Ragmala

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ragmala literally means a beaded string of musical melodies. "Mala" means "a beaded string" and "Raga" is a "musical composition". This is the name given to the last composition in the Guru Granth Sahib and like the Japji Sahib at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, this composition has no heading to show the name of the author.

Some Sikh scholars differ in their opinion about the inclusion of Ragmala in the Granth, but the traditional and official position of the SGPC, is that Ragmala is a part of the Guru Granth Sahib or SGGS and it must be included due to the official ruling.

The Adi Granth contains the following thirty-one ragas (in the serial order): Sri raga, Manjh, Gauri, Asa, Gujri, Devagandhari, Bihagara, Wadahans, Sorath, Dhanasri, Jaitsri, Todi, Bairari, Tilang, Suhi, Bilaval, Gond (Gaund), Ramkali, Nut-Narayan, Mali-Gaura, Maru, Tukhar, Kedara, Bhairav (Bhairo), Basant, Sarrang, Malar, Kanra, Kalyan, Prabhati and Jaijawanti.

But of the above thirty-one ragas, technically fourteen are ragas and the rest are raginis. It may be noted that no distinction has been made in the Scripture between a raga and a ragini. Ragmala given at the end of the SGGS gives the following eighty-four melodies.

Six are male (parent) ragas; the thirty raginis are their wives and the remaining forty-eight are their sons. These are listed is as follows:

(1) Parent Raga: Bhairav raga

Wives: Bhairavi, Bilawali, Punyaki, Bangli, Aslekhi. Sons: Pancham, Harakh, Disakh, Bangal, Madhu, Madhava, Lalit, Bilaval.

(2) Parent Raga: Malkaus raga

Wives: Gaundkari, Devagandhari, Gandhari, Seehute, Dhanasri. Sons: Maru, Mustang, Mewara, Parbal, Chand, Khokhat, Bhora, Nad.

(3) Parent Raga: Hindol raga

Wives: Telangi, Devkari, Basanti, Sindhoori, Aheeri. Sons: Surmanand, Bhasker, Chandra-Bimb, Mangalan, Ban, Binoda, Basant, Kamoda.

(4) Parent Raga: Deepak raga

Wives: Kachheli, Patmanjari, Todi, Kamodi, Gujri. Sons: Kaalanka, Kuntal, Rama, Kamal, Kusum, Champak, Gaura, Kanra [36].

(5) Parent Raga: Sri raga

Wives: Bairavi, Karnati, Gauri, Asavari, Sindhavi. Sons: Salu, Sarag, Sagra, Gaund, Gambhir, Gund, Kumbh, Hamir.

(6) Parent Raga: Megh raga

Wives: Sorath, Gaundi-Malari, Asa, Gunguni, Sooho. Sons: Biradhar, Gajdhar, Kedara, Jablidhar, Nut, Jaldhara, Sankar, Syama.

If we compare the above scheme with the ragas of the Guru Granth Sahib, we find that only two major ragas - Sri raga and Bhairav - have been included in the Scripture. The remaining male parent ragas, namely Malkaus, Hindol, Deepak and Megh have been excluded. Sri raga is the first raga in the Scripture instead of Bhairav raga of the Ragmala. Asawari used in the Scripture as a part of Asa raga is according to ragmala the wife of Sri raga. The following eleven wives (raginis) and eight sons of the parent-ragas are included in the Scripture: