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

236 Treatment of Svara
are signified by their names.⁸ The admixture of these (three)
is known to be the circulatory⁹ pattern. (2-3b)
“When the tones move about in a note-series one by one or two
at a time, or are delineated together joining the respective final notes
(with the initial notes of the successive units), it is called sañcārī varṇa
(circulatory pattern). As in Mālavakaiśikā : sā sā sa ni ma ma ni ma
pa ni ri ri pā pa ni pā ni pā ni dha etc.” Bṛhaddeśī (p. 33) however
reads as under :
यत्र गीते सञ्चरन्ति स्वराः परस्परमन्तसंहिता ।
एकैकशो वा, स सञ्चारी वर्ण उच्यते ॥
Sañcārī varṇa (circulatory pattern) is said to be the one in which
the tones move about, mutually joining the final notes or one by one.
As in Mālavakaiśikā : ‘sā sā sa ni pa ni pa ni pa ni sā dha rī pā pa ni
ni ni’.
The two versions of the definitions of sañcārī (circulatory
pattern), the one ascribed to Mataṅga by ‘K’ and the other quoted from
Bṛhaddeśī are identical to a large extent and yet they are different in
their net bearing.
(ii) अलङ्कारलक्षणं, तद्भेदनिरूपणं च
(क) अलङ्कारलक्षणम्
विशिष्टं वर्णसन्दर्भमलङ्कारं प्रचक्षते ॥३॥
(ii) The definition and classification of tonal embellishment.
3c-64b
(a) The definition of tonal embellishment (alaṅkāra) : 3cd
In keeping with the suggested sense of the term alaṅkāra (orna-
ment), the original concept under this name was quite comprehensive to
include almost all types of tonal embellishments; for example even
kampa (tremor) was included in alaṅkāra-s. However, subsequently the
signification of the word alaṅkāra was restricted to “a melodic phrase-
progression”. The importance of ornamentation in Indian melody is
well brought out by Bharata in the following verse :
8. That is, these two patterns are so named that their names
are descriptive of their nature and function, as it is quite
obvious.
9. Sañcārī varṇa.
Alaṅkāra¹ (tonal embellishment) is said to be a specific
arrangement² of tone-patterns. (3cd)
शशिना रहितेव निशा विजलेव नदी लता विपुष्पेव ।
अविभूषितेव च स्त्री गीतिरलंकारहीना स्यात् ॥
(N. S., G. O. S. Vol. IV 29. 45)
“Melody without ornamentation would be like a night without the
moon, a river devoid of water, a creeper shorn of flowers and a lady
without ornaments.”
He is, however, careful also to caution against the excessive and
improper use of embellishments as he says :
एभिरलंकर्तव्या गीतिर्वर्णाविरोघेन ।
स्थाने चालङ्कारं कुर्यात् नुरसि काञ्चिकां वध्येत् ॥
(N. S., G. O. S. vol. IV p. 131)
“Melody should be embellished by these (ornamentations) without
disrupting the tone-pattern (varṇa), for ornaments are to be put on
properly so that the girdle is not tied to the breast.”
Thus even though a high premium is put on the employment of
tonal embellishments, yet a certain propriety is essentially to be observ-
ed. That is why Ahobala defines tonal embellishment as “the delinea-
tion of the tone-patterns in a particular order” (क्रमेण स्वरसन्दर्भमलङ्कारं
प्रचक्षते, (S. Pā 221).
Further, it may be observed that the tonal embellishments
(alaṅkāra-s) have been classified on the basis of the predominant tone-
pattern (varṇa), as Bharata has said that their formation depends on
the tone-patterns of four types (cf. N.S. 29.24). Alaṅkāra is said to be a
combination of several melodic movements. Elucidating the definition
of Śārṅgdeva ‘K’ amplifies his statement to the effect that ‘the particular
manner of delineating the said (four types of) tone patterns in a melodic
rendering is called tonal embellishment (alaṅkāra)’.
The specificity of delineating the tone-patterns consists in the
use of the prescribed kalā (i.e. phrase of an alaṅkāra) and so on
(वैशिष्ट्यं च नियतकलादियुक्तत्वम्)

1. Alaṅkāra literally means an ornament, a decorative, an aid to
   beauty, a device of beautification.
2. ‘S’ interprets varṇa-sandarbham of the text as varṇasamudayam,
   i.e. a group of tone-patterns.