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

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180 Treatment of Svara
or two notes become śuddha-tāna-s² (specific combinational
note-series). (27ab)
The mūrcchanā-s have been classified into four types (cf. verse 16
ante), viz. standard (śuddha, kākalī-inclusive, antara-inclusive and
inclusive of both. Broadly speaking, these four types fall into two
categories, viz. composed of standard notes only and composed of
standard and modified notes. A tāna is formed by dropping one or
two notes from any standard mūrcchanā. Thus, a śuddha-tāna is nothing
but a standard mūrcchanā deprived of one or two notes.
The word śuddha qualifies both the words mūrcchanā and tāna.
Tāna-s are also of two types śuddha and kūṭa, i. e. combinational and
permutational. 'K' argues that if the word śuddha of the text is taken
merely to qualify the word tāna, then śuddha-tāna-s would proceed from
all the fiftysix mūrcchanā-s already described, and in that case the
number of hexatonic and pentatonic tāna-s would not tally with the
text; while on the other hand, if it qualifies only 'mūrcchanā' then even
kūṭa i. e. permutational tāna-s would also be possible from the standard
mūrcchanā-s, which is contrary to the fact. Thus it is that, śuddha
(standard) mūrcchanā-s when deprived of one or two notes become what
is called the hexatonic and the pentatonic combinational note-series.
Mataṅga, however, points out another difference between mūrcchanā and
tāna. He says : "mūrcchanā proceeds in the ascending order, while tāna
proceeds in the descending order only." So tāna, as differentiated by
him, is restricted to the descending order of notes only.

2. Tāna, in the ancient terminology, is a series of five to six notes
   in a specific combinational order called śuddha-tāna (specific
   combinational note-series). Though śuddha-tāna is the full
   expression, when writing about it in its context, the word
   śuddha is taken for granted and mere tāna is used instead.
   Accor dingly, the expression specific combinational note-series
   is also sometimes replaced by the simple term note-series (in
   due context). But tāna as such has to be distinguished from
   kūṭa-tāna (permutational note-series) to be defined presently.
   However, in modern music tāna, as defined by Ravi Shankar,
   is a musical phrase sung on vowels, syllables or words drawn
   out or stretched by expressive passages. (cf. Glossary of
   technical words, My Music My Life).

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Page 181

Section 4 : Grāma, Mūrcchanā, Krama and Tāna 181

2. षाडवतानाः

षड्जगाः सप्त हीनाश्चेत्क्रमात्स्रिरिपसप्तमैः ॥२७॥
तदा ऽष्टाविंशतिस्ताना मध्यमे सरिगोर्झताः ।
सप्त क्रमाद्यदा तानाः स्युस्तदा त्वेकविंशतिः ॥२८॥
एते चैकोनपञ्चाशदुभये षाडवा मताः ।
(2) The hexatonic note-series : (27c-29b)
The seven (mūrcchanā-s) of the ṣaḍja-grāma, by an indi-
vidual omission of sa, ri, pa and ni¹ in their respective turn,
make twenty-eight (note-series). Similarly, the seven
(mūrcchanā-s) of the madhyama-grāma, by the omission of sa, ri
and ga in turn respectively form twentyone (note-series).
Both of them put together, are considered to be fortynine
hexatonic note-series.² (27c-29b)
Though the combinational (śuddha) note-series (tāna-s) are derived
from the standard (śuddha) mūrcchanā-s, the latter is distinguished by the
absence of modified notes, the former is distinguished not only
by the absence of kākalī and antara notes, but also by the absence
of any change in the regular arrangement of notes. If the note-series
is set in the permutational form then it is called kūṭa-tāna i. e. permu-
tational note-series. The note-series are formed by the omission of one
or two notes. If one of the seven notes is omitted, what we get is a
hexatonic note-series and if two out of the seven are omitted we get
pentatonic note-series.
'K' raises the question that, "since pañcama determines the grāma,
if it is omitted, how can it discharge this function ?" He resolves the
difficulty by pointing out that the pañcama can only be omitted in the
ṣaḍja-grāma; therefore, even its omission is indicative of that particular
grāma.
'S' explains at length how we get twentyeight note-series in the
ṣaḍja-grāma and twentyone note-series in the madhyama-grāma. When
the seven mūrcchanā-s of the ṣaḍja-grāma are deprived of ṣaḍja, then we
get seven hexatonic note-series, likewise when deprived of ri, pa and ni
respectively, we get seven other such series in each case, making twenty-
eight in all. Similarly, in the madhyama-grāma when the standard

1. Saptama—literally means the seventh (note) i. e. ni.
2. That is, 'ṣāḍava-tāna-s'.