Ragas and Raginis: A Pictorial and Iconographic Study of Indian Musical Modes Based on Original Sources c6.199

c6.199

bordering on the sea. Its rāga-system consits of the six rāgas : Mālava, Mallāra, Śrī-rāga, Vasanta, Hindola and Karṇāṭa. This seems to point to an early time, as in this list, Mālava rāga is described as the ‘King of the Melodies’¹ and Bhairava which came to occupy the throne, later, has no place in this group, the rāgiṇī Bhairavī being assigned to Mālava-rāga. The six rāgiṇīs attributed to each of the rāgas, according to this system is set out in Appendix 13. The names of some of the rāgiṇīs are curious, and seem to indicate later interpolations. The list includes Pūravī, Koḍā, Gaḍā, and Mārhāṭī. The late form of the last-named rāgiṇī militates against the suggestion of an early date for this work. At the same time, the inclusion of some early rāgiṇīs e.g. Māyurī, and Dīpikā suggests an early date. It is quite possible that the system was confined to a particular region, and its earlier system had undergone modifications, from time to time, by the affiliation of later melodies. But the most important feature of the work is the citation of contemplative verses for the dhyāna formula of the melodies giving the iconographic pictures of the six rāgas and thirty-six rāgiṇīs belonging to the system. The citations of these prayer-formulas are preceded by a significant assertion that ‘the beautiful images of the six rāgas and the thirty-six rāgiṇīs have emanated from the ‘Abode of Brahmhā,’ the Supreme Being, and they love to offer their prayer to the same Supreme Deity’.² The descriptive verses visualizing the melodies, cited in this work, have been frequently quoted by later text-writers from this work, and the work and its author are referred to by names.