Ragas and Raginis: A Pictorial and Iconographic Study of Indian Musical Modes Based on Original Sources c6.308

c6.308

The two following texts, Hṛdaya-kautuka and Hṛdaya-prakāśa, come from the North.² The author of both is Hṛdaya Nārāyaṇa Deva who ruled in Gadā deśa about 1724 Saṃvat (=1646 or 1660 A.D.) In the first work, the author borrows his 12 parent scales (saṃsthānas or ṭhāṭs) from Rāga-taraṅginī. He, however, invents a new melody called Hṛdaya-rāma, in which two peculiar notes are used, e.g., tri-śruti ‘ma’ and tri-śruti ‘ni’, and on the basis thereof lays down an additional thirteenth ṭhāṭ. His derivative rāgas are very fully described with their complete note-compositions. In his Hṛdaya-prakāśa, the author confines himself to 12 types of melas or ṭhāṭs, commenting that ‘there are innumerable melas in the ocean of music, but only 12 of these are useful here.’ He defines mela as ‘a collection of notes capable of producing rāgas.’ He emphasises on an important point. ‘The use of two, three, or four notes may produce pleasing improvisations (tānas) but not rāgas.’ The Śuddha scale of Hṛdaya-prakāśa seems to correspond to the Kāfi