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

2 Treatment of Svara
organisation of castes⁵ and the distinction of species⁶; who,
being manifest in the heart-lotus⁷ of yogins as oṅkāra⁸ in the
contemplation of mind united to the movement of prāṇa⁹
originating from the root¹⁰ of the navel, shines in its own
lustre.¹¹ (1).
Interpretation with reference to music:
I take pleasure in paying my homage to gītam¹², the
embodiment of nāda, the cause of comfort¹³ in the restless¹⁴
world, the source of the system comprising the division of
5. Varṇa implies the four castes, viz. Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya
and Śūdra in which the ancient Hindu society was divided;
and in the context of music it signifies types of tonal move-
ment, viz. sthāyī, ārohī, avarohī and sañcārī.
6. Various species of animal kingdom; in music the word (jāti)
stands for arche-types of rāgas, viz. ṣaḍjī, ārṣabhī, etc. The
word alaṅkāra is taken by 'K' in combination with jāti.
Accordingly, this word has been bracketed with 'species'
(jāti) in our translation of the text, in the context of Śiva.
The etymological meaning of the word is alaṁ-karoti-iti alaṅ-
kāraḥ, i. e., which delineates the optimum, such as that of
beauty etc. and is, therefore, also used in the sense of 'orna-
ment or embellishment. Here it has been interpreted in the
simple meaning of delineating the optimum of the species.
7. Hṛtpaṅkaja is the heart-lotus, the seat of anāhata-cakra of twelve
petals in the system of Kuṇḍalinī-Yoga.
8. Śrutipadam is the source of Vedas, i. e. oṅkāra and in music śruti
signifies a microtone.
9. Prāṇa is the vital breath spoken of as maruta (air) in the text;
and the movement of prāṇa is necessary for the articulation of
sound.
10. Brahmagranthi is the knot in which the psychic currents of iḍā
and piṅgalā join with the central canal of psychic energy, viz.
suṣumṇā, near about the root of the navel.
11. The supreme Being is self-luminous and cannot be enlightened
by any modification of the mind. This self-luminosity of
pure Being is suggestive, in the musical context, of the etymo-
logical meaning of svara.
12. Gītam (singing) also implies vādyam (instrumental music) and
nṛttam (dancing). As gītam is directly related to the process
of voice-production in the body, and also because it is consi-
dered to be the main organ of saṅgīta, it represents the entire
art of music.
13. The etymological meaning of the word Śaṅkara.
14. A free rendering of the word uddhura, meaning 'unrestrained.'

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Section I : Introductory 3
grāma¹⁵, the composition of varṇa-s¹⁶, the alaṅkāra-s¹⁷ and
the jāti-s¹⁸, the self-manifest¹⁹ locus of śruti-s²⁰ that delights
the masters of music in the lower²¹ register, aided by the
mind attuned to the movement of prāṇa originating from the
root of the navel.
Comments :
It is customary, in the Indian tradition, to offer worship to one's
favourite god as a mark of auspiciousness and for the successful comple-
tion of the work being undertaken. Here, the author opens his maṅgalā-
caraṇa (a benedictory verse) with the word Brahman as a mark of
auspiciousness, and offers worship to Lord Śiva, his iṣṭadevatā (favourite
god) who, incidentally, is the presiding deity of Saṅgīta. The concept
of iṣṭadevatā is peculiar to Indian culture, and is akin to, and seems to
have its origin in, what is known as 'Henotheism' of the vedic pantheon.
There are various religions, dogmas and sects who have their own supreme
deity. The concept of iṣṭadevatā implies the understanding that, although
there is one God in the absolute sense, yet it is known and worshipped
in a particular form and under a particular name that is relevant to a
particular sect. It is also implied in the puranic mythology, to which this
concept truly belongs, that whatever be the description of the supreme
deity in a particular sect, the gods of other sects would be related to it
in some way or the other. Thus, every Hindu is free to have his own
supreme deity. Faith is, therefore, largely an individual affair. Different
members of a family can and do quite often have different iṣṭadevatā-s.
This concept seems to be supported by the Bhagavad-gītā where Lord
Kṛṣṇa declares :
"Whatsoever form (of the supreme deity) a devotee wishes to
worship earnestly, I strengthen his faith in that deity and make it
unflinching." (Bh. G. VII-21)
15. Grāma is a specific group of svara-s (tones), and three grāmas
are accepted, viz. ṣaḍja, madhyama and gāndhāra.
16. Varṇa is 'type of tonal movement', the act of singing, such as
sthāyī etc.
17. Alaṅkāra is a specific combination of svara-s.
18. Jāti is a virtual archetype of rāga, e.g. ṣaḍjī, ārṣabhī, etc.
19. Svayam rājate, suggests the etymological definition of svara,
i.e., the sound that is perceptible and delightful by itself.
20. Śruti signifies a perceptible constituent unit-factor of tone.
21. The heart is identified with the region of voice-production for
the lower register, which implies the other two here.