Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi1
Compendium of Svaras and Melas
!
Translated by Srinivas Reddy2 © 2013
!!
!
CHAPTER I
!
Introduction
!
Śrīraṅga’s form is both majestic and elegant, his love for Śrī his sole treasure.
Endowed with devoted skill in matters of svara, śruti and grāma
and eternally delighting in the creation of playful rhythms,
his ornamented body is the universe of sound.
May Lord Nārāyaṇa protect us. //I.1//
!!
In the very beginning, venerable Brahma arose
from the lotus that sprang from Viṣṇu’s navel
just as the essence of music came from the Sāma Veda,
and the knowledge of truth from the scriptures of Vedānta. //I.2//
!From the Unborn came Atri, and from his eye appeared the Moon,
friend of the Immortals, whose moonbeams touch the Gaṅgā
and all the other rivers, making them companions of the sea.
The Moon, who is an eye of Viṣṇu, carries existence within,
and manifests the principle of cause and effect
by sustaining the perfect ocean with shining coral. //I.3-4//
!His son was Budha, from him Purūravas, and from him the virtuous Āyu.
Then Yayāti’s father Nahuṣa, along with Bharata and others, were all born in his line. //I.5//
!Then Śrīraṅgarāja, victorious king of kings, was born as an ornament to that family.
And like a royal sage, he led a good life and pleased the Earth. //I.6//
!His queen was Timmāmbika, a faithful wife who embodied all the good qualities
of Satī, Yaśodā, Vinatā, Anasūyā, Sudakṣiṇā, Satyavatī and Subhadrā. //I.7//
!Rāmarāja, supreme king of kings, was born due to the great tapas of his parents.
And when Kṛṣṇarāya gave his daughter to him, her ancestors were glorified. //I.8//
!He has two younger brothers, the famous kings Timmarāja and Śrīveṅkaṭādri,
just as noble Yudhiṣṭhira had Bhīma and Arjuna as his powerful arms. //I.9//
!His arms can conquer the King of Snakes, so there’s no wonder he rules the earth,
1 Based on the Sanskrit text compiled by M. S. Ramaswami Aiyar in Rāmāmātya’s Svaramelakalānidhi (A Work on
Music), published by Annamalai University, 1932.
2Being a part of “Authority, Critique, and Revision in the Sanskrit Music-Theoretic Tradition: Re-Reading the Svara-
mela-kalānidhi” by Matthew Rahaim, Srinivas Reddy and Lars Christensen 2015.

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

but it’s amazing, that his mind, subtle as an atom,

could contain the Lord of Mount Śeṣa, who is the entire universe. //I.10//
!With one sword, and two younger brothers, he set out from Vidyāpura
to Guttigiri to help the helpless Sadaśiva.
He defeated the opposing kings and their rebel leader
and as Viṣṇu raised Dhruva, he famously installed Sadaśiva
on the throne of Karṇāṭa as protector of the land. //I.11//
!Śibi, the lord of the earth, Dadhīci, Rādheya, Jīmūtavāhan and others
were idolized for giving a part of their bodies, just as he become famous
for offering his lordship of the earth. //I.12//
!Rāmarāja was Rāma, descended to earth, and with his two brothers never leaving his side,
illuminating both day and night, he was like Mount Meru with the Sun and Moon. //I.13//
!After he defeated all the Persians in battle, he cast their robes of fame to the sky
and adorned young women with the silken garments of his glory. //I.14//
!Śri Rāmaya’s great minister built the palace called Ratnakūṭa, surpassing in splendour
Indra’s Vaijayanta—Rāmarāja was overjoyed, his mind was awestruck. //I.15//

They say it rivals Mount Meru in stature, completely excelling it

with countless flocks of dazzling royal swans
and a row of heavenly halls and pleasure places. //I.16//
!A pleasing, gentle breeze spreads through the gardens,
where fluttering flags and the swaying branches of mandāra trees
appear as if Lakṣmī was at play, dancing in a circle. //I.17//
!Maidens living there make preparations for the wedding of their play-doll couples
by placing their feet on the edge of a festive moon-like stone. //I.18//
!Rāmarāja spent his time in that palace, enjoying the presence of men
whose minds were like embodiments of Śeṣa, masters of music, art and literature. //I.19// 3

