सङ्गीतरत्नाकर: प्रथम भाग (शार्ङ्गदेव - स्वरगताध्याय सविस्तार व्याख्या व अनुवाद सहित)

146 Treatment of Svara
Modified notes as related to standard notes in terms of śruti-s

Sl. No.	name of svara-s (notes)	standard notes extent	standard notes No. of śruti-s	modified notes from I extent	modified notes from I No. of śruti-s	modified notes form II extent	modified notes form II No. of śruti-s	no. of modified notes	note-śruti-s standard notes	note-śruti-s modified notes
	1	2		3		4		5	6
1	ṣaḍja	1-4	4	2-3	2	3-4	2	2	4th	(i) 3rd<br>(ii) 4th
2	ṛṣabha	5-7	3	4-7	4			1	7th	7th
3	gāndhāra	8-9	2	8-10	3	8-11	4	2	9th	(i) 10th<br>(ii) 11th
4	madhyama	10-13	4	11-12	2	12-13	2	2	13th	(i) 12th<br>(ii) 13th
5	pañcama	14-17	4	13-16	4	14-16	3	2	17th	(i) 16th<br>(ii) 16th
6	dhaivata	18-20	3	17-20	4			1	20th	20th
7	niṣāda	21-22	2	21-1	3	21-2	4	2	22nd	(i) 1st<br>(ii) 2nd
(Chart 8)
It is worthy of note in column 6 that in the case of serial nos. 1,
2, 4 and 6 the note-śruti-s of the standard notes and the modified notes
coincide respectively as the 4th, 7th, 13th and 20th. This phenomenon
needs an explanation which is offered as follows :
(i) Though the note-śruti of the second modification of ṣaḍja is
4th just like the standard ṣaḍja, it differs from it in so far as
its note-interval from niṣāda is only of two-śruti measure as
compared with four-śruti interval of the standard ṣaḍja.
(ii) Although the note-śruti of the modified ṛṣabha is the same as
that of the standard ṛṣabha viz., the 7th, its note interval
is of four-śruti measure from ṣaḍja as against the three-śruti
measure of the standard ṛṣabha.
(iii) The note-śruti-s of the standard madhyama and its second
modification are identical viz., the 13th. but whereas the
note interval of the modified form is of two śruti-s from
gāndhāra, that of the standard form is of four śruti-s.
(iv) Similarly, the note-śruti of standard dhaivata is identical with
the note-śruti of modified dhaivata; and yet the note-interval
of the modified form is four śruti-s from pañcama whereas the
standard note-interval is only three śruti-s.
Thus, even though the note-śruti-s in certain cases are identical
the note-intervals of the standard and the modified forms being quite
different, there is no room for any confusion with regard to their
character. (44c-46b)
(vii) सप्तस्वराणामुच्चारयितारः पशुपक्षिणः
मयूरचातकच्छागक्रौञ्चकोकिलदर्दराः ।॥४६॥
गजश्च सप्त षड्जादीन्क्रमादुच्चारयन्त्यमी ।
(vii) Production of svara-s (tones) by the birds and animals :
46c-47b
The seven notes commencing with ṣaḍja are produced
respectively by the peacock, cātaka¹, goat², heron, cuckoo,
frog and the elephant. (46c-47b)
The seven notes of the heptad³ (saptaka) are perceived and utilised
not only by the human beings, but also by the rest of the animal
kingdom. The notes have been identified with the expressions of parti-
cular animals and birds. The author does not elaborate this theme and
merely seems to have recorded a popular concept that confirms the fact
that the notes actually exist in nature and are only seven. The following
extract from the article of Bulwant Trimbuk, as published in the
'History of Hindu Music' (p. 11) will be found to be of great interest.
"Nature is never stingy or cruel to her children, when they serve
her earnestly. The same craving after knowledge and spirit of patient
enquiry which discovered to the Aryans that the high, low and middle
notes had typical representatives in the animal kingdom, the same
musical ear which showed them the sounds proper for repeating the
lessons in the morning, noon and at other times, disclosed to them that
the animals produce certain notes, and no more. They found that the
peacock, ox, goat, crane, black-bird, frog and elephant uttered certain
distinct notes, and that all the notes of the denizens of the forest could
be put down under one or the other of those 7 heads. In this way were
the seven musical notes found and fixed upon."

1. Cātaka is a bird of poetic convention. It is held that this
   bird takes only rain-water. Kunhan Raja's note in this
   respect is quite interesting and is reproduced verbatim:
   "Cātaka is a mythological bird supposed to have holes in the
   neck, and as such, unable to drink water in the ordinary
   way; they drink water remaining with their breast upwards
   when rain falls, so that the water does not leak out through
   the holes."
2. K. R. renders it as 'ram'.
3. Heptad is used as an equivalent of Sanskrit saptaka, which is
   conceived in place of the octave.