Ragas and Raginis: A Pictorial and Iconographic Study of Indian Musical Modes Based on Original Sources c6.79

c6.79

But the most important data, furnished by this text, is the origin of the distinction between rāgas and rāgiṇīs. Here, we have for the first time a classification of the melodies into masculine and feminine groups, thus initiating the differentiation between rāgas and rāgiṇīs. In fact, Nārada gives three classifications, viz., Masculine melodies (pum-liṅga-rāgāḥ), Feminine melodies (strī-rāgāḥ) and Neuter melodies (napuṃsaka-rāgāḥ). The principle of classification is according to the character of the feeling (rasa)