!And as Rāmarāja sat there, delighting in the pleasure of poetry and music,
Veṅkaṭādri, lion of kings, found an opportune moment, to make a humble request— //I.23//

“There are many contradictions concerning theory and practice in the śāstras on music,
command Rāmamantri to compose a new work and reconcile these differences.” //I.24//
!Then Rāmarāja, lord and sovereign of Śrīraṅga, addressed Śri Rāmayāmātya
who was seated beside him, versed in the secrets of music and art— //I.25//
!“In this world, some create theories, while others understand practice,
but I’ve seen no one else like you who is knowledgeable in the essence of both. //I.26//
!“Kallapadeśika, a treasury of knowledge greater than the author of Dattilam,
was your grandfather, and so the texts of divine music pulse through your lineage. //I.27//

3 Verses I.20-22 have been omitted. These complex stanzas describe Rāmāmātya’s expertise in saṅgīta-śāstra by
enumerating several technical terms that require further exploration. Aiyar’s rendering of the same needs revision.

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

!“In musical texts there are differences of opinions regarding meanings and usages.
Harmonize theory and practice, and offer a treatise on music filled with beauty. //I.28//
!“As in the past, when Patañjali analyzed Pāṇini’s grammar and developed rules for words,
you must respect the views of Bharata and other [music theorists] as you produce a lucid model
of svaras. //I.29//
!Before long, I shall compose the Svaramelakalānidhi,
present it to him and fulfill all that was expected (of me). //I.35a//
!And so resolved, I, Rāmamantrī, a master trained in the wealth of musical literature,
begin to articulate it. //I.36//
! ***
!
This music that the great father Brahma received from the Sāma Veda
pleases the all-knowing god and lord of Parvatī. //II.1//
!Even Kṛṣṇa, lord of the gopis, is enchanted by the sounds of the flute.
And while Brahma is absorbed in the Sāman chants, Sarasvatī is devoted to the vīṇā.
Then what of others like demigods, gandharvas, gods, demons and men? //II.2-3a//
!Children crying on a little bed, ignorant of the pleasures of taste
become joyous when they drink the nectar of music. //II.3b-4a//
!A wild animal in the woods, like a doe that roams about eating grass
surrenders its life when it hears the enchanting song of a hungry hunter. //II.4b-5a//
!Even a cobra delights in that music.
So who is capable of celebrating its greatness? //II.5b-6a//
! This is the praise of music.
!Music is known as a pleasing arrangement of svaras. //II.6b//
!It is divided into two categories: gāndharva and gāna.
gāndharva is a fixed tradition with no beginning,
practiced by gandharvas as a source of spiritual development,
while gāna is music that pleases people, composed in accordance with theories
by vāggeyakārs in deśī rāgas and other (forms). //II.7-9a//
!Gāndharva music is practiced with an adherence to theory,
but if there is no contradiction when a theory is dispensed with,
then practice is paramount to theory. //II.9b-10//
!In gāna music, practice ought to be more important than theory,
but this practice should be abandoned if it doesn’t create something pleasant.
So in this world, gāna music progresses in accordance with practice. //II.11-12a//
!Śārṅga Sūri who was versed in matters contained in all the musical śāstras
considered, in his chapter on instruments, the primacy of practice in gāna music,
or rather, that the śāstras themselves value the importance of practice.
Therefore, a śāstra that contradicts practice should (not be followed) //II.12b-14a//

