Sankarabharanam (raga)

Śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ scale with shadjam at C

It is the 5th rāga in the 5th Chakra Bāṇa. The mnemonic name is Bāṇa-Ma. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri ga ma pa da ni sa[1] Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārōhaṇa: S R₂ G₃ M₁ P D₂ N₃ Ṡ[lower-alpha 1]
• avarōhaṇa: Ṡ N₃ D₂ P M₁ G₃ R₂ S[lower-alpha 2]

The notes in this scale are shadjam, chatushruti rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, paṅchamam, chatushruti dhaivatam and Kakali Nishadam. As it is a Melakarta rāga, by definition it is a Sampurṇa rāga (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the Shuddha Madhyamam equivalent of 65th Melakarta rāga Kaḷyāṇi.

Due to the even spacing of svarās, many janya rāgas can be derived from Śaņkarābharaṇaṃ. It is one of the melakarta rāgas that has high number of Janya rāgas (derived scales) associated with it.

Many of the Janya rāgas are very popular on their own, lending themselves to elaboration, interpretation and evoking different moods. Some of them are Arabhi, Atana, Bilahari, Devagaandhaari, Jana Ranjani, Hamsadhvani, Kadanakutuhalam, Niroshta, Shuddha Sāveri, Pahādi, Purnachandrika, Janaranjani, Kedaram, Kurinji, Navroj, Sarasvati-manohari, Naagadhvani etc.

See List of Janya rāgas for full list of rāgas associated with Śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ.

Śankarābharaṇaṃ has been decorated with compositions by almost all composers. A few of the compositions are listed here.

• Chalamela,a popular Adathaalavarnam by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal in Telugu
• Nrityati Nrityati By Swati Thirunal in Sanskrit
• Eduṭa Nilacitē, Bhakti Bhikṣamīyave, Maryāda Kādurā, Svararāgasudhārasa, Sundarēśvaruṇi, Manasu Svādhīnamaina and Eṃduku Peddalavalē by Tyagaraja in Telugu.
• Dakṣhiṇāmūrtē, Sadāśivam Upāsmahē, Akṣhayaliṃgavibho and Śrī kamalāmbā by Muthuswami Dikshitar in Sanskrit
• Pogadirēlo Ranga (6th Navaratna Malike), Kande naa kanasinali, Enagu aane by Purandara Dasa in Kannada
• Yenu Olle Hariye By Kanaka Dasa in Kannada
• Sarōjadala Nētri and Dēvī Mīnānētri by Syama Sastri in Telugu
• Devi Jagath Janani,Bhaktha Paraayana by Swathi Thirunal Maharaja in Sanskrit
• Rajeevaksha Baro By Swati Thirunal in Kannada
• Alarulu Kuriyaga Āḍinadē by Annamacharya in Telugu
• Samakarardha Sariirini by Saint Gnanananda Teertha (Ogirala Veeraraghava Sarma) in Telugu
• Rama Ninnuvina by Thyagaraja
• Swara Raga Sudha by Thyagaraja

Muthuswami Dikshitar also has a list of 22 "Nottu Svara" compositions, based on Western Major Scale notes to his credit.

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāga.

Śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields 5 other major Melakarta rāgas, namely, Kalyāṇi, Hanumatodi, Natabhairavi, Kharaharapriya and Harikambhoji. Graha bhedam is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāga. Refer table below for illustration of this concept.

Notes on above table

C as the base for Śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ is chosen for above illustration only for convenience, as Carnatic music does not enforce strict frequency/note structure. The shadjam (S) is fixed by the artist as per the vocal range or the instrument's base frequency. All the other svarams are relative to this shadjam, falling into a geometric progression-like frequency pattern.

The 7th Graha bhedam of Śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ has both madhyamams (Ma) and no panchamam (Pa) and hence will not be considered a valid melakarta (rāga having all 7 swarams and only 1 of each). This is only a classification issue with respect to melakarta scales, while this structure could be theoretically used well to create good music.

Ascending: S R2 G3 P D2 P D2 S’

Descending:N3 D2 P G3 M1 G3 R2 S N3 D2 P D2 S

Ascending: S G3 M1 D2 N3 S

Descending:S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

Ascending: S G3 R2 G3 M1 P D2 P S

Descending: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2