SAPTHA SWARA - BY S.RAJAM

Musings on Music Saptha Swaras

SWARADEVATHA - SHADJAM(Sa)	SWARADEVATHA - RISHABAM(Ri)	SWARADEVATHA - GANDHARAM(Ga)
SWARADEVATHA - MADHYAMAM(Ma)	ORIGIN OF SWARAS	SWARADEVATHA - PANCHAMAM(Pa)
SWARADEVATHA - DEIVATHAM(Dha)		SWARADEVATHA - NISHADHAM(Ni)

Sapthaswara:Paintings by S Rajam based on details available from Sri Muthia Bhagavathar's "Sangeetha Kalpa Drumam" SHADJA : Body plump, lotus like complexion, four faces, eight hands, white attire, kumkum in forehead, has sword, sits on swan, gandarva wife, lives in Sambo island, Agni saw this devata first.

RISHABA : Slim body,green colour, three faces, six hands, peethambara dress. Blue stone necklace, agaru in forehead. Kundam in his hand. Sits on lion, kinnara wife, lives in Saha island. Brahma saw this devatha first.

GHANDARA : Fat body, golden complexion, two faces, four hands, red attire, diamond necklace, agaru in forehead, Dandam in hand, Ghanda Berunda bird as vehicle, Yaksha wife. Lives in Kusa island. Moon saw this devatha first.

MADHYAMA : Tall with four faces, eight hands, blue attire, lapis lazule(vaidooryam) necklace, patharas on forehead, holds chakra, sits on deer, Kimpuru wife, lives in Kroucha island. Vishnu saw him first.

PANCHAMA : Well proportioned body. Complexion black, four faces, eight hands, red clothes, emarald necklace, Gorojanam on forhead, pindi in his hand, Naga wife, lives in Salmali island. Narada saw him first.

DAIVATHA : Tall, blue body, three faces, six hands, pictured cloth worn by him, Gomethagam(sardonyx) necklace, sandal on forehead, holding narasam, sits on parrot, Deva wife, lives in Swetha island. Thumburu saw him first.

NISHADA : Very fat, five coloured complxion, two faces, four hands, blue attire, pushparaga(topaz) necklace, kadamba powder on his forehead, holding ankusam, sits on Mynakam, Rakshasa wife, lives in Pushkara island. Thumburu saw this devatha too.

The Melakartha Scheme of 72 ragas has two versions. The reputed author of the Scheme, Venkatamakhi shaped the Asampoorna Mela. Govindacharya brought out the Sampurna Melas. The two versions have been followed by Muthuswami Dikshitar & Tyagaraja-Syama Sastri respectively.

Seven swaras have twelve swara divisions:

Carnatic System	Syllable	Hindustani System	Western
Shadja	SA	Shadj	C
Suddha Ri	R1	Komal Rishab	D Flat Db
Chatusruti Ri	R2	Thivra Rishab	D
Sadarana GA	G1	Komal GA	E Flat Eb
Antara GA	G2	Thivra GA	E
Suddha MA	M1	Komal MA	F
Prati MA	M2	Thivra MA	F Sharp F+
Panchama	PA	Pancham	G
Suddha Da	D1	Komal Da	A Flat Ab
Chatusruti Da	D2	Thivra Da	A
Kaisiki NI	N1	Komal NI	B Flat Bb
KakaliNI	N2	Thivra NI	B

SA & PA are constant. Others have two levels(sthanas). Thus there exist twelve swara sthanas. Four more having shades of other swaras - Suddha Gandharam, Shatsruti Rishaba, Suddha Nishada & Shatsruti Dhaivata - make up a total of sixteen. 72 Sampoorna Ragas having all seven swaras both in ascending (arohana) & descending (avarohana) emerge as Mela ragas. Each mela has al the seven swaras but drafts varying swarasthana formulations.
Each mela raga applied to permutations & combinations of swara sthanas gives scope to 484 janya (sub) ragas. 72 mela ragas have thus a potential to give the colossal 34776 janya ragas. Of course, this is only an arithmetical projection & not a melodic feasibility.
Of 72 melas, the first 36 have M1 & the second 36 ave M2.