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

!While the laws of graha, aṁśa and nyāsa, and the arrangement of the other svaras
are the domain of the śāstras, they do not contradict the basis of practice.
But wherever there are inconsistencies between theory and practice,
this (theory) should be abandoned. //II.14b-15//
!Like Śārṅgadeva Sūri who resolved this in the deśī ragas,
theory ought to conform with what is expressed in gāna music. //II.16//
!Establishing the primacy of practice substantiates theory
so all this music should be understand as two categories. //II.17//
! These are the two categories of music.
!Wishing to speak, the soul inspires the mind,
the mind stokes the fire within the body and the fire circulates the vital air. //II.18//
!This air stays in the brahma-granthi and slowly moves into the upper body
through the navel, chest, throat, head and mouth, and manifests as sound. //II.19//
!In each of these five locations the sound is said to be of five types:
very subtle, subtle, inaudible, audible and ornamented. //II.20//
!But in practice it is threefold. It is said
the low (mandra) is in the chest, middle (madhya) in the throat and high (tāra) in the head,
where the frequencies double in each successive register. //II.21//
! These are the registers.
!Twenty-two divisions of śruti are discernable by the ear,
and twenty-two recognized nāḍis unite in the upper nāḍi of the chest. //II.22//
!As resonate air rises higher and higher over those nāḍis,
the śrutis grows progressively higher and higher.
So it is for the throat and head as well,
and thus there are twenty-two recognized śrutis. //II.23-24a//
! These are the śrutis.
!From the śrutis come the seven svaras:
ṣaḍja, ṛṣabha, gāndhāra, madhyama, pañcama, dhaivata and niṣāda.
Their respective symbols are accepted as: sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni. //II.24b-25//
!A svara is a pleasing, sustained sound that manifests from a śruti without a break.
It inherently colors both the mind and ear. //II.26//
!The proof of this is clearly evidenced by the vīṇā.
There it is deemed that sa is the fourth śruti, and ri the seventh,
ga the ninth and ma the thirteenth,
pa the seventeenth, dha the twentieth, and ni the twenty-second.
This is how the svaras derive from the śrutis. //II.27-29a//
!Ni and ga take two śrutis, while dha and ri take three.
The remaining three sa, ma and pa take four śrutis. //II.29b-30a//

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

!If the origin of a svara begins with the fourth śruti (etc.)
what is the purpose of the preceding śrutis? //II.30b-31a//
!I state that the fourth (or third, etc.) śruti attracts its previous śrutis,
therefore the previous śrutis also constitute origins (for a svara). //II.31b-32a//
!The seven svaras beginning with sa are called pure (śuddha).
There are also seven altered (vikṛta) svaras making a total of fourteen. //II.32b-33a//
!Given that Śārṅgadeva spoke of twelve altered svaras in the Ratnākara
why have only seven been described here? //II.33b-34a//
!It is true that in theory, twelve distinct altered svaras are acknowledged,
but in practice there are seven altered svaras distinct from the pure svaras. //II.34b-35a//
!Excepting the foundational śruti, a difference in sound is evidenced
in the remaining five inherently altered svaras.
By taking a śruti from the previous svara, and leaving out its own first śruti
the difference in the previously mentioned svaras is equated in theory.
No difference is perceived in practice because of the fixity of the anchor (ādhāra) śruti.
How is there no difference is explained by current practice. //II.35b-38a//
!Unlowered sa cannot be differentiated from pure sa.
No difference is observed between unlowered ma and pure ma.
There is no separation of altered ri and pure ri.
Altered dha is not higher than pure dha.
No difference is perceived between the altered pa of three śrutis
and the altered pa obtained from the madhyama śruti.
Since these five are included in the fourteen previously mentioned
I make no distinction between them. //II.38b-42a//
!I will give the definition and specific characteristics of the seven altered svaras.
They are lowered sa, lowered ma and lowered pa,
next common ga and in-between ga,
then fine and sweet ni. //II.42b-44a//
!Leaving out the fourth foundational śruti of sa
lowered sa is known to relate to the third śruti.
This characteristic also applies to lowered ma and lowered pa. //II.44b-45//
!While common ga relates to the (first) gāndhāra śruti of pure ma,
in-between ga is identified with the second śruti of pure ma. //II.46-47a//
!As told by learned musicians, fine ni relates to the first niṣāda śruti of pure sa.
The next niṣāda, identified with the second śruti of pure sa is sweet ni.
These are the characteristics of the seven (altered svaras) //II.47b-49a//
!In accordance with what is seen in popular usage,
I will delineate alternate names for some of the fourteen svaras. //II.49b-50a//
!Due to its known niṣāda-quality (niṣādatvam) in this world
lowered sa is referred to by the name lowered-sa ni. //II.50b-51a//
!
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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

