Ragmala or Ragamala (ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ), literally means a 'garland of Ragas, or musical melodies'. "Mala" means "garland", while "Raga" is a "musical composition or mode", which has also given rise to the series of Ragamala paintings. This list differs according to the author and the music school it is based upon. Thus there exists a number of such lists in the music text books of India.
Ragmala is also the title of a composition of twelve verses, running into sixty lines, of the Guru Granth Sahib as a table or index of ragas that appears after the compositions of Guru Arjun Dev entitled "Mundaavani" (RIDDLE).
Rosary of tunes; Translation by swarn singh bains
God is one. He is realized by guru’s grace. There is one tune (God). The whole world sings His praise in classical Tunes in the group of five; The first major tune is Tune Bhairao (Devotee’s tune). Page 1430 It sings the praise of God in a group of five including other sub tunes. First sub tune in the group is Bhairavee, and Bilaavalee; Your praises are sung in melodious tunes. Then comes the turn of other truthful tunes; these are the five tunes of major tune Bhairao. All five sing Your praises joyfully in godly tunes. Singing your praises in beautiful tunes full of melody. ||1|| Tunes Lalat and Bilaaval – each have their own melody. Everyone is the son of Bhairav (God). Sings your praise in devotion! ||1|| The second major tune is Maalakausak (Acquired knowledge) also sing Your praises in the group of five tunes! Gondakaree and Dev Gandhaaree sing Your praises in loud voice. Including Dhanaasaree and maal Tune in the group of Maalakausak; Maaroo Tune is the devotional tune of Maiwar sung emotionally in the group. The devotional singers sing their best. Every one is the son of Maalakausak (God). ||1|| Then comes Hindol (joy) sing Your praises in the group of five. They sing in harmony to the best of their ability. ||1|| Then, comes Taylangee the music of gods; it is sung with the best attire including saffron on forehead. The universe blooms and becomes green O brother; here also Your praises are sung in the group of five tunes. The singers come well dressed wearing mascara, scent of sandalwood on the forehead and wearing the sacred thread. The whole atmosphere fills with joy; they sing Your praises in tune Basant with musical instruments. God pervades in every one. Then comes the turn of Deepak (enlightenment) ||1|| Todee Tune is sung with lot of zest in the group of five tunes. Goojree Tune is sung with musical instruments in the group major Tune Deepak. ||1|| The ugly the beautiful and the devotees of God; all are the children of the same flower The God. Tune Gauraa, Kaanaraa and Kaylaanaa; all are the son of Deepak (God). ||1|| All join and sing Siree Tune (tune to honour God) that also is sung in the group of five. Bairaaree is the tune of Karnaatka. The Aasaavaree is sung in a simple tune. Then follows Tune Sindhavee; It is also the part of the group of tune siree Tune. ||1|| Deep tune Tune Saarag is sung in deep devotion and Tune Gond is serious. Everyone is the son of Siree Tune (God) whether named Gund, Kumbh or Hameer. ||1|| The sixth major tune is Maygh Tune. (tune of guru's grace) Also sung in the group of five tunes! The tunes Sorath, Gond, and Malaar are part of Mayagh Tune. Including Aasaa that is sung in slow rhythm in the head; All sung in devotion loudly and form the part of the group of five the Maygh Tune. ||1|| The salty land, jungles, the religious shrines, the land of warriors the magicians and the land of rivers; everywhere the devotees and the prophets sing Your praises. Those are the names of the sons of God the Maygh Tune. ||1|| Six major tunes have been sung including the sub tunes totalling thirty in Your admiration. One more added later. All are the sons of the Creator of music (God) whether eighteen, ten or twenty. ||1||1||
