Tag: Kafi Raga

Namaste all.

Sangita Parijatha

 

 

Ahobala’s Sangita Parijatha:

1. Sangita Parijatha was written by Ahobla who lives in the 17^th
2. He was son of Sri Krishna. (Father’s name)
3. This work explains how the 22 srutis are arrived at through shadja-panchama bhava. Besides, names for all the 22 sruthis are also given.
4. He names the 22 sruthis and their positions.
5. He identified the 12 swaras in terms of the length of the string of the Veena.
6. The importance of this work is that only this book shows clearly for the first time how we can get different swaras when we pluck a stretched string at different lengths.
7. 17 kinds of gamakas are illustrated.
8. It is true that Sangita Parijatha speaks more about Hindustani Music.
9. The suddha scale described in Sangita Parijatha is the same of todays Kafi Raga.
10. And that equivalent to the Raga Kharahara Priya of Carnatic music.
11. Ahobala refers to his music theory with the Principles of Lochana Kavi’s Raga Tarangini (15^th Century) and Somanathar’s Raga Vibhodha (1609).
12. Ahobala describes Mela as a combination of Swaras.
13. He says it has a power to create the Ragas.
14. Ahobala describes 122 Ragas in detail with swara structure. He gives the number of their swaras, their time of performance and their characteristic melodic phrases.
15. Ahobala listed 11340 Ragas. And classified 122 ragas under six mela categories. He even sub divides into Audava, Shadava and sampurna.
16. According to Ahobala the movement of different swaras in different places that is sthana of the same swara, that various swarasthanas give each Raga an unique flavour.
17. Ahobala describes 68 types of Alankaras (Vadana-bedha) and is considered as an improvement over Raga Vibhodha of Somanathar.
18. Ahobala determined the length of the strings of the Veena as the value of swaras.
19. He names the 22 sruthi and their positions.
20. He identified the 12 swaras in terms of the length of the string of the Veena.
21. Ahobalar’s Sangita Parijatha was translated into Persian by Pandit Dinanatha and many other music scholars translated in other Northern languages.

— to be continued —

Prof. V.Meenakshi Jayakumar.