Due to the usage of lowered ma as a ga,

I employ the term lowered-ma ga. //II.51b-52a//
!Because the world identifies lowered pa with ma,
it is called lowered-pa ma. //II.52b-53a//
!In some instances when it is observed that a ri
falls in the range of pure ga, it is known by the name 5-śruti ri
and if it falls in the range of common ga,
then in accordance with what is observed, it is called 6-śruti ri. //II.53b-55a//
!Similarly, when a dha stands in the range of pure ni
it is called 5-śruti dha in accordance with what is observed,
and in some instances, if it stands in the range of fine ni
it is called 6-śruti dha //II.55b-57a//
!Before proceeding to a clear intellectual analysis of rāga and mela,
the arrangement of svaras thus described are recapitulated in order. //II.57b-58a//
!The seven pure svaras, described earlier as pure, are recognized and referred to as follows:
pure sa and pure ri, then pure ga and pure ma,
next pure pa, pure dha and pure ni. //II.58b-60//
!The seven altered svaras are deemed to be: lowered-sa ni,
lowered-ma ga, and lowered-pa ma,
then common ga and fine ni, next sweet ni and in-between ga. //II.61-62//
!Further, pure ga is also called 5-śruti ri
and common ga has the name 6-śruti ri. //II.63//
!Moreover, in regard to certain rāgas and melas of gāna music,
pure ni has another name of 5-śruti ni
and fine ni has the other name of 6-śruti ni. //II.64-65a//
!These fourteen svaras definitely exist in rāga after rāga.
And the seven svaras always (?) repeat in the three registers. //II.65b-c//
! This is the nomenclature for the pure and altered svaras.
! ***
!The features of these three vīṇās, the Śuddha-melā, the Madhya-melā and Acyutarājendra-melakā
are explained based on their practice. //III.18//
!First, the attributes of Śuddhamelā vīṇā will be described.
Four metal strings should be fitted to the upper part of the vīṇā
and three close by, below and to the right,
by a skilled craftsman with practical knowledge. //III.19-20//
!The arrangement of svaras on these seven strings will be explained,
starting from the left with the four upper strings. //III.21//
!The first one should be tuned to very low sa, the second to very low pa
the third fixed at low sa and the fourth at low ma. //III.22-23//

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

!And now the arrangement of śvaras on the three lower strings will be described.
Wise scholars regard the first as equal in pitch to middle sa,
the second to low pa, and the third to low sa.
These three strings are known by the technical term ‘śruti.’ //III.24-26a//
!Now the alignment of frets, as agreed upon by vīṇā players, will be explained.
On the first string set to very low sa,
the first fret should be positioned at pure ri,
the second at pure ga, the third exactly at common ga,
the fourth at lowered-ma ga, the fifth at pure ma
and the sixth placed specifically at lowered-pa ma. //III.26b-31a//
!And now the progression of svaras produced on those six frets
is described for the three other strings. //III.31b-32a//
!On the second string set to very low pa, these are the six svaras
produced on the six previously aligned frets:
pure dha, next pure ni, then fine ni,
lowered-sa ni, pure sa, and pure ri. //III.32b-34//


The low pure sa and low pure ri
produced on the second string are reproduced on the third string.
Therefore, the ones produced on the second string are considered to be of no use. //III.35-36a//
!These are the very low svaras, and now the low svaras will be described.
The third string set to low sa is like the very low one
where the progression of svaras on the six frets is:
pure ri, pure ga and common ga,
then lowered-ma ga, next pure ma
and finally lowered-pa ma. //III.36b-39a//
!The pure ma and lowered-pa ma produced on the third string
are deemed to be of no use because they are both reproduced on the fourth string. //III.39b-40//
!The svaras for the six frets on the fourth string tuned to low ma are:
lowered-pa ma, pure pa, and next pure dha,
then pure ni, fine ni and lowered-sa ni.
These are known as the low svaras. //III.41-43a//
!In this way, all the very low and low svaras are produced
on the six frets of the four strings mentioned earlier. //III.43b-44a//
! This is the characterization of a mela.
!The svayambhu svaras are those not determined by one’s own judgment.
Therefore, a method is delineated to establish their proper values. //III.44b-45a//
!Two svaras, separated by a distance of eight or twelve śrutis,
should always be understood as mutual samvādis.
This principle is well explained by statements in the Ratnākara.
Now another method of determining the values of svaras is explained. //III.45b-47a//
!The low pure pa produced on the second fret
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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

of the fourth string is known to be svayambhu.

