Chandas

Chandas is the study of prosody or meter in Indian poetry, focusing on how syllables are organized into fixed rhythmic patterns. In this tradition, syllables are categorized as long (guru) or short (laghu), and verses are formed according to established metrical schemes. Chandas provides rules for the counting and arrangement of syllables to produce specific meters, guiding both composition and recitation in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and related languages.

Historically, chandas is a foundational part of the Vedangas, the auxiliary sciences that accompany the Vedas. The classical theory is contained in the treatise known as Chandashastra (Chandas), traditionally attributed to the sage Pingala, with later commentaries refining and expanding the system. Pingala’s work introduced a systematic method for encoding metrical patterns and described a broad family of metres, often understood through patterns of laghu and guru across a line. Well-known meters in the tradition include Anushtubh and Gayatri, among others such as various Vedic meters like Trishtubh, each defined by specific syllable counts and long/short sequences.

Chandas has influenced the composition, analysis, and recitation of Sanskrit poetry and ritual chant for centuries. In modern scholarship, it is studied as a critical component of Indian poetics, illustrating how meters shape poetic form, aesthetics, and linguistic rhythm. The study persists in academic and literary contexts as a key method for understanding classical verse, its structure, and its historical development.