Gāndharva / The hours

The hours of the rāga (राग)

The frame is Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) answering Nārada (नारद) in the third pāda (पाद) of the Saṅgīta (सङ्गीत) Makaranda (मकरन्द). Verses 10 and 11 list morning names, and several compounds are jammed or marked by the editor, so those two verses are not recited word by word. The readable morning names are gāndhāra (गान्धार), devagāndhāra (देवगान्धार), dhannāsī (धन्नासी), saindhavī (सैन्धवी), nārāyaṇī (नारायणी), gurjarī (गुर्जरी), a baṅgāla (बङ्गाल) garland name the editor marks, lalitā (ललिता), āndolī (आन्दोली), a run together saurāṣṭreya (सौराष्ट्रेय) and jayasākṣika (जयसाक्षिक), mallhāra (मल्ल्हार), a word printed sāmacedī (सामचेदी), vasanta (वसन्त), and śuddhabhairava (शुद्धभैरव). Verse 12, which is clear, adds velāvalī (वेलावली), bhūpāla (भूपाल), and somarāga (सोमराग), and says these are to be sung in the morning. The persons of some of these names are the living forms. The practice hours are discussed in Eastern theory. The practice rooms live outside this library, so this page cannot put a link back inside them.

A yāma (याम) is a watch of the day or the night. After the third watch is this book's night rule. It is not a diagram of twenty four hours.

Makaranda 3.8

This sitting is Saṅgīta (सङ्गीत) Makaranda, third pāda (पाद), verse 8. Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) speaks.

साधु साधु महातेजा यत्त्वं मां परिपृच्छसि ।
तत्सर्वं संप्रवक्ष्यामि रागवेलाविनिर्णयम् ॥ sādhu sādhu mahātejā yattvaṃ māṃ paripṛcchasi |
tatsarvaṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi rāgavelāvinirṇayam ||

The line

Good, good, o brilliant one, in that you ask me. I shall explain all that, the decision of the rāga (राग)'s hour.

नेपालीमा

साधु, साधु, हे महातेजा, तिमीले मलाई सोधेकोमा। त्यो सबै, रागको बेलाको निर्णय, म भन्नेछु।

Where it sits

This is the mythic frame. The hour is a decision Brahmā (ब्रह्मा) will tell, called the secret of deśī (देशी) rāga (राग) in the next verse of the book, which says the gods, men, kinnaras, and leaders had not known it. That next verse is clear enough, and this one already names the decision.

Split: sādhu (साधु) + mahātejāḥ (महातेजाः) + yat (यत्) + tvam (त्वम्) + mām (माम्) + paripṛcchasi (परिपृच्छसि) + tat (तत्) + sarvam (सर्वम्) + saṃpravakṣyāmi (संप्रवक्ष्यामि) + rāgavelāvinirṇayam (रागवेलाविनिर्णयम्)

वेलावली च भूपालः सोमरागस्तथैव च ।
एते रागास्तु गातव्याः प्रातःकाले विशेषतः ॥ velāvalī ca bhūpālaḥ somarāgastathaiva ca |
ete rāgāstu gātavyāḥ prātaḥkāle viśeṣataḥ ||

The line

And Velāvalī (वेलावली), Bhūpāla (भूपाल), and Somarāga (सोमराग) likewise. These rāgas (राग) are to be sung in the morning in particular.

नेपालीमा

वेलावली, भूपाल र सोमराग त्यस्तै। यी राग विशेष गरेर बिहानको समयमा गाउनुपर्छ।

Where it sits

Morning is the first hour of this clock. The names in verses 10 and 11 belong with these morning rāgas, and the jammed spots in those two verses are named in the introduction rather than recited.

Split: velāvalī (वेलावली) + ca (च) + bhūpālaḥ (भूपालः) + somarāgaḥ (सोमरागः) + tathā (तथा) + eva (एव) + ete (एते) + rāgāḥ (रागाः) + tu (तु) + gātavyāḥ (गातव्याः) + prātaḥkāle (प्रातःकाले) + viśeṣataḥ (विशेषतः)

एते रागविशेषास्तु मध्याह्ने परिकीर्तिताः ।
शुद्धनाटा च सालङ्गो नाटी शुद्धवराटिका ॥ ete rāgaviśeṣāstu madhyāhne parikīrtitāḥ |
śuddhanāṭā ca sālaṅgo nāṭī śuddhavarāṭikā ||

The line

And these particular rāgas (राग) are proclaimed at midday. And Śuddhanāṭā (शुद्धनाटा), Sālaṅga (सालङ्ग), Nāṭī (नाटी), and Śuddhavarāṭikā (शुद्धवराटिका).

नेपालीमा

यी खास राग मध्यान्हमा घोषित गरिन्छन्। शुद्धनाटा, सालङ्ग, नाटी र शुद्धवराटिका पनि।

Where it sits

Midday is the second hour. The names that these points back to, in verses 13 and 14, include śaṅkarābharaṇa (शङ्कराभरण), balahaṃsa (बलहंस), deśī (देशी), manoharī (मनोहरी), sāverī (सावेरी), ḍombulī (डोम्बुली), kāmbhojī (काम्भोजी), gopikāmbhojī (गोपिकाम्भोजी), kaiśikī (कैशिकी), madhumādhavī (मधुमाधवी), bahulī (बहुली) as a pair, mukhārī (मुखारी), and maṅgalakauśikā (मङ्गलकौशिका). Those verses are a name list. The rule sat here is the midday sentence.

Split: ete (एते) + rāgaviśeṣāḥ (रागविशेषाः) + tu (तु) + madhyāhne (मध्याह्ने) + parikīrtitāḥ (परिकीर्तिताः) + śuddhanāṭā (शुद्धनाटा) + ca (च) + sālaṅgaḥ (सालङ्गः) + nāṭī (नाटी) + śuddhavarāṭikā (शुद्धवराटिका)

वराटिका द्रावटिका देशी नागवराटिका ।
कर्णाटहयगौडीति इत्येते चन्द्रमांशजाः ॥ varāṭikā drāvaṭikā deśī nāgavarāṭikā |
karṇāṭahayagauḍīti ityete candramāṃśajāḥ ||

The line

Varāṭikā (वराटिका), Drāvaṭikā (द्रावटिका), Deśī (देशी), Nāgavarāṭikā (नागवराटिका), and the name printed as karṇāṭahayagauḍī (कर्णाटहयगौडी): these are born from the moon's portion.

नेपालीमा

वराटिका, द्रावटिका, देशी, नागवराटिका, र कर्णाटहयगौडी भनेर छापिएको नाम, यी चन्द्रमाको अंशबाट जन्मेका हुन्।

Where it sits

The moon's portion is the class. The next verse gives this class both a morning deity and an evening singing.

Split: varāṭikā (वराटिका) + drāvaṭikā (द्रावटिका) + deśī (देशी) + nāgavarāṭikā (नागवराटिका) + karṇāṭahayagauḍīti (कर्णाटहयगौडीति) + iti (इति) + ete (एते) + candramāṃśajāḥ (चन्द्रमांशजाः)

एते रागविशेषास्तु प्रातःकाले तु देवताः ।
सायमेषां प्रगानेन तस्य श्रीरतुला भवेत् ॥ ete rāgaviśeṣāstu prātaḥkāle tu devatāḥ |
sāyameṣāṃ pragānena tasya śrīratulā bhavet ||

The line

And these particular rāgas (राग) are deities in the morning. By singing them in the evening, his wealth would become unequalled.

नेपालीमा

यी खास राग बिहानको समयमा देवता हुन्। साँझ यिनीलाई गाउँदा उसको सम्पत्ति अतुल हुन्छ।

Where it sits

Evening is this verse. The same line also calls them morning deities. The sitting reports both clauses. Twilight in the later classroom clock is a finer cut than this edition's sāyam (सायम्).

Split: ete (एते) + rāgaviśeṣāḥ (रागविशेषाः) + tu (तु) + prātaḥkāle (प्रातःकाले) + devatāḥ (देवताः) + sāyam (सायम्) + eṣām (एषाम्) + pragānena (प्रगानेन) + tasya (तस्य) + śrīḥ (श्रीः) + atulā (अतुला) + bhavet (भवेत्)

त्रियामोपरि गातव्या शुद्धसालङ्गनाटिका ।
एवं कालविधिं ज्ञात्वा गायेद्यः स सुखी भवेत् ॥ triyāmopari gātavyā śuddhasālaṅganāṭikā |
evaṃ kālavidhiṃ jñātvā gāyedyaḥ sa sukhī bhavet ||

The line

After the third watch, Śuddhasālaṅganāṭikā (शुद्धसालङ्गनाटिका) is to be sung. He who would sing having known the rule of time in this way would become happy.

नेपालीमा

तेस्रो प्रहरपछि शुद्धसालङ्गनाटिका गाउनुपर्छ। कालको विधि यसरी जानेर जो गाउँछ, त्यो सुखी हुन्छ।

Where it sits

The third watch is as far as this edition goes toward midnight. The later rāga (राग) samaya (समय) cakra (चक्र), a wheel of hours, is not drawn in these verses. The happy result is the verse's own word.

Split: triyāmopari (त्रियामोपरि) + gātavyā (गातव्या) + śuddhasālaṅganāṭikā (शुद्धसालङ्गनाटिका) + evam (एवम्) + kālavidhim (कालविधिम्) + jñātvā (ज्ञात्वा) + gāyet (गायेत्) + yaḥ (यः) + saḥ (सः) + sukhī (सुखी) + bhavet (भवेत्)

रागावेलागानेन रागाणां हिंसको भवेत् ।
यः शृणोति स दारिद्री आयुर्नश्यति सर्वदा ॥ rāgāvelāgānena rāgāṇāṃ hiṃsako bhavet |
yaḥ śṛṇoti sa dāridrī āyurnaśyati sarvadā ||

The line

By singing the rāgas (राग) at the unfit hour, one would become a harmer of the rāgas (राग). He who hears that becomes poor, and his span of life always perishes.

नेपालीमा

बेला नमिलेको समयमा रागहरू गाउँदा मानिस रागहरूको हानि गर्ने हुन्छ। जसले त्यो सुन्छ, त्यो दरिद्र हुन्छ, र आयु सधैँ नाश हुन्छ।

Where it sits

These are the words of the verse. The page reports them and stops. Eastern theory, where hours are used in practice, is the theory room. The practice rooms live outside this library, so this page cannot put a link back inside them.

Split: rāgāvelāgānena (रागावेलागानेन) + rāgāṇām (रागाणाम्) + hiṃsakaḥ (हिंसकः) + bhavet (भवेत्) + yaḥ (यः) + śṛṇoti (शृणोति) + saḥ (सः) + dāridrī (दारिद्री) + āyuḥ (आयुः) + naśyati (नश्यति) + sarvadā (सर्वदा)