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

142 Treatment of Svara
साधारणे श्रुतिं षाड्जीमृषभः संश्रितो यदा ।
चतुःश्रुतित्वमायाति तदैको विकृतो भवेत् ॥४१॥
साधारणे त्रिश्रुतिः स्यादन्तरत्वे चतुःश्रुतिः ।
गान्धार इति तद्‌भेदौ द्वौ निःशङ्केन कीर्तितौ ॥४२॥
मध्यमः षड्जवद् द्वेधाऽन्तरसाधारणाश्रयात् ।
पञ्चमो मध्यमग्रामे त्रिश्रुतिः कैशिके पुनः ॥४३॥
मध्यमस्य श्रुतिं प्राप्य चतुःश्रुतिरिति द्विधा ।
धैवतो मध्यमग्रामे विकृतः स्याच्चतुःश्रुतिः ॥४४॥
कैशिके काकलीत्वे च निषादस्त्रिचतुःश्रुतिः ।
प्राप्नोति विकृतौ भेदौ द्वाविति द्वादश स्मृताः ॥४५॥
ते शुद्धैः सप्तभिः सार्धं भवन्त्येकोनविंशतिः ।
process of sādhāraṇa³ (overlapping) and the 'kākalisation'⁴ of
niṣāda. (40)
When, in the process of ṣaḍja-sādhāraṇa⁵ (the overlapping
of ṣaḍja), ṛṣabha absorbs one śruti of ṣaḍja, it attains the
Though the notes in their original form are found to be seven only,
it is said that in actual usage when their standard pitch is modified
either by augmenting it or by lowering it, they are known to be twelve
in all. The modified notes or the vikṛta svara-s are discussed in the
following few verses. (39cd)
The modification of notes is dealt with from verse 40 to 45 and
in this space the author explains how the modified notes are formed and
why they number twelve.
Ṣaḍja is modified to the extent of two śruti-s in two different ways,
viz. (i) by losing its note-śruti (i. e., 4th) to the advantage of ṛṣabha and
its initial śruti (i. e. 1st) towards niṣāda, and (ii) by yielding its first two
śruti-s to niṣāda. The first process is called cyuta-ṣaḍja-sādhāraṇa (the
overlapping of lowered ṣaḍja) and affects the position of the note-śruti
of ṣaḍja which is technically called cyuta-ṣaḍja (lowered ṣaḍja), and the
second process is known as the kākalītva of niṣāda, by which niṣāda gains
3. Sādhāraṇa refers to ṣaḍja-sādhāraṇa.
4. When niṣāda is augmented by gaining two śruti-s of ṣaḍja, it is
transformed into kākalī-niṣāda and this transformation of niṣāda is
technically named as "the kākalisation of niṣāda."
5. In the text only sādhāraṇa is mentioned, but it is the ṣaḍja-
sādhāraṇa that is intended; it has been made explicit to avoid confusion
in the English version.
interval⁶ of four śruti-s, and that is its only modified form.
(41ab)
Gāndhāra assumes two modified forms as enunciated by
Śāraṅgadeva⁷ viz., with three śruti-s in the process of
madhyama⁸-sādhāraṇa (the overlapping of madhyama) and with
four śruti-s in the case of antaragāndhāra.⁹ (41c-42b)
the two initial śruti-s of ṣaḍja leaving its note-śruti quite unaffected. The
second process is, therefore, associated with acyuta ṣaḍja, i.e., unlowered
or unmoved ṣaḍja. This subject matter is dealt with in detail in Section
5 of this chapter. It may, however, be noted that the modified ṣaḍja
has only two śruti-s viz., the second and the third, and the third and
the fourth respectively of the original four.
'S' raises an interesting question. In the case of unmoved ṣaḍja,
ṣaḍja retains its śruti-note intact while yielding two initial śruti-s to
niṣāda; therefore, its pitch remains unaffected, how then can its tone be
called modified? As it is obvious and also explained by 'S', normally
ṣaḍja is at the distance of four-śruti-interval from niṣāda which in its
modified state is reduced to that of two-śruti-interval. Now, since the
tonal value of the notes is essentially relative in this system, the reduction
in the extension of ṣaḍja is adequately felt. Thus, even though the
pitch remains the same, the duration and the tonal content is modi-
fied. (40)
In the process of the overlapping of ṣaḍja, its first śruti is gained by
the preceding niṣāda and its fourth śruti is attached by ṛṣabha, the
extent of which is extended thereby to four-śruti-interval; and this is the
only modification undergone by ṛṣabha. Ṛṣabha is thus composed of the
śruti-s numbering 4th to 7th from the first of ṣaḍja.
Just as ṣaḍja is modified in two forms viz., by the overlapping of
ṣaḍja and the 'kākalisation' of niṣāda, so also madhyama is modified in
6. Catuḥ-śrutitva consists in having the note-interval of four śruti-s.
7. Niḥśaṅka of the text literally means 'free from doubts' and is
an epithet of Śārṅgadeva.
8. Only sādhāraṇa is spoken of in the text but, obviously madhyama-
sādhāraṇa is applicable here, and so it has been made explicit.
9. Antaratva consists in gāndhāra gaining two initial śruti-s of
madhyama which by itself remains of two-śruti-measure only. Thus, by
this action, gāndhāra gains a medial (antara) position between standard
gāndhāra and madhyama, and is therefore called antara-gāndhāra, i e.
medial gāndhāra. Antaratva, therefore, signifies the 'medial position'
of gāndhāra.