A word on the rhythm. The regularity of the accent is the meter or chhand in the prose. In music the tempo is set by the interval between two regular beats and this interval is called the laya . Kaal is time and kalaa means an art form. The beat is therefore termed as kaal-kalaa or taal in short. This beat can be introduced through an external percussion instrument like the mridangam, pakhawaj or tabla etc. or the performer may maintain this tempo as laya in the playing or singing. The laya normally has three time-speeds viz. vilambit (slow), madhyam (medium) and druta (rapid). The number of beats can alter and the taals are so variously named – dadra(6) , rupak(7), kaharwa(8), jhaptaal(10), ektaal(12), teentaal(16) and so on. In ‘Sangitratnaakar’ [9], a 13^th century exposition on music Sharangdeva rishi describes fully 108 taals. Incidentally, 108 is also the number of beads in the mala or rosary… and arithmetically 108 = 1 x (2×2) x (3x3x3).

The three components of vaani are, therefore, vaak, dhvani and taal(or laya).