Musings on Music by Shri S.Rajam

CARNATIC BASICS - 10

janya raagas

janya means 'born'. a janya raga is one that is born out of a parent melakartha raga.

e.g. hamsadhwani is a janya raga of 29th melam shankarabharanam. how?

the aarohanam and avarohanam of hamsadhwani is

s r2 g3 p n3 s / s n3 p g r2 s.

the aarohanam and avarohanam of shankarabharanam is

s r2 g3 m1 p d2 n3 s / s n3 d2 p m1 g3 r2 s

this is derived from the parent raga by omitting m1 and d2.

it is interesting to note that both shankarabharanam and kalyani have the same swaras but for ma. and hamsadhwani does not have ma. then how come it is said that it is derived from shankarabharanam and not kalyani. it cud very well be kalyani also, isn't it? this is where our ancestors brilliance comes into the scene.

eventhough apparently the swaras of hamsadwani are common to both the melams, the 'gamaka' prayogams in the raga are more loyal to shankarabharanam than kalyani. that is how they allotted this raga to the 29th mela.

one more e.g. mohanam is a janya raga of harikambodhi and not shankarabharanam.
mohanam has s r2 g3 p d2 s / s d2 p g3 r2 s

these notes are common for both hk and sb. but depending on the gamakam, it is allotted to hk.

some more janya ragas

abhogi &
sudha dhanyasi from karahara priya


hindholam &
bhoopalam from hanumathodi etcetera.

i have not mentioned the swarasthanam here. i want to remind this thread is just an introduction to carnatic music. so i want to be as simple as possible. this is not reference material.

i wud like to give the names for the swaras here. they are

sa - shadjam
ri - rishabham
ga - gandharam
ma - madhyamam
pa - panchamam
dha - dhaivatham
ni - nishadham


each has a meaning and reason. will be elaborated later.

it is interesting to note eventhough in western classical the notes are referred to as cdefgab they have got syllables too. it is do re mi fa so la ti .

it is called solmization. this system is called solfege and these syllables also have meaning.

CARNATIC BASICS - 9

mela kartha ragas... contd...

continuing....

melakartha or parent raagas are called sampoorna raagas. it means they have got all the 7 notes and in the same order srgmpdn both in aarohanam and avarohanam. sampoorna means complete.

e.g. shankarabharanam (29TH) s r2 g3 m1 p d2 n3 s and s n3 d2 p m1 g3 r2 s.

aarohanam means ascent and avarohanam means descent.

both jointly constitute a ragam.

u could have wondered after reading the first 6 raagas 'onnum kaelvi patta madhiriye illaiye-nu', i mean none of them is popular or famous and mostly unheard of.

this is because the first 7 ragas are vivadhi ragas. i will explain them later. as of now these ragas are not suitable for raga aalapana and prasthara. stalwarts can do that. but it is not as pleasing as normal ragas.

namma raja idhaiyum vittu vaikkala. vivadhi ragathula neraya compose panna ore aal nammalu daan.

list of melakartha ragas

1.kanakangi
2.rathnangi
3.ganamurthi -indhu chakram
4.vanaspathi
5.manavathi
6.dhanaroopi

7.senavathi
8.hanumathodi
9.dhenuka -nethra chakram
10.natakapriya
11.kokilapriya
12.roopavathi

13.gayakapriya
14.vagulabharanam
15.mayamalava gowla -agni chakram
16.chakravagam
17.suryakantham
18.haatagambhari

19.jhankaradhwani
20.natabhairavi
21.keeravani -vedha chakram
22.karahara priya
23.gowri manohari
24.varuna priya

25.maara ranjani
26.charukesi
27.sarasangi -bhaana chakram
28.harikambodhi
29.dheera shankarabharanam
30.naaga nandhini

31.yagapriya
32.ragavardhini
33.kaangeya bhooshani -rudhu chakram
34.vaagadheeswari
35.soolini
36. chala natta

37.saalakam
38.jalarnavam
39.jaala varali -rishi chakram
40.navaneetham
41.paavani
42.raghu priya

43.kavambodhi
44.bhava priya
45.shubha panthuvarali -vasu chakram
46.shat vidha maargini
47.swarnangi
48.dhivya mani

49.dhavalambari
50.nama narayani
51.kamavardhini -brahma chakram
52.ramapriya
53.gamanashrama
54.vishwambhari

55.shyamalangi
56.shanmuga priya
57.simhendra madhyamam -dishi chakram
58.hemavathi
59.dharmavathi
60.neethimathi

61.kaanthamani
62.rishabha priya
63.lathangi -rudra chakram
64.vachaspathi
65.mesha kalyani
66.chitrambhari

67.sucharitra
68.jothi swarupini
69.dhathuvardhini -adithya chakram
70.nasika bhooshani
71.kosalam
72.rasika priya