : ra sa ja ja bha ra

	matta kOkila matta kOkila matta kOkila kOkilA 

	tAna  tAnana tAna tAnana  tAna tAnana tAnanA 

taralam  : na bha ra sa ja ja ga

	tanana  tAnana tAna tAnana  tAna tAnana tAnanA 


#So I made myself out these patterns and started reading poems 
breaking the syllables according to these patterns I made.
Thus I can now recognise whether or not a #padya pAdam# is 
"CandO" tically correct by testing it against the pattern as I
read it. 

I am not saying that this is the only method to gain mastery over
padya naDaka but this is the one I discovered. I would like to 
know if anybody else made a conscious effort like I did (or were
they fortunate enough to develop a feel for the poems without any
such conscious effort ?) and if so what technique they used.


If you liked this I will write next time about the other metres -#
sIsa, gIta, and kanda .


#Thanks for y'alls attention.#

--

Sankaram