SANGATYA
Sangatya (sAngatya) (ಸಾಂಗತ್ಯ) is a prosodic form, that is indigenous to Kannada. It lends itself well
to musical rendering and consequently it is very suitable to the practitioners of
the oral tradition. Sangatya belongs to the
‘amshagaNa chandassu’ and it has resisted the pressure to adapt itself to
the ‘mAtragaNa chandassu.
Sangatya contains four lines in each stanza and they consist of VishnugaNa, BrahmagaNa
and very occasionally RudragaNa. The first two lines are identical to the next two
lines. In other words this is an ‘ardha sama vrutta’ where the first half and the
second half are equal. The pattern is as follows:
Vishnu/Vishnu/ Vishnu/Vishnu
Vishnu/Vishnu/Brahma|
Vishnu/Vishnu/
Vishnu/Vishnu
Vishnu/Vishnu/Brahma||
There is another
variant of Sangatya which is usually called ‘sobagina sOneya chandassu’ or ‘sobagina
sOneya
In both these
variations the poet has the option to replace a gaNa of a particular kind by one
belonging to the other two kinds. This replacement makes the meter very flexible.
The letters in a given unit (gaNa) could be either expanded or contracted depending
on the exigencies of the situation. Naturally this enhances the musicality of the
meter. The initial rhyme or ‘AdiprAsa’ is adhered to in all the four lines of Sangatya.
Literary works
have been composed exclusively in this meter right from the fourteenth century.
‘sobagina sOne’ (1410 A.D.) by Deparaja is deemed to be the first extant literary
work in Kannada. It could be surmised that some poems in this meter were composed
in folk literature even before this. This poet has used the second variant mentioned
above. Works such as ‘Vaikunta VarNane’ (tatvasArada sobagina sOne) by Vadiraja,
‘madana mOhinI kathe’ by Lakshmayya Kavi(1650’paramAnubhava bOdhe’ by Nijaguna Shivayogi
(1500 A.D. approximately) are composed in this variant of Sangatya.
The tradition
of works composed in the proper version of Sangatya is more imposing. “Bharatesha
Vaibhava’ by Ratnakaravarni (16th Century) holds the pride of place in
this group. ‘kAmana kathe’ by Kalyanakeerthi, ‘tripuradahana sAngatya’ by Shishumayana,
‘nEmijinEsha sangati’ by Mangarasa, ‘rAmanAtha charite’ by Nanjundakavi, ‘hadibadeya
dharma’ by Sanchiya Honnamma, ‘mOhanatangini’ by Kanakadasa and ‘candrahAsana kathe’
by Helavanakatte Giriyamma are some of the important works written in this form.
Some poems in Sangatya are set to music in ‘Yakshagaana’s.
Two stanzas composed in this prosodic form are given
below as illustrations.
1.
ಕಿಮ್ಮೆನ/ಬಾರದು/ನಗಬಾರ/ದತ್ತಿತ್ತ/
ಕೆಮ್ಮಬಾ/ರದು ಸಭೆ/ಯೊಳಗೆ/|
ಸುಮ್ಮನಿ/ರ್ದುದು ಜನ/ಭರತ ಚ/ಕ್ರೇಶನ
ಸೊಮ್ಮಲ್ಲ/ವೇ
ರಾಜ/ಮೋಡಿ/|| (ಭರತೇಶವೈಭವ)
2.
ತಲೆವಿಡಿ/ದೆತ್ತಿದ/ಳೊಡನೆ ಸ/ಕಲಶಕ್ತಿ/
ಕುಲದಧಿ/ದೇವತೆ/ಮಾಕಾಳಿ/|
ಇಲಿ ನವಿ/ಲನು
ಸಲ/ಹಿದ ಕೈಯಿಂ/
ದೊಲಿದು ಮೈ/ದಡವಿದಳ್/ಕುವರರ/|| (ಸೊಬಗಿನ ಸೋನೆ)
Thus, Sangatya has played a crucial role in the history of
Kannada literature and prosody. Even modern Kannada poetry has rare instances of
compositions in Sangatya or its variations.
References: 1. ‘Kannada Sangatya prakara: Ondu Sanksipta
Sameekshe’ by R.N.Vijayalakshmi,