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

196 Treatment of Svara
(iii) The repetitions and the total number of permutational
note-series : 50-60
In the absence of the grāma-indicative¹ pañcama of the
śuddha-madhyā² commencing with ṣaḍja, forty-eight note-series
of tetratones, twelve of tritones, two of bitones and one of the
monotone in the two original series,³ making sixty-three in
all are considered to be the repetitions of those pertaining to
uttaramandrā⁴. (50-52a)
In mārgī⁵, which commences with niṣāda, the four⁶
(original-series) provide four hundred and eighty pentatonic
The 3,22,582 permutational series of notes just enumerated not
only include the number of original-series (krama-s) but also many
repetitions in-between the note-series of the two grāma-s. 'K' very ably
introduces this matter as under:
"Even though ni and ga in their kakalī and antara forms determine
and bring about the mūrcchanā-variation, yet while this difference in
relation to other notes is quite notable, it is hardly perceptible within
these notes i. e., with reference to niṣāda and gāndhāra; and that is why
these two (i. e. kākalī and antara) are not considered to be as good as the
standard notes. Again, if as a rule, the different mūrcchanā-s such as
rajanī etc. commencing with ni etc. in the ṣaḍja-grāma come into being by
occupying the position of middle ṣaḍja and those in the madhyama-grāma
such as hariṇāśva etc., commencing with ga etc., occur by occupying the
middle madhyama of the madhyama-grāma, then even where the grāma-
indicator viz. the pañcama is omitted, because of the difference in the

1. Pañcama is considered to be indicative of the grāma in the
   sense that if it is a four-śruti pañcama it indicates the ṣaḍja-
   grāma and if it is a three-śruti pañcama it indicates the
   madhyama-grāma. Literally, the 'bhedaka' of the text means
   'discriminator' implying that it functions to distinguish
   between the two grāma-s.
2. Śuddhamadhyā is the fourth mūrcchanā of the madhyama-grāma
   and runs as 'sa ri ga ma pa dha ni'.
3. The series pertaining respectively to the two types standard
   and antara-inclusive.
4. The first mūrcchanā of the saḍja-grāma which runs as : sa ri ga
   ma pa dha ni.
5. The fifth mūrcchanā of the madhyama-grāma commencing with ni
   and ending with dha.
6. These are—standard, kākalī-inclusive, antra-inclusive and
   inclusive of kākalī-antara.
   Section 4 : Grāma, Mūrcchanā, Krama and Tāna 197
   note-series and ninety-six tetratonic series; the two⁷ (original
   series) produce twelve tritone and four bitone note-series,
   which along with the one monotone altogether make five
   hundred and ninety-three note-series that are identical with
   those of rajanī.⁸ (52-54)
   Pauravī⁹, commencing with dhaivata, with its four¹⁰
   (original series) is found to have two thousand eight hundred
   gramic position of the commencing note of the mūrcchanā, there is no
   question of any repetition being made in the permutational note-series
   proceeding from them, since their parent grāma can easily be traced.
   But however, if as a rule, in the two grāma-s the different mūrcchanā-s
   are formed by placing the commencing notes one below the other then
   the note-series of the śuddha-madhyā, mārgī and pauravī mūrcchanā-s of
   the madhyama-grāma have a necessary correspondence with the note-series
   such as hexatonics etc of the uttaramandrā, rajanī, uttarāyatā etc., the
   mūrcchanā-s of the ṣaḍja-grāma; and thus, due to the lack of difference
   in the gramic position of the commencing notes and also because of the
   omission of pañcama there is a definite possibility of their having been
   repeated. Therefore, the author is now to point out such repetitions in
   the note-series of the madhyama-grāma, in order to exclude them from the
   total number."
   Now, this introduction to the topic of repetitions, significant as it
   is, obviously requires some elucidation. Two ways of forming the
   mūrcchanā-s have been mentioned (verse 12-15 ante) viz. (i) by com-
   mencing the succeeding mūrcchanā-s with their opening notes placed in
   the position of ṣaḍja in the ṣaḍja-grāma and madhyama in the madhyama-
   grāma and (ii) by placing their commencing notes one below the other.
   The commentator points out that in the first case there is no possibility
   of repetitions, for then the grāma-distinction is preserved, but in the
   second case the possibility does exist. After all, the only markable
   difference between the two grāma-s is the number of śruti-s of pañcama,
   the other differences being consequent upon it. The process of forming
   note-series is such that successively the last notes are dropped. In this
   process pa, which is indicative of the grāma, is invariably retained in the
7. These are—standard and kākalī-inclusive.
8. The second mūrcchanā of the ṣaḍja-grāma corresponding to the
   mārgī of the madhyama-grāma.
9. Pauravī is constituted as : dha ni sa ri ga ma pa .
10. The four original series are of the four types, viz. standard,
    kākalī-inclusive, antara-inclusive and inclusive of both kakalī
    and antara.