"Raag Maalaa: Translation by other scholars; Each Raga has five wives, and eight sons, who emit distinctive notes. In the first place is Raag Bhairao. It is accompanied by the voices of its five Raaginis: First come Bhairavee, and Bilaavalee; then the songs of Punni-aakee and Bangalee; and then Asalaykhee. These are the five consorts of Bhairao. The sounds of Pancham, Harakh and Disaakh; the songs of Bangaalam, Madh and Maadhav. ||1|| Lalat and Bilaaval - each gives out its own melody. when these eight sons of Bhairao are sung by accomplished musicians. ||1|| In the second family is Maalakausak, who brings his five Raaginis: Gondakaree and Dayv Gandhaaree, the voices of Gandhaaree and Seehutee, and the fifth song of Dhanaasaree. This chain of Maalakausak brings along: Maaroo, Masta-ang and Mayvaaraa, Prabal, Chandakausak, Khau, Khat and Bauraanad singing. These are the eight sons of Maalakausak. ||1|| Then comes Hindol with his five wives and eight sons; it rises in waves when the sweet-voiced chorus sings. ||1|| There come Taylangee and Darvakaree; Basantee and Sandoor follow; then Aheeree, the finest of women. These five wives come together. The sons: Surmaanand and Bhaaskar come, Chandrabinb and Mangalan follow. Sarasbaan and Binodaa then come, and the thrilling songs of Basant and Kamodaa. These are the eight sons I have listed. Then comes the turn of Deepak. ||1|| Kachhaylee, Patamanjaree and Todee are sung; Kaamodee and Goojaree accompany Deepak. ||1|| Kaalankaa, Kuntal and Raamaa, Kamalakusam and Champak are their names; Gauraa, Kaanaraa and Kaylaanaa; these are the eight sons of Deepak. ||1|| All join together and sing Siree Raag, which is accompanied by its five wives: Bairaaree and Karnaatee, the songs of Gawree and Aasaavaree; then follows Sindhavee. These are the five wives of Siree Raag. ||1|| Saaloo, Saarang, Saagaraa, Gond and Gambheer - the eight sons of Siree Raag include Gund, Kumb and Hameer. ||1|| In the sixth place, Maygh Raag is sung, with its five wives in accompaniment: Sorat'h, Gond, and the melody of Malaaree; then the harmonies of Aasaa are sung. And finally comes the high tone Soohau. These are the five with Maygh Raag. ||1|| Bairaadhar, Gajadhar, Kaydaaraa, Jabaleedhar, Nat and Jaladhaaraa. Then come the songs of Shankar and Shi-aamaa. These are the names of the sons of Maygh Raag. ||1|| So all together, they sing the six Raagas and the thirty Raaginis, and all the forty-eight sons of the Raagas. ||1||1||"
(P. 1429-1430, www.SriGranth.org)
In the course of the evolution of Indian music, many systems came into effect, prominent among them being the Saiv Mat, said to have been imparted by Lord Shiva, who is accepted as the innovator of music; the Kalinath Mat, also called the Krishan Mat, which has its predominance in Braj and Panjab and is said to have been introduced by Kalinath, a revered teacher of music; the Bharat Mat which has its vogue in Western India and was propounded by Bharat Muni; the Hanuman Mat; the Siddh Sarsut Mat; and the Ragaranava Mat. A large number of ragmalas pertaining to these and other systems that developed are, with some variations, traceable in such well known works on Indian musicology as Gobind Sangeet Sdr, Qanun Mausiki, Budh Parkas Darpan, Sangeet Rinod and Raag Deepak.
With the exception of the Sarsut Mat which subscribes to seven chief raags, all other systems acknowledge six chief raags, thirty (in some cases thirty-six also) "wives" and forty-eight "sons" or sub-raags, each raag having eight "sons." Thus each system includes eighty-four measures which itself is a mystic number in the Indian tradition, symbolizing such entities as the 84 siddhs or the 8.4 million species of life.
Though the details concerning the names of "wives" and "sons" differ in each raagmala, the chief systems, broadly speaking, have only two sets; one including Siri, Basant, Bhairav, Pancham, Megh and Nat Narayan, as in the Saiv and Kalinath systems; and the other including Bhairav, Malkauris, Hindol, Deepak, Siri and Megh as in Bharat and Hanuman systems. In some systems, the raags have, besides "wives" and "sons", "daughters" and "daughters-inlaw" as well. The chief raags are shudh, i.e. complete and perfect, while the "wives" and "sons" are sanktrna, i.e. mixed, incomplete and adulterated. Each of the six principal raags relates itself by its nature to a corresponding season.
