Alankar (अलंकार) — Shabdalankar, Arthalankar and the Test That Separates Them

What an Alankar Is, and the One Test That Sorts Them

Alankar means ornament. Just as jewellery adorns a body, an alankar adorns language — by the sound of the words or by the meaning they carry. That split is the whole classification:

• ›शब्दालंकार (Shabdalankar) — the beauty lives in the sound or the word itself.
• ›अर्थालंकार (Arthalankar) — the beauty lives in the meaning.

The synonym test, which decides almost every question: replace a key word with a synonym. If the charm collapses, the ornament was in the *word* — शब्दालंकार. If the charm survives, it was in the *meaning* — अर्थालंकार.

In *"चारु चंद्र की चंचल किरणें"*, swap चंचल for चपल and the chain of "च" sounds breaks — so it is शब्दालंकार. In *"चरण कमल बंदौं हरिराई"*, swap कमल for पंकज and the image of feet-as-lotus stays intact — so it is अर्थालंकार.

Hindi papers carry one or two alankar questions and they are always from the same short list.

1. Identify the alankar: "चारु चंद्र की चंचल किरणें, खेल रही हैं जल-थल में"

2. Identify the alankar: "कनक कनक ते सौ गुनी, मादकता अधिकाय"

3. How many parts (अंग) does the Upma alankar have?

4. Identify the alankar: "चरण कमल बंदौं हरिराई"

5. Identify the alankar: "सोहत ओढ़े पीत पट, स्याम सलोने गात। मनहुँ नीलमनि सैल पर, आतप परयो प्रभात।"

6. What is the essential difference between Shlesh and Yamak?

7. Identify the alankar: "हनूमान की पूँछ में लगन न पाई आग, लंका सिगरी जल गई, गए निसाचर भाग"

8. Which of the following is NOT a Shabdalankar?