Chhand (, , ) is a quatrain used in the poetry traditions of North India and Pakistan.
Chhands in culture
In the culture of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, it is customary for
chhands to be recited at ceremonial occasions such as weddings, where they are used by grooms to praise their in-laws. Formerly, the form was extensively employed by court bards to praise royal personages.
Chhands are also used extensively in the
Nautanki dance-drama tradition of the region, especially in the
alha chhand or
bir chhand formats.
A typical Punjabi wedding
chhand might extol the mother- and father-in-law, for instance this one, which says the groom holds them in the same esteem as his own parents -
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چهند پراگا آ ًیے جا ًیے
چهند پراگا گهیوه
سس نوں منّا ماتا/امّی جی
تے سوهرے جی نوں پیوه
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छंद परागा आईए जाईए
छंद परागा घ्योह
सस नूँ मन्ना माता/अम्मी जी
ते सोहरे जी नूँ प्योह
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chhand paraga aiyey-jaiyey
chhand paraga g(h)yoh
sass nun manna mata/ammi ji
te sohre ji nun pyoh
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A Rajasthani language chhand, from the poem Haldighati by Kanhaiyalal Sethia, describes Maharana Pratap's determination to fight on against the Mughal Empire at all costs -
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हूँ भूख मरूँ, हूँ प्यास मरूँ
मेवाड़ धरा आज़ाद रहै
हूँ घोर उजाड़ा में भटकूँ
पण मन में माँ री याद रह्वै
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hoon bhookh maroon, hoon pyaas maroon
mewar dhara azaad rahai
hoon ghor ujara mein bhatkoon
pan man mein ma ri yaad r'hvai
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Let me die of hunger, let me die of thirst
Mewar must remain free
Let me wander the bleakest wildernesses
But the mother(land) must always be in my thoughts
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Chhands in religion
Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. The Prayer or Bani was composed by the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. Jaap Sahib is made up of 199 verses and is the first Bani of the Dasam Granth (p. 1-10). The Jaap Sahib begins with "Sri Mukhwakh Patshahi Dasvee," "By the holy mouth of the Tenth King." This appears to be a specific saying to authenticate the writings of Guru Gobind Singh himself. The language of Jaap, is close to classical with words and compounds drawn from Sanskrit, Brij Bhasha, Arabic and Urdu. The contents of Jaap Sahib, are divided into various
Chhands bearing the name of the related meter according to the then prevalent system of prosody in India.Jaap Sahib is a total and complete introduction to a non-individual Creator, or Nature itself, or the Forces of Universe, or the Laws of Nature.
Etymology
The term is derived from the
Sanskrit word
chhanda, which refers to the study of
Vedic meter. However, in North India and Pakistan,
chhand has come to mean a specific poetic style associated with the modern languages native to the region, such as
Punjabi language,
Hindko language,
Dogri language, Hindustani, Gujarati and Rajasthani.
See also
