Ragam Mayamalavagowla
Swami Pallasena
**************************************************
RAgam MAYAMALAVAGOWLA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
MeLa rAgam no. 15 (Chakram 3 - Agni - gO)
(SUddha Rishabham, Antara Gandharam, Suddha Madhyamam,
Suddha Dhaivatham, Kakali Nishadham) : (sa ra gu ma dha nu)
Definition (Lakshanam) (Venkatamakhin:
pURNO mALavagowLAkhyah
sa grahO gIyatE sadA
rAgANga rAgam, shadja gramam. Ga and Ni are Jeeva svarams.
That Bhairav of Hindusthani Paddhathi is equivalent to
Mayamalavagowla in carnatic system.
The phrase "Maya" is prefixed to get the Melam Number 15,
using the KataPayAdi sankhya counting. The original
name is Malavagowla.
Since the days of Bharata and Matanga, it is the preferred
ragam for beginners musicla lessons, since svaRas with
dual svarastAhnams are absent, and between two notes of each
pairs, there is only a semitone difference. A meLam with
symmetrical tetrachords, separated by an interval of a
major tone.
This auspicious rAgam evokes ShAntha rasam and pathos, and creates
a soothing effect. Suitable to sing at all times,
particularly, the first yAMam (dawn).
A mUrchchana karaka meLam. suitable for Graha Bedham.
The Ri murchchana results in Rasikapriya (Melam 72), while the
Ma murchchan a results in Simmendramadhyamam. (Melam 57)
A very popular rAgam suitable for the commencing segment of
a concert. It has a large number of Janaka rAgams.
Popular janya Ragams
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Malahari, Gowla, Bowli, Revagupti, Saveri, Lalitha, Vasantha,
Nathanamakriya, Jaganmohini, Paraju, Bindumalini,
ChAyAgowLa, PUrvi, Lalithapanchama, Megharanji,
Mechabowli, Gujjari, Salanganatta, Gowlipanthu,
Gundakriya, Padi, KannadaBangaLa, Mangalakaishiki,
Purnapanchamam, Sindhuramakriya, Ardradesi
Other Janya Ragams
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ramkali, Mitrakirani, Lalithagowri,
Gummakambhoji, Vinodhini, Suddhamalahari,
Gowlarevagupti, Margadesikam, Maruvakannada,
Gowri, Shuddhakriya, Desyagowla, Ramakriya, Maruva,
Ghanasindhu, Desyarevagupti, Lalithakriya, Vasanthapriya.
Some authors place Vasantha and Lalitha as Janyams of
Melam 17, Suryakantham.
Subbarama Dikshitar observes that in the Tiruttani Guruguha
composition Srinadada Guruguho Jayati (in first Vibhakti),
Muthuswami Dikshitar has incorporated Sarali, Jhanta, svara
Varisai's in Trikalam in the Pallavi lines, and the Alankarams
in Anupallavi. Have a close look at the Dhatu.
This particular Krithi was the very first composition of
Muthuswami Dikshitar, after he received blessings from
Chidambara Yogi in Varanasi, and visited the Subrahmanya
temple at Tiruttani. His Mudra "Guruguha" is in respect
of the Lord Muruga in this shrine.
Diskhitar's famous "Gowla"antha krithis (eight) Krithis
al ending in some Gowla) on Goddess Nilothpalamba employs
Mayamalavagowla for one of the Krithis.
Compositions in Mayamalavagowla
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lakshya gItam
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RavikOti TEja guNagana, Matyam (Venkatamakhin)
Thaanam Venkatamakhin
^^^^^^^
Varnam
^^^^^^
Sarasijanabha, Adi (Svati Tirunal)
Nathane ParanE, Adi (M. S. Subrahmanya Iyer)
UlagaLantha, Adi (V. S. Gomatisankara iyer)
Tana Varnam
^^^^^^^^^^^
SarasAnkI, Adi (Raghavendrachar)
Krithis
^^^^^^^
Merusamana, Madhyadi (Tyagaraja)
TulasI dala, Rupakam (Tyagaraja)
Vidulaku, Adi (Tyagaraja)
RakshimpavE, Jhampa (Tyagaraja)
DevI Sri Thulasamma, Adi (Tyagaraja)
Sri NAdAdi GuruguhO, Adi (Muthuswami Dikshitar)
NIlOthpalAmbikAyAh, Triputa (Muthuswami Dikshitar)
MAyAtIta, Rupakam (Tanjavur Ponnayya)
NIlAyathAkshi, Triputa (Syama Sastri)
Deva Deva kalayAmi, Rupakam (Swati Tirunal)
Ksheera Saagara, Dhruvam (Jayachamaraja Wodaiyar)
AdikkondAr, Adi (Muthu Tandavar)
manamE Kavalai, Rupakam (Muthu Kavirayar)
Devadi Deva , Adi (Mysore sadasiva Rao)
Sharma Prada, Rupakam (Thulaseevanam)
NAn En SeyvEn, Adi (Kotiswara Iyer)
KaLAngamillA, Adi (T. Lakshmanan Pilai)
namani VamsagA, Rupakam (Muthiah Bhagavathar)
Aditya Devadidevam, Adi (Muthiah Bhagavathar)
Taraka nama, Adi (Muthiah Bhagavathar)
Mahimai ARiya, Adi (Papanasam Sivan)
Bhuvaneswari Pugazh, Desadi (Papanasam Sivan)
IllAthathai, Adi (Papanasam Sivan)
MAyam EdO, Adi (Papanasam Sivan)
Polla Puli, Adi (Papanasam Sivan)
akalakalA vANi, Adi (Periyasami Thooran)
Ulagaththukku ArasiyAm, Adi (Nilakanthan Sivan)
Ninnu Nammiyannu, Triputa (Bhadrachala Ramadas)
Jaya jaya Swamin (Tarangam), Adi (Narayana Tirtha)
Ninnu Nammina, Adi (Vina Krishnamachariar)
Ethanai ThAn, Chapu (Vina Krishnamachariar)
ChintayEham, Rupakam (Mysore Vasudevachariar)
Kalinaruluku NI, Adi (Mysore Vasudevachariar)
NandA oru SEdi, Adi (Gopalakrishna Bharathy)
Sivaloka Nathanai, Adi (Gopalakrishna Bharathy)
Hariya Bittere, Adi (Purandaradasa)
Namo Namo, Adi (Purandaradasa)
InkE Nantaga, Adi (Annamacharya)
NIvu SarvaguNa, Adi (Annamacharya)
MAthE Nin kana, Adi (Annamacharya)
Narayana NI nAma, Adi (Annamacharya)
Inderigu , Adi (Annamacharya)
Modern Compositions
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ShyAmaLambikE, Adi (M. Balamuralikrishna)
Pannaga SayanA, Adi (D. Pattammal)
SHambho Mahadeva, Rupakam (Cuddalore Subramanyam)
AmbA Yuvathi, Adi (Ashok Madhav)
Manthra Svaroopa, Rupakam (Bangalore Mukund)
Mayavati, Adi (Bangalore Mukund)
Ragamalikas
^^^^^^^^^^^
Very few Ragamalikas feature Mayamalavagowla as a component.
I have only two examples.
"GAnaloLa NI VelanA" (Ragamalika) (M. Balamuralikrsihna)
features Mayamalavagowla as a component .
The mammoth 72 Melaraga malika of Maha Vaidyantha Iyer
has the 15th line in Charanam: in Mayamalavagowla:
"Jita MAyAmaALavagowlanthargatah MahesAh TvAm Vindanthi"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have not heard any Tillana in Mayamalavagowla; nor have
I heard any Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Mayamalavagowla.
There are several Ragams, whose name end is "Gowla"
While Gowla, and Chayagowla are derived from (Janyams) of
Mayamalavagowla, others have no relationship with this Ragam.
Some of these are: Kedaragowla, Purva Gowla, (Nari)Ritagowla,
Kannadagowla, and Narayanagowla.
P. Narayanaswami
Satyanad Kichenassamy
>
>**************************************************
>RAgam MAYAMALAVAGOWLA
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[...]
>
>Since the days of Bharata and Matanga, ...
[...]
>
>P. Narayanaswami
>
Thanks for the interesting information.
under what name does this raga occur in BrhaddEs'i
or in earlier works? An earlier posting (by Muthu) mentioned that it
does occur in the TEvAram, as IntaLam, which is the paN of the
first Sundarar TEvAram.
Also, I think it occurs regularly
in various lists of ragas from the 12th century onwards.
A related question is whether Nadanamakriya occurs first
in Tamil sources (I think the paN is SikAmaram, but I am
not sure: please correct as necessary).
Which texts (before PurandaradAsa of course)
explicitly recommend MayamaLavagauLa for beginners? Is there such a
tradition regarding IntaLam?
One may also want to include, for a more complete summary,
Nurani Chandrasekhar's remark of course, and also
Vyjayanthi Manian's observation on Srii NAthAdi
including her remarks on ma in the charaNam in particular.
Satyanad Kichenassamy
School of Mathematics
University of Minnesota
kich...@math.umn.edu
Venkat Devarajan
> **************************************************
> RAgam MAYAMALAVAGOWLA
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> MeLa rAgam no. 15 (Chakram 3 - Agni - gO)
> (SUddha Rishabham, Antara Gandharam, Suddha Madhyamam,
> Suddha Dhaivatham, Kakali Nishadham) : (sa ra gu ma dha nu)
> Definition (Lakshanam) (Venkatamakhin:
> pURNO mALavagowLAkhyah
> sa grahO gIyatE sadA
>
> rAgANga rAgam, shadja gramam. Ga and Ni are Jeeva svarams.
Could someone throw some light on how the Jeeva Svaram of a ragam is
decided? I don't see, for example, in Mayamalavagowla how Ga and Ni are
the Jeeva Swaras. Thanks.
___________________________________________________________________
Venkat Devarajan Phone: 817-273-3485
PO Box 19016 Fax : 817-273-2253
Department of Electrical Engineering email:ven...@ee.uta.edu
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Tx 76016
___________________________________________________________________