Unseen Poem: How to Identify Bhava, Rasa and Alankar — Patwari Notes
This page gives the complete method for reading an unseen poem and identifying its feeling, message, rasa, alankars, poetic qualities and style of language. This is one of the most frequently asked topics in the Hindi section, so preparing it here converts directly into marks.
- Class 9–12 poetry-comprehension level
- 7 min read
How to read a poem: the content side and the craft side
An unseen poem has fewer words and more meaning than a passage. The poet speaks through symbols, imagery and alankars (figures of speech), so on the first read just grasp 'what is the poem about, and in what mood'. On the second read, work out the meaning of difficult words from context, and on the third, find the lines that match the questions.
Every poem has two sides. The content side (bhava paksh) — the poem's subject, feeling, message, rasa, and the life-values it carries (such as love for the nation, love of nature, or awakening). The craft side (kala paksh) — the language used (tatsam/tadbhav/deshaj), word-power, alankars, metre (chhand), rhythm, rhyme, sound-beauty, and poetic qualities (kavya gun). Exam questions are drawn from exactly these two sides: if the question mentions 'bhava-saundarya' (beauty of feeling), it belongs to the content side; if it says 'shilp-saundarya' (beauty of craft) or 'a feature of the language', it belongs to the craft side.
One caution: don't take symbolic words literally. In 'अराति सैन्य-सिंधु में सुवाडवाग्नि से जलो', the poet isn't talking about a real ocean — he treats the enemy's army as an ocean and calls on warriors to burn within it like बड़वानल (the submarine fire said to lie within the ocean). Likewise, 'आँखों में भरे विहाग' (विहाग being a night-time raga) signals sleep-filled eyes, not a description of a midnight song.
Famous poems at a glance
| Poem excerpt | Poet | Main sentiment | Language/craft feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| हिमाद्रि तुंग शृंग से प्रबुद्ध शुद्ध भारती (Himadri Tung Shring se) | Jaishankar Prasad (a song from the play 'Chandragupta') | Love for the nation; a call to keep marching forward for freedom (vir rasa, the heroic mood) | Sanskritised vocabulary, the ojas (vigour) quality; the repetition of 'बढ़े चलो, बढ़े चलो' creates a forceful sound |
| बीती विभावरी जाग री (Beeti Vibhavari Jaag Ri) | Jaishankar Prasad (from the collection 'Lahar') | A description of dawn, urging a friend (sakhi) to wake up | Tatsam words (विभावरी, खग-कुल, किसलय, मलयज), the madhurya (sweetness) quality, matching rhyme (नागरी–गागरी, जाग री–विहाग री) |
| राम की शक्ति पूजा — excerpt (Ram ki Shakti Puja) | Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' | Ram's self-reproach and remorse when his ritual meets an obstacle; shows Ram's human side | Mostly tatsam, long compound expressions, a grave style |
Remembering the poet and the sentiment of famous poems cuts your reading time in half.
Rasa and its Sthayi Bhava (dominant emotion)
| Rasa | Sthayi Bhava (dominant emotion) | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|
| शृंगार (Shringar) | रति (Rati — love) | Love; has two kinds — union (sanyog) and separation (viyog) |
| हास्य (Hasya) | हास (Haas — mirth) | Laughter at odd dress, speech, or behaviour |
| करुण (Karun) | शोक (Shok — grief) | Sorrow at the loss of, or separation from, a loved one |
| रौद्र (Raudra) | क्रोध (Krodh — anger) | Anger at insult or injustice |
| वीर (Vir) | उत्साह (Utsah — zeal) | Zeal for battle, charity, compassion, or duty |
| भयानक (Bhayanak) | भय (Bhay — fear) | A frightening object or situation |
| वीभत्स (Vibhatsa) | जुगुप्सा (Jugupsa — disgust) | Disgust arising from a repulsive sight |
| अद्भुत (Adbhut) | विस्मय (Vismay — wonder) | An astonishing object or event |
| शांत (Shant) | निर्वेद (Nirved — world-weariness) | Detachment from worldly life |
| वात्सल्य (Vatsalya) | वत्सलता (Vatsalata — parental affection, a form of rati directed at one's child) | A parent's affection for their child |
| भक्ति (Bhakti) | भगवद्विषयक रति (rati directed at God) | Devotion toward God |
Classical poetics originally recognised 9 rasas; vatsalya and bhakti were added later, making 11 in total.
