TRIPADI
Tripadi (tripadi) (ತ್ರಿಪದಿ) is one of the most ancient
metrical forms of Kannada. It is definitely Dravidian in origin and it is based
on ‘amshagaNa Candassu’.
Even though tripadi got transformed to ‘mAtrA gaNa Candassu’ as many other indigenous
forms, the practice of composing it in amsha gaNa persists. Antiquity of tripadi,
based on inscriptional evidence can be traced back to seventh century.
‘Badami Inscription’ is composed
in amsha gana tripadis. Tripadi means, literally a stanza containing three lines.
(pAda) The characteristic features of this form are provided by Nagavarma in his
‘CandOmbudhi’.
The pattern of ganas given by Nagavarma is as follows:
ವಿಷ್ಣು/ವಿಷ್ಣು/ವಿಷ್ಣು/ವಿಷ್ಣು
ವಿಷ್ಣು/ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ/ವಿಷ್ಣು/ವಿಷ್ಣು
ವಿಷ್ಣು/ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ/ವಿಷ್ಣು//
Tripadi is a form consisting of eleven
units. (It is also known as ‘tividi’) First two lines consist of four units and
the third consists of three units. All the ten of them except the sixth and the
tenth units are Vishnuganas. The sixth and tenth units are Brahmaganas. Many a time
these Vishnu gaNas are replaced by RudragaNas either at one place or more than one
place. There are certain other conditions too. There is pause after the second unit.
(yati) There is an internal rhyming in the
first and the third units in addition to the initial rhyming.(Adi prAsa). More importantly,
after reciting the first three units in the second line, one has to pause and then
recite the whole of it again and move on to the fourth unit. This is followed in
all recitations, even though Nagavrama has not spelt it out in so many words. Thus
in effect, tripadi becomes a poem with four discernible lines during recitation:
ವಿ/ವಿ/ವಿ/ವಿ
ವಿ/ಬ್ರ/ವಿ/
ವಿ/ಬ್ರ/ವಿ/ವಿ/
ವಿ/ಬ್ರ/ವಿ
This is actually the general mode of
recitation whether it is Desi poetry or folk poetry.
The fact that
tripadis are found in many inscriptions and folk poems goes to prove that it is
one of the earliest poetic forms in Kannada.
However, even
tripadi could not survive the on set of ‘mAtrA gaNa Candassu’. Consequently the
later tripadis consisted of ten units and all of them were in matrAgaNas. VishNugaNa
was replaced by units of five mAtrAs and the sixth and the tenth positiones were
occupied by gaNAs consisting four mAtras. Of course these were quite flexible and
an elongation of BrahmagaNa was always on cards. Thus a typical mAtrAgaNa tripadi
will adopt the pattern that follows:
5/5/5/5
5/4/5/5
The sixth and
tenth unit may be called BrahmagaNa also because the originals are retained. Sediyapu
Krishnabhatta contends that this rule concerning the sixth and tenth units is the
most essential feature of a tripadi.
Tripadis are
used very sparingly in Champu works. Many inscriptions have made use of this short
and pithy meter. Folk poetry is replete with this eminently musical form. There
a few literary epics, which are composed entirely in tripadi meter. ‘Anubhavasara’
by Nijaguna Shivayogi, ‘Chandaneya kathe’, ‘Soundarya katharatna’ by Ramendra, ‘Chorakathe’
by Mallikarjunaraya are a few examples. Even in the twentieth century, Jayadevitayi
Ligade the poetess from Sollapura has composed her epic ‘Siddaramashvara Purana’
in this meter. However Sarvajna is the most important poet who has immortalized
this form by thousands of didactic poems written by him. Modern poets such as Bendre
and S.V.Parameshvarabhat have composed a few poems in Tripadi.
Tripadi, which
is not suited for continuous long narratives lends itself very well for short lyrical
or ethical outbursts. We have provided a few examples of typical tripadis here:
ಕಟ್ಟಿದ/ಸಿಂಘಮನ್/ಕೆಟ್ಟೋದೇ/ನೆಮಗೆಂದು
ಬಿಟ್ಟವೋಲ್/ಕಲಿಗೆ/ವಿಪರೀತಂ/ಗಹಿತರ್ಕಳ್
ಕೆಟ್ಟರ್ಮೇ/ಣ್ಸತ್ತ/ರವಿಚಾರಂ||
ಅಂತುಮಾ/ರೂಪನೆ/ಚಿಂತಿಸಿ/ಚಿಂತಿಸಿ
ಕಾಂತೆಯರ್/ಪತಿಗೆ/ರತಿ
ಸೋಲ್ತ/ಕೆಂದಳಿ
ರಂತಲರ್/ಗಣೆಗೆ/ಡೊಣೆಯಾದರ್||
3. Sarvajna,
ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ
ಸೊಡರೆಣ್ಣೆ/ತೀರಿದರೆ/ಕೊಡನೆತ್ತಿ/ಸುರಿವರೆ
ಕೊಡಬೇಡ/ಕೊಡದೆ/ಇರಬೇಡ/ದಾನವನು
ಬಿಡಬೇಡ/ವೆಂದ/ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ||
4. Folk Poetry,
ಜಾನಪದ:
ನನ್ನಯ್ಯ/ನಂತೋರು/ಹನ್ನೆರಡು/ಮಕ್ಕಳು
ಹೊನ್ನೆಯ/ಮರದ/ನೆರಳಲ್ಲಿ/ಆಡುವಾಗ/
ಸನ್ಯಾಸಿ/ಜಪವ/ಮರೆತಾನು||
It is clear in all these examples, that
tripadi gives room for lot of expansion and elision of units during the process
of recitation based on the exigencies of the situation.
Some scholars
have opined that tripadi is the earliest prosodic form in Kannada. Others are of
the opinion that Tripadi itself is derived from ‘ELe’ which is much shorter. Other
forms such as Shatpadi and Sangatya are said to be derived by certain modifications
in tripadi. All this apart, Tripadi is truly a very important prosodic form in Kannada
immortalized by the great bard Sarvajna and innumerable poets and poetesses who
have made use of it.
References:
1.
‘Tripadi: adara svaroopa mattu itihaasa’, M.Chidananda
Murthy, from ‘Chandotaranga’, 1993, Department of Kannada and Culture, Bangaloe
2.
‘Pracheena
Kannada Sahityarupagalu’, R.S.Mugali, Usha Sahityamaale,
3. ‘The Shapes of Our Singing: A Guide to
the Metres and Set Forms of Verse from Around the World’ R Skelton -
2002 -