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

406 Treatment of Svara-
the preceding śruti-s; therefore, they too constitute the cause
of svara-s.”¹⁸
Following Mataṅga in spirit, Śārṅgadeva too consi-
ders the śruti-s to be the modifications of musical sound i. e.
nāda.¹⁹ So, śruti for him is essentially a musical sound.
We can see the crystallisation of the concept. Another
evidence of this process is to be found in Śārṅgadeva's
statement to the effect that nāda arising from the navel is
differentiated through twentytwo nāḍī-s, situated in the
region of the heart, the throat and the head. It is not
understood in what sense he uses the term nāḍī. In the
Ayurvedic terminology, it is generally identified with veins,
arteries or nerves etc. So, if by nāḍī-s he implies observ-
able objects, then such twenty-two nāḍī-s have yet to be
identified by physiology. However, if he implies some yogic
meaning, then obviously it would ever remain a subjective
phenomenon. What is quite apparent is an attempt at
fixing the number of śruti-s at twentytwo on a tangible basis
to set the controversy at rest beyond all doubt. And perhaps
he did succeed in his endeavour to do so; since no subese-
quent writer seems to have challneged him. After him
twentytwo śruti-s are almost taken for granted.
It is noteworthy that Bharata enumerates the concept
of śruti in the context of subjects related to vīṇā, but not
among those related to the human instrument.¹⁹a This
implies that śruti is one of those subjects of musicology that
can be well demonstrated and best exposed exclusively with
the aid of vīṇā. Therefore, Śārṅgadeva's graphic descrip-
tion of twentytwo nāḍī-s in order to show the genesis of
१८—ननु श्रुतिश्चतुर्थ्यादिरस्त्वेवं स्वरकारणम् ॥२५॥
त्रयादीनां तत्र पूर्वासां श्रुतीनां हेतुतां कथम्।
ब्रूयुस्तूर्यातुरीयाऽऽदिः श्रुतिः पूर्वाभिकाङ्क्षया ॥२६॥
निर्धार्यतेऽतः श्रुतयः पूर्वा अप्यत्र हेतवः ।
Saṅgīta-ratnākara I. 3. 25-27.
· १९—तस्य (नादस्य) द्वाविंशतिर्भेदाः ।
ibid I. 3.8.
१९ए—Nāṭyaśāstra 28. 14-15 (Baroda Ed.)
Appendix III 407
śruti-s seems to highlight the Tāntric influence on musico-
logy, the seeds of which can be found even in Mataṅga.
Tantra combined Yoga, and the concept of nāda is closely
related to the philosophy of Tantra and the practice of
Mantra-yoga. Probably this can explain Śārṅgadeva's
hypothesis.
Although, as already stated, Viśvāvasu and Mataṅga
both consider ‘Dhvani’ i. e., mere ‘sound’ to be the essential
content of śruti, Śārṅgadeva considers nāda i. e., musical
sound to be the substance. However, it is worthwhile to note
that he does not consider each śruti to be a musical sound;
what he implies is that, śruti-s do give rise to svara-s that are
essentially delightful, resonant etc. This implication is clearly
brought out by his commentator, Kallinātha while he
comments on his definition of śruti viz., “Śravaṇāt śrutayo
matāḥ” i. e., “śruti-s are so called because of their auditive
perceptibility. He says : “Auditive perceptibility is common
to such extensive sounds as well as svara and tāna etc., that
are essentially resonant apart from śruti; so therefore, here
indeed śruti signifies only the sound that is produced by the
blow of wind etc. in the very first instant, which is free from
resonance.”²⁰ Thus, we find that śruti is conceived as a
factor of musical sound in the form of just perceptible diffe-
rence of pitch, that is free from resonance. So according to
Śārṅgadeva, as interpreted by Kallinātha, “śruti signifies a
pitch value which contributes to the musicality of tone, and
is yet by itself devoid of tonal colour”. Now, since he recog-
nises twentytwo such pitch values, as indeed they have been
recognised by Bharata, Dattila, Mataṅga and Abhinavagupta
before him, it is also implied that the audible musical sound
free of resonance, that a śruti is, should be capable of indivi-
dual perception and recognition, and therefore of being
२०—यद्यपि श्रवणयोग्यत्वमनुरणनात्मनः स्वरतानादिरूपेण
दीर्घदीर्घस्यापि ध्वनेर्विद्यते, तथा यत्र मारुताहत्यनन्तरोत्पन्नप्रथमक्षणवर्त्ती श्रवणमात्र-
योग्यध्वनेरेव श्रुतित्वमिति ।
Saṅgīta-ratnākara p. 67 (Adyar Vol. I).