Major Alankars (figures of speech), with identification cues
| Alankar | How to identify it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| अनुप्रास (Anupras — alliteration) | The same sound repeated again and again | खग-कुल कुल-कुल-सा बोल रहा; चारु चंद्र की चंचल किरणें |
| यमक (Yamak — pun/repetition) | The same word repeated, with a different meaning each time | कनक कनक ते सौ गुनी मादकता अधिकाय (कनक = gold / dhatura plant) |
| श्लेष (Shlesh — double entendre) | The word appears once, but carries multiple meanings | रहिमन पानी राखिए, बिन पानी सब सून (पानी = lustre / honour / water) |
| उपमा (Upama — simile) | A likeness drawn between the subject (upmeya) and the thing it's compared to (upman); marker words like सा, सी, सम, सरिस ("like") | पीपर पात सरिस मन डोला |
| रूपक (Rupak — metaphor) | The subject is identified outright with the thing it's compared to (no "like"); often joined with a hyphen | सैन्य-सिंधु (army-as-ocean), चरण-कमल (feet-as-lotus), मैया मैं तो चंद्र-खिलौना लैहों |
| उत्प्रेक्षा (Utpreksha — poetic fancy) | The subject is imagined as possibly being the thing it's compared to; marker words मानो, मनु, जनु, जानो ("as if") | सोहत ओढ़े पीत पट, स्याम सलोने गात। मनहुँ नीलमनि सैल पर, आतप परयो प्रभात॥ |
| अतिशयोक्ति (Atishayokti — hyperbole) | An exaggerated description | हनुमान की पूँछ में लगन न पाई आग, लंका सिगरी जल गई |
| मानवीकरण (Manavikaran — personification) | Human actions attributed to lifeless nature | मेघ आए बड़े बन-ठन के सँवर के (the clouds arrive dressed up like a well-groomed guest) |
| वक्रोक्ति (Vakrokti — ironic twist) | Taking a meaning different from the speaker's intent (through shlesh or a change in tone/kaku) | Answering a question by taking a word's second meaning |
Rupak and Utpreksha are the most commonly confused: if you see 'मानो/जनु' ("as if"), it's Utpreksha; if it's a direct identity (the army simply is the ocean) or uses 'रूपी', it's Rupak.
Poetic qualities and language identification: a quick revision
- माधुर्य गुण (Madhurya — sweetness)
- Soft sounds, few compounds; found in the shringar/karun/shant rasas — e.g. 'बीती विभावरी जाग री'
- ओज गुण (Ojas — vigour)
- Harsh sounds like ट, ठ, ड, conjunct consonants, long compounds; found in the vir/raudra rasas
- प्रसाद गुण (Prasad — clarity)
- Simple, easily understood language; the meaning is clear the moment you hear it
- Identifying tatsam vocabulary
- Words carried over unchanged from Sanskrit — विभावरी, अंबर, नयनद्वय, उद्धार, दैन्य; such language is called 'Sanskritised' (संस्कृतनिष्ठ)
- Sources of sound-beauty (nad-saundarya)
- Repetition of sounds (anupras), matching rhyme, repetition of phrases, and rhythm
- Cue words for sentiment
- 'धिक्', 'हाय' = self-reproach/remorse; 'बढ़े चलो' = zeal; 'जाग री' = awakening
Memory trick / exam tip
When an alankar question comes up, check in this order: a marker word (सा/सी/सम, "like") → Upama; 'मानो/जनु' → Utpreksha; a direct identity joined by a hyphen (चरण-कमल) → Rupak; repeated sound → Anupras; the same word repeated with a different meaning → Yamak; the word once, multiple meanings → Shlesh. In an 'inconsistent' question, check first whichever option carries a negative word like 'ineffective' or 'escape/flight' — for famous poems, such options are usually the inconsistent one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Rupak and Utpreksha?+
In Rupak, the subject is identified outright with the thing it's compared to (सैन्य-सिंधु — the army simply is the ocean). In Utpreksha, the subject is only imagined as possibly being that thing, using words like 'मानो, मनु, जनु' ("as if").
How do I tell that a poem's language is 'tatsam-dominant'?+
If there are many words in their original Sanskrit form (विभावरी, अंबर, नयन, उद्धार, दैन्य) and few everyday tadbhav words (आँख "eye", रात "night", आग "fire"), the language is tatsam-dominant, or Sanskritised.
Who wrote 'हिमाद्रि तुंग शृंग से'?+
It was written by Jaishankar Prasad, and appears in his play 'Chandragupta'. It calls for love of the nation and for pressing on for freedom.