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

408 Treatment of Svara
reproduced; for otherwise they cannot be employed cons-
ciously. This leads us to the question what the significance
of śruti is with reference to svara. But before one can
investigate that, one must be clear about the concept of svara.
To sum up the deliberation regarding the concept of
śruti, it may be concluded that, "śruti is that audible musi-
cal sound which is free from resonance and is capable of
being individually perceived, recognised and reproduced."
It also follows that there are twentytwo such śruti-s in a
given scale which are the same in all the three registers.
This very conclusion is corroborated by the process of
Catuḥsāraṇā initiated by Bharata, reshaped by Mataṅga and
pedantically expounded by Śārṅgadeva. So also Kumbhā
has defined very clearly the threefold function of the fourfold
string-movement called Catuḥ-sāraṇā. He says, "The delimi-
tation of the number of śrutis, graduation of pitch with
reference to tones and the comprehension of kākalī etc. (cons-
titute) the functions of the string-movements (sāraṇās).²¹
The process need not be restated here; but it confirms, by
actual demonstration, the number of śruti-s being twenty-
two, and also the fact that śruti-s are musical sounds just
audible.
2. The concept of Svara
The concept of svara does not confront us with much
difficulty; probably, because of the universal recognition of
the tones, and also due to the inherent qualities that distin-
guish it. It has already been pointed out that the concept
of svara was as naturally formulated as spontaneously it was
perceptible. Dattila, as already pointed out, has said that
some of the śruti-s are considered as svara-s. If this is read
in consonance with Bharata's concept of three types of tones
constituted by four, three and two śruti-s¹⁶ we are led to
२१—श्रुतीयत्तापरिच्छेदस्तारतम्यं स्वराश्रयम् ।
काकल्यादिपरिज्ञानं सारणानां प्रयोजनम् ॥११५॥
Saṅgīta--rāja II. 1.1.115.

---

Appendix III 409
think that some of the śruti-s attain the position of svara-s.
Thus, although no categorical difference is conceived bet-
ween śruti and svara, it yet remains to be defined in what
way they are different, or perhaps they are neither categori-
cally different nor even identical.
Śārṅgadeva has told in a peculiar way, how the svara-s
come into being, He says, "From out of the śrutis arise the
svara-s",²² and this may be read alongwith his statement that
all the śruti-s pertaining to a particular svara are responsible
for its manifestation.¹⁸
Obviously he does not imply that śruti-s are the cause
and svara-s their effect: the cause having ceased giving room
to the effect, and the cause preceding the effect. He seems
to suggest that svara-s arise by the cumulative effect
brought forward from the preceding svara-s to the 'note-
śruti' i. e., the śruti that becomes the svara; in other words,
by saṁskāra-pradāna i. e. by the inheritance of the residual
effect. It is notable that svara-s arise out of śruti-s in the
groups of two, three and four; but they do so only in groups,
in other words, no single śruti can become or produce a
svara.
In fact, Śārṅgadeva's statement is rather vague in so
far as it does not pronounce the relationship obtaining bet-
ween svara and śruti, and also because it is capable of being
interpreted variously. One can roughly interpret that, as
śruti-s give rise to svara-s, they are the cause; or for example,
one can say that svara-s are different from śruti-s, being their
product; This however involves the whole question of the
nature of relationship in svara and śruti, which we shall deal
with presently.
Śārṅgadeva defines svara, detailing its different chara-
cteristics—"Immediately consequent upon śruti, creamy
and resounding, the sound that delights the listener's mind
२२—श्रुतिभ्यः स्युः स्वराः
Saṅgīta-ratnākara I. 3.25.
28