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

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126 Treatment of Svara
strings fixed on the two vīṇā-s. Ṣaḍja is to be established on the fourth
śruti as counted from the last śruti of the preceding note, i. e., niṣāda of
the lower scale; and since the first string here is taken as the lowest
possible sound, ṣaḍja is fixed on the fourth string. Similarly ṛṣabha is
established on the third śruti taking the last śruti of the previous note as
the zero point. Thus ṛṣabha is fixed on the third string as counted from the
fifth (i. e., the seventh string). Similarly, other tones are also established
on their respective strings. (13c-17a)
Having once established the seven notes in the two vīṇā-s at the
śruti intervals of 4, 4 + 3, 7+2, 9+4, 13+4, 17+3 and 20+2, i. e., 4, 7,
9, 13, 17, 20 and 22, now the author proceeds to demonstrate the fact of
these minutely preceptible intervals that go to manifest the seven
standard notes, being twentytwo in number. One of the vīṇā-s is kept
invariable to serve as the unmodified standard for evaluating the modifi-
cations brought about by the string-movements. Four of such string
movements go into action in this process which is technically known as
'catuḥ-sāraṇā', i. e., the fourfold string-movement. This has been
described in the text extending from verses 17 to 22.
The vīṇā in which the fourfold string-movement takes place is
cala vīṇā (lit movable) in the text, while the one which serves as
the invariable standard is called acala-vīṇā (lit. immovable). Both of them,
it may be pointed out, have twentytwo strings and are identical in every
respect. Such vīṇā-s, however, are used here for experimental purposes
only, and are not otherwise used for any performance. (17b-d)
The fourfold string-movement has already been referred to. In
this verse the author elucidates the significance of the string-movement.
Although the whole picture will only be clear after going through the
whole process, i. e., upto the 22nd verse, it is worthwhile to understand
what is meant by 'movement'.
The seven notes of the scale have been established on definite
strings on the two vīṇā-s; now, the notes of the variable vīṇā, in the first
movement, are shifted to the strings immediately preceding their res-
pective original strings; i. e., in other words, the movement implies the
lowering of the notes in pitch by one śruti-interval. Similarly in the
second movement the notes would be lowered by two śruti-intervals, in
the third by three śruti-intervals and in the fourth by four śruti-intervals.
Consequences of this fourfold string-movements are described in the
next few verses of the text.
In the first movement, however, no note-interval is proved; for, at
least two śruti-s are required to constitute the shortest of the note-
intervals; but, nevertheless, the lowering of the pitch of the notes is

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Section 3 ; Nāda, Śruti and Svara
noticeable, directly as well as by reference to their standard pitch
preserved by the invariable vīṇā. Thus, this arrangement of two
vīṇā-s provides for a negative as well as a positive proof with regards to
the number of śruti-s, which is twentytwo. (18-19b)
Each string-movement implies lowering of notes (i. e., all the
seven notes) by one śruti progressively, i. e., by one śruti in the first
movement, two śruti-s in the second movement, three śruti-s in the
third movement and four śruti-s in the fourth movement. But, since
the fundamental note has no fixed pitch in this system, the lowering of
the notes, allround as it is, does not affect the individuality of the notes
as such; for, the śruti-intervals between the various notes remain the
same. However, the impact of the string-movement in the variable vīṇā
is to be studied with reference to the standard pitch of the notes set up
by the invariable vīṇā. This is illustrated graphically by the following
chart (adopted with modifications from Saṅgīta-Cintāmaṇi of Dr. K. C. D.
Brihaspati and Mrs. Sumitra Kumari).
The fourfold string-movement
Serial No.
of strings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Notes of
• acala-vīṇā sa ri ga ma pa dha ni
1st step in
† cala-vīṇā sa ri ga ma pa dha ni
2nd step in
cala-vīṇā sa ri ga ma pa dha ni
3rd step in
cala-vīṇā sa ri ga ma pa dha ni
4th step in
cala-vīṇā ri ga ma pa dha ni
(Chart 3)
• Invariable vīṇā
† Variable vīṇā
The effect of the fourfold string-movement on the position of notes
with reference to the invariable vīṇā and the extent to which that goes
to demonstrate the number of śruti-s is represented briefly in the follow-
ing chart: