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

Page 166

166 Treatment of Svara
(vi) ग्रामाणां देवा।
क्रमाद् ग्रामत्रये देवा ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः ॥७॥
(vi) The presiding deities of the grāma-s : 7cd
The presiding deity in each of the three grāmas respec-
tively¹ is Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.² (7cd)
(vii) ग्रामाणां गानकालनियमः
हेमन्तग्रीष्मवर्षासु गातव्यास्ते यथाक्रमम् ।
पूर्वाह्णकाले मध्याह्ने ऽपराह्ने ऽभ्युदयार्थिभिः ॥८॥
(vii) The periods of time as related to the grāma-s: 8
They¹ are to be sung by those who are desirous of
prosperity in the forenoon², mid-day and in the afternoon, in
the winter, summer and in the rainy season respectively. (8)
The expression "gātavyāste" is quite significant and also thought-
provoking. The pronoun 'they' (te) obviously stands for the three
grāma-s ; and therefore two interesting questions arise in this particular
context : (i) are the grāma-s meant to be sung ? (ii) Is singing to be
restricted to winter in case of the ṣaḍja-grāma, to summer in case of the
madhyama-grāma and to rainy season in case of the gāndhāra-grāma ? and
if so, the gāndhāra-grāma cannot be used on earth as it is prevalent in the
heaven only; then how should one sing in the rainy season ? Moreover,
the grāma-wise distribution of the day into three parts presents another
problem on the same lines.
The grāma-s, it is generally held, were not meant to be sung ; but
what is probably collectively referred to in the text by way of grāma,
is the various types of melodic patterns or musical forms set in the
pattern of the particular grāma-s, such as jāti-s and rāga-s. It is interes-
ting to find 'S' quoting Mataṅga with reference to the function of grāma

1. That is, in the ṣaḍja, madhyama and gāndhāra-grāma, in respec-
   tive order.
2. The appellation Maheśvara (Mahā+īśvara—the great God) is
   used in the text.
3. That is, the three grāma-s.
4. Pūrvāhṇe, literally means 'in the anterior period' with reference
   to the middle period of the day, i. e.. the mid-day. Thus, we
   can also divide as forenoon, noon and afternoon.

---

Page 167

Section 4 : Grāma, Mūrcchanā, Krama and Tāna 167
in this context ; it is said—"the purpose of grāma is to regulate the
organisation of svara, śruti, mūrcchanā, tāna, jāti and rāga." Obviously,
these are the main factors of the ancient Indian music known as the
grāma-mūrcchanā-jāti system.
Thus, the expression 'they are to be sung', refers not merely to the
basic scales of the grāma-s, but all those melodic structures or musical
forms that are set into their basic pattern.
Accordingly, the text is suggestive of another function of the
three grāma-s viz., their individual suitability to a particular season.
The traditional six Indian seasons have been compressed into three for
functional purposes ; and on this basis one is led to infer that even
gāndhāra-grāma might have been prevalent sometimes in the forgotten
past All that the text implies is that the three grāma-s are more
suitable for the three respective seasons and the divisions for the day,
but not that they are exclusively to be employed on restricted basis.
ख. मूर्च्छनाः क्रमाश्च
(i) मूर्च्छनालक्षणम्
क्रमात्स्वराणां सप्तानामारोहश्चावरोहणम् ।
मूर्च्छनेत्युच्यते ग्रामद्वये ताः सप्त सप्त च ॥९॥
The mūrcchanā-s and krama-s : 9-26b.
(i) The definition of mūrcchanā: 9
The ascending and the descending movement of the
seven notes in successive order is called mūrcchanā. There¹
are seven mūrcchanā-s in each of the two² grāma-s. (9)
The concept of mūrcchanā is quite important in this system of
music, and should therefore be understood quite adequately.
The word 'mūrcchanā' is derived by Mataṅga from the Sanskrit
root mūrcch—to faint or to increase. Thus he defined mūrcchanā as :
"mūrcchyate yena rāgo hi mūrcchanā-ityabhisañjñitā" i.e., "That by which
the rāga develops is called mūrcchanā." Basically it is the movement,
ascending as well as descending of the seven notes which is called
mūrcchanā in the text. However, 'S' quoting Mataṅga in his support

1. That is, in this world excluding heaven.
2. That is, the ṣaḍja-grāma and the madhyama- grāma.