The legacy of Indian music to mankind lies in its unique system of ragas.
Raga is an idea which interprets the sound frequencies and rhythms at their most subtle levels of oscillation in terms of their emotional contents or appeal.
Tradition demands that a raga should sound (“ranjayati”). To achieve this effect, a raga needs to be embroidered with at least five swaras, which may go up to seven. All such swaras forming the body of a raga should be friendly to each other. Indeed, like the matching pearls arranged into a beautiful necklace! The scope for swara combinations is so enormous that a grand array of raga necklaces adorn the Indian system of music.
Proto-Ragas Straight From the Nature
Let’s coin now a new term `protoraga’ to distinguish those natural, unpretentious and spontaneous sound clusters that emanate most naturally, particularly when variations when we express our agony or ecstasy without any are exposed to danger or when filled with inexpressible joy, or sorrow. The oohs, aahs and ouch form this genre.
In ancient times, much before languages were invented by the analytical mind, such sound expressions were relied on as a means of communications. They conveyed one’s feelings -devoid of arguments or analysis. Obviously these expressions were true to the emotions sought to be conveyed, but lacking sophistication. The proto ragas reached their pinnacle of glory when they were employed in devotional chants (e.g. Gregorian verses, Sama Veda etc.) in all ancient cultures. They played a vital role in the “exercises and rituals aimed at altering one’s consciousness (e.g., Shamanism and yoga etc.) leading toward relaxation and healing.
Proto Ragas : Towards the Raga Revolution
In order to qualify into a raga, it is necessary that a minimum of five notes conjoin together. However, in Indian liturgical music, we do come across situations in which one, two or three notes are employed, which may not be really the protoragas. To distinguish them, we may coin a term “pseudo-raga”. Like ragas, they are not just accidental or natural. They emanate from the mind and they follow its directive. They are discussed below :
Archika – The One Note Wonder :
Archika, a Sanskrit term, refers to a single tone or which, gets repeated endlessly. In other words, it deals with monotones.
Repeatedly chanting a tone all over again and again – is a time-tested technique to achieve ekagra (one-pointedness). For the uninitiated, however chanting monotones may sound monotonous, exercise and is rightly so. But, as one gets accustomed to this “treadmill”, what starts as monotonous exercises starts working wonders. Modern researchers have confirmed recently that iterative music facilitates diversion of one’s mind away from a pain location. Through the process of almost endless repetition of say, `sa, sa, sa’ the note involved in arhika, the mind gets thoroughly pounded and in due course benumbed too ! Take for instance, an ek tara or any single string instrument. As you go on repeatedly striking it, focusing your mind into the monotones of Archika, what starts initially as a drudgery ends up as an ecstatic spiritual experience!
Gathika: The Two Note wonder
The addition of companion note ‘ni’ to the already existing ‘sa’, creates a new genre of pseudo-raga, Gathika. This marriage of two notes paves way to the eventual evolution of Samika.
Samika : The Three-Note wonder:
While two is company, three, becomes a crowd! The same is applicable to Samika too. The three note-combination (`sa’, `ni’, `ri’) adds a new dimension to our musical experience. All the three notes as “neighbours” in an octave and they are friendly to each other too, which is the low-pitched is called Anudatta, `Sa’ that is central is Svarita and which is the high-pitched is Udatta. Vedic recitations make use of these notes profusely. For example, the vedic chanting of Mantra pushpam reads like this :-
RISA NISARI NISARI NISARI SASA SASA SA
(Yopam Ayata Namveda Ayata Navaan Bhavati)
Proto-ragas and Pseudo-ragas, by the virtue of either being woven in a limited sound frequencies may not provide that richness of musical experience, available in ragas. Nevertheless, they are more direct and soothing. They exist nearer to our heart and soul than our mind.
This Article was published in Sadguru’s blessings – Pages 37, 38
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, April 7, 2021