Therefore all svaras produced on the second fret are svayambhus,
and their values can be determined without discrepancy. //III.47b-49a//
!The very low pure ni produced on the second fret
of the second string has the same value as the low pure ni
found on the fourth fret of the fourth string.
Accordingly all svaras produced on the fourth fret are svayambhus,
and their values can be determined without discrepancy. //III.49b-52a//
!The very low lowered-sa ni produced on the fourth fret
of the second string is found to be the same as the low lowered-sa ni
produced on the sixth fret of the fourth string.
In this way, all svaras generated on the sixth fret are svayambhus,
and their values can be precisely determined without discrepancy. //III.52b-55a//
!The fifth fret produces sa and ma
so all svaras generated from this position are svayambhus. //III.55b-56a//
!The low fine ni produced on the fifth fret
of the fourth string is found to be the same as the very low fine ni
produced on the third fret of the second string.
In this way, all svaras generated on the third fret are svayambhus. //III.56b-59a//
!The low pure dha produced on the third fret
of the fourth string is equal to the very low pure dha
generated by the first fret of the second string. //III.59b-60//
!Therefore, this method of aligning six frets generates all the measurable svaras
and Rāmāmātya has demonstrated the determination of these values. //III.61-62a
! This is the method of determining svaras.
!Similarly, the learned position frets to determine svaras
in the middle, high and very high registers.
However, the actual svaras produced on the frets in these registers
are useful only on the fourth string, but not the other three strings. //III.62b-64a//
!Earlier I spoke of a total of fourteen svaras,
but now I provide a thorough explanation of the twelves svaras. //III.64b-65a//
!Why are two (extra) frets not described for the production of sweet ni and in-between ga?
If frets were separately fitted for sweet ni and in-between ga,
they would be unpleasing when played due to interference.
Therefore separate frets are not described, but their production is explained. //III.65b-67b//
!Learned musicians maintain that the sweet śruti can be produced
from the lowered-ma ga fret. //III.68//
!Only when a particular rāga employs sweet ni or in-between ga
will the production of either be permissible. //III.69//
!Due to their minute difference in pitch, other practicing musicians
understand lowered-sa ni an lowered-ma ga

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

to be substitutes in lieu of sweet ni and in-between ga. //III.70-71a//

!This is like the statement expressed by Śārṅga Sūri
that in all cases, the sweet ni and in-between ga svaras are used sparingly. //III.71b-72a//
!This is the view of practicing musicians in regard to the characteristics of the Śuddha-mela
vīṇā. //III.72b//
! This is the Śuddha-mela vīṇā.
!

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 Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi translated by Srinivas Reddy

!English Renderings of Sanskrit Terms

!
pitch-set mela
sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni ṣaḍja, ṛṣabha, gāndhāra, madhyama, pañcama, dhaivata, niṣāda
pure śuddha
altered vikṛta
lowered/unlowered cyuta/acyuta
common ga sādhāraṇa gāndhāra
fine ni kaiśika niṣāda
in-bewteen ga antara gāndhāra
sweet ni kākali niṣāda
5-śruti/6-śruti [dha, ri] pañca-śruti/ṣaṭ-śruti
anchor śruti ādhāra śruti
!!
!Concordance of Verses
!Rāmāmātya’s Svara-mela-kalānidhi and Śārṅgadeva’s Saṅgīta-ratnākara

(based on the editions of Aiyar 1932 and Shringy 2007 respectively)

!
!
Svara-mela-kalānidhi 
 Saṅgīta-ratnākara

II.1a - II.5a 
 I.1.25b - 29b

II.6a 
 I.1.30a

II.6b - II.9a 
 IV.1.1a - 3b

II.18a - 20b 
 I.3.3a - 5b

II.21a - 24a 
 I.3.7a - 10a

II.24b - 26.b 
 I.3.23a - 25a

II.30b - 32a 
 I.3.25b - 27a

III.72a 
 I.5.6b

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