Barring some exceptions, a bandish (vocal music) and a gat (instrumental music) has four lines.
a. The first line or an introductory line is usually called mukhda in vocal music and a gat in instrumental music (though the entire structure is also called a gat).
b. The second line is called manjha – originally called madhya – which means a middle line.
c. The third line is called antara
d. The fourth line is called amad
Following the principle of several contemplated activities, a bandish or a gat follows a cyclical structure /tenet. The first line is the starting point, the manjha takes the melody into lower octave, the antara takes the melody to upper octave and the amad bring you down to the point where the composition started, and thus completes the cycle.
Just as the melodic movement of the bandish / gat is circular in motion, the literal content (sahitya) of a bandish (vocal music) also has similar unfolding, for instance –
अब गुमान मन नाही करिए
जो सब गुनी जन कहे चित्त धरिए |
ध्यान ग्यान सुर ताल पहले
वाको साधन करिए धरिए ||
It is noted that the literal content starts with a philosophy including respect for Guru. The antara portion takes the theme further with an advice to aspiring musicians. It is evident that the bandish starts with mukhda and continues further through manjha, antara and amad to complete the narration.