the place in a taaLa from which a song or a line or phrase from a song is begun. Songs may take sama eDuppu, starting at the beginning of the cycle, or (vishama graham) start a few swara counts (usually 2, 4, or 6) before (atita) or after (anaagata) the start of the taaLa cycle. A comma , represents 1/4 eDuppu. A semicolon ; represents 1/2 eDuppu. The combination of these ;, represents 3/4 eDuppu in notation