Ragas and Raginis: A Pictorial and Iconographic Study of Indian Musical Modes Based on Original Sources c6.18

c6.18

According to Mataṅga (an authority who comes next after Bharata), the jātis generate the grāma-rāgas with the use of the tonic-initial the predominating or aṃśa note.¹ Mataṅga gives the following definition of jāti: “The jātis are born out of the initial notes and śrutis (microtones). Hence they are called jātis, from which is born (that is to say, from which begins) the consciousness of flavour that is jāti. In the alternative, by reason of the birth of all kinds of melodies, jātis are so-called.”[²] The same author expounds the 18 jātis enumerated by Bharata, with somewhat greater elaboration.