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

[Left Page]

अथ सप्तमं जातिप्रकरणम्
क. उपक्रमः
(i) शुद्धा जातयः
(क) सप्तशुद्धजातीनामुद्देशः
शुद्धाः स्युर्जातयः सप्त ताः षड्जादिस्वराभिधाः ।
षाड्ज्यार्षभी च गान्धारी मध्यमा पञ्चमी तथा ।।१।।
धैवत्यथ नैषादी,
Section 7
Jati-s (Melodic types)
A. Introductory : 1-28
(i) Śuddhā (primary) jāti-s : (1-3b)
(a) The seven śuddhā jāti-s—There are seven śuddhā¹
(primary) (jāti-s² (melodic types)) named after the notes ṣaḍja
etc.,³ viz. ṣāḍjī, ārṣabhī, gāndhārī, madhyamā, pañcamī, dhaivatī
and naiṣādī. (1-2a)
Now, as per the synopsis of the work, the author is going to deal
with the tonal structures used for actual singing. It seems that when
Bharata, whose tradition Śārṅgadeva generally follows, set out to
systematise the music of his times, he comprehended the prevalent
melodies into eighteen basic melodic types which he called jāti-s. The
word 'jāti' literally means a class, genus or an ethnic group implying
an attribute or a characteristic commonly shared by the constituent
members that also exhibit other individual features which distinguish
them from each other.
The word jāti as applied in the context of music has been defined
semantically in various ways by Mataṅga (as quoted by 'S') to begin

1. Literally, pure or unmodified.
2. Jāti in its general connotation signifies 'genus, class or type'.
3. The seven notes are meant.

---

[Right Page]

Section 7 : Jāti-s (Melodic types) 267
(ख) शुद्धतालक्षणम्
, शुद्धतालक्ष्म कथ्यते ।
यासां नामस्वरो न्यासो ऽपन्यासो ऽंशो ग्रहस्तथा ।।२।।
तारन्यासविहीनास्ताः पूर्णाः शुद्धाभिधा मताः ।
(b) The definition of śuddhatā : To define śuddhatā⁴, it
is stated that the jāti-s, which have their denominative⁵ note
as the final note⁶ (nyāsa), the semi-final note⁷ (apanyāsa), the
fundamental note⁸ (aṁśa) and the initial note⁹ (graha),
which do not have the final note in the high register and
which are complete¹⁰ are known as śuddhā jāti-s. (2b-3b)
with. Jāti-s are so called because they come into being by the collec-
tion of such factors as the śruti-s, svara-s and grāma-s, or they arise from
the initial note etc., or alternatively, that which gives rise to or induces
(in the listener) the enjoyment of a particular sentiment (i. e. rasa or
aesthetic delight) is called jāti. Alternatively, jāti-s are so called because
they are the cause of the entire phenomenon of rāga and so forth; or
otherwise, jāti-s denote the various classes (i. e. castes) of human beings
such as brāhmaṇa and so forth.
Kallinātha conjectures a few more derivations of the term jāti.
Jāti-s are so called because they are duly constituted out of the proper
combination of the two grāma-s; or, because they suggest a class name
such as the cow among the animals. The cowness is manifest in many
individual cows in a slightly modified form; and so is jāti inherent in
the rāga-s and their mixed and derived forms. Jāti, thus, comprehends
in its connotation certain characteristic features that are essentially
4. Śuddhatā is derived as an abstract noun from śuddha (pure)
and is here used to refer to the purity of the śuddhā jāti-s.
5. Nāmasvara, i. e. the denominative note is the one by which the
jāti is named.
6. Nyāsa or the final note is the one that forms the concluding
note of a melody.
7. Apanyāsa or the semifinal note is the concluding note of a section
(vidārī) of a melody. Accordingly, there can be more than
one semifinal note in a melody.
8. Aṁśa or the fundamental note is the most prominent note and
functions as the dominant as well as the tonic.
9. Graha or the initial note is that with which the song is com-
menced.
10. That is, having all the seven notes.