Raagmala literally means a beaded string of musical melodies. "Mala" means "a beaded string" and "Raga" is a "musical composition". It is the name given to the last composition in the Guru Granth Sahib appearing after Mundavani (riddle) and a Salok by Guru Arjan Dev. Like Japji Sahib, which appears at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib this composition has no heading to show the name of the author. A few self proclaimed Sikh scholars differ in their opinion about the inclusion of Raagmala in the Granth. It must be noted that the only body which disputes the Ragmala are the Babu Teja Singh and Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh's Akhand Kirtani Jatha (AKJ). The traditional position among all Sikhs and the official position of all Sikh Gurdwara management committees worldwide including the SGPC in Punjab is that Ragamala is a part of the Guru Granth Sahib and it must be included in all printed copies of this sacred scripture. That is the stand that is taken here as well. Please do not add any disputed points here - Use the Discussion Page to voice your views if they differ from the above.
Ragmala is the last composition in the Kartarpur volume. According to Prof. Sahib Singh, "the last pages of the Kartarpur volume do not suggest, either because of the presence of blank spaces, or scoring out, or obliteration, or otherwise, that there was or could have been the least intention to write these hymns in the Granth. The Mudaavni is on page 973/1. Pages 973/2 and 974/1 are blank, and on page 974/2 is the Ragmala. As such,It is thought and suggested by scholars that there could never have been the possibility, nor could it ever have been contemplated that these three writings requiring a space of over four pages could have been accommodated on the two blank pages 973/2 and 974/1."
Scholars and Saints for Ragmala: Bhai Vir Singh, Dr. Jodh Singh, Akali Kaur Singh, Sant Giani Gurbachan Singh (Jatha Bhindran), and Sant Samaj (Society of Saints)
Scholars and Saints against Ragmala: Prof. Hazara Singh; J. C. Cunningham - the author of History of Sikhs; well-known historian Macauliff, Maha-Kavi Santokh Singh, Giani Gian Singh, Giani Ditt Singh, Prof. Gurmukh Singh (founders of Singh Sabha Movement), Sant Teja Singh Manstuana, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Bhai Randhir Singh Ji Narangwal, Prof. Sahib Singh, Bhai Randhir Singh Ji Research Scholar, Dr. Trilochan Singh
Raagmala is not Gurbani.
Article XI (a) of the Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM): "The reading of the whole Guru Granth Sahib (intermittent or non-stop) may be concluded with the reading of Mundawani alone or the Rag Mala according to the convention traditionally observed at all the concerned places. (There is know difference of opinion within the Panth on this issue, nobody should dare to write or print a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib excluding the Rag Mala)."
http://www.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_three_chap_five.html
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:
Wives: Bhairavi, Bilawali, Punyaki, Bangli, Aslekhi. Sons: Pancham, Harakh, Disakh, Bangal, Madhu, Madhava, Lalit, Bilaval.
Wives: Gaundkari, Devagandhari, Gandhari, Seehute, Dhanasri. Sons: Maru, Mustang, Mewara, Parbal, Chand, Khokhat, Bhora, Nad.
Wives: Telangi, Devkari, Basanti, Sindhoori, Aheeri. Sons: Surmanand, Bhasker, Chandra-Bimb, Mangalan, Ban, Binoda, Basant, Kamoda.
Wives: Kachheli, Patmanjari, Todi, Kamodi, Gujri. Sons: Kaalanka, Kuntal, Rama, Kamal, Kusum, Champak, Gaura, Kanra [36].
Wives: Bairavi, Karnati, Gauri, Asavari, Sindhavi. Sons: Salu, Sarag, Sagra, Gaund, Gambhir, Gund, Kumbh, Hamir.
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 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:
There is no mention of Bihagara, Wadahans, Mali-Gaura, Kalyan [37], Manjh, Jaitsri, Ramkali, Tukhari, Prabhati and Jaijawanti in Ragmala.
1. Śabadārath Srī Gurū Granth Sāhib. Amritsar, 1964
2. Shamsher Singh Ashok. Rāgmālā Nirṇai. Amritsar, n.d.
3. Surindar Siṅgh Kohli. A Critical Study of Adi Granth. Delhi, 1961
4. Max Arthur Macauliffe. The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors. Oxford, 1909
5. Professor Sahib Singh. About the Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Tr. Daljit Singh). Amritsar, 1996
6. Madan Singh. Raag Maala - A Re-appraisal in the Context of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Amritsar, 2003.
7. Taran Singh. Ragmala. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Vol. III. Ed. Harbans Singh. Punjabi University, Patiala, 1997. P 426.
8. Kavi Santokh Singh. Sri Gur Partap Suraj Granth. http://www.ik13.com/Rasses/SGPS%20Raas%203.pdf
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