Question

Select the talas from the following with equal Akshara
(A) Chaturasra Jati Mathya
(B) Tisra Jati Ata Tala
(C) Sankirna Jati Roopaka Tala
(D) Mishra Jati Jhampa
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (D) only
• B. (A), (C) and (D) only
• C. (A), (B), (C) and (D)
• D. (B), (C) and (D) only

Hint:

To solve these questions quickly, you must memorize the structures of the 7 Suladi Talas and the Akshara counts for the 5 Jatis. Practice these calculations as they are very common in Carnatic music theory exams.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify which of the given Carnatic talas have the same total number of 'Aksharas' (beats) in one cycle. This requires calculating the total Aksharas for each tala.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
The total Aksharas are calculated by summing the Aksharas of each 'anga' (limb) in the tala's structure. The angas are Laghu (I), Drutam (O), and Anudrutam (U). The value of Laghu changes with the Jati (Tishra=3, Chaturasra=4, Khanda=5, Mishra=7, Sankirna=9), while Drutam is always 2 and Anudrutam is always 1.
- Mathya Tala structure: I O I
- Ata Tala structure: I I O O
- Roopaka Tala structure: O I
- Jhampa Tala structure: I U O
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let's calculate the Akshara count for each option:
- (A) Chaturasra Jati Mathya Tala: I$_{4}$ O$_{2}$ I$_{4}$ = 4 + 2 + 4 = 10 Aksharas.
- (B) Tishra Jati Ata Tala: I$_{3}$ I$_{3}$ O$_{2}$ O$_{2}$ = 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 10 Aksharas.
- (C) Sankirna Jati Roopaka Tala: O$_{2}$ I$_{9}$ = 2 + 9 = 11 Aksharas.
- (D) Mishra Jati Jhampa Tala: I$_{7}$ U$_{1}$ O$_{2}$ = 7 + 1 + 2 = 10 Aksharas.
Comparing the results, talas (A), (B), and (D) each have 10 Aksharas.
Step 4: Final Answer:
The talas with an equal number of Aksharas are (A) Chaturasra Jati Mathya, (B) Tisra Jati Ata Tala, and (D) Mishra Jati Jhampa.