Fundamental of Ancient Indian Music and Dance

Author(s): Sureshchandra Benarji
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Fundamentals of Ancient Indian Music and Dance
"The dhyānas of the rāgas and rāgiņrs, occurring in the two MSS, reveal considerable divergences, not only verbal but also material.
The fourth chapter deals with Tālas, and traces their genesis in heaven. One hundred and one Tālas are said to have been iptroduced on the earth. This portion of the MS is extremely corrupt so that it is not possible to make out a coherent account of its contents. It can be gathered that, by means of laghu, guru, pluta etc., different Tālas have been described. The names of Tālas, which can be gathered from this portion, are as follows: ekatāla, yatitala, şatpadī, vişamasandhi, rūpaka, astakatāla, apūrvakalā haragaurī, jhampaka, yamaka, daśakusi, kundasekhara, vastütāla, sarvamanohara.
The name of Nārada, with which the work is associated, appears to give a stamp of antiquity to it. But, an examination of its contents leads to a contrary conclusion.
The use of the term rāgiņi is a pointer to its later origin. This word has not been used in early works on music. Even such a late work as the Samgita-ratnākara of Sārngadeva (13th. cent. A.D.) divides rāgas into three classes, viz. Bhāsā, Vibhāṣā and Antarabhāśā; this work does rot mention the term “răgini'. The Samgita-makaranda (c. 11th cent. A.D.); ascribed to Nārada, is, perhaps, the earliest work to classify rāgas as male, female and neuter; even this work does not use the word rāgiņi.
The number of rāgiņis as 36 is another proof against the antiquity of the work.
The above facts, together with the language, style and contents of the work, tend to indicate that it was a populai compendium composed by a late writer who fathered it on Nārada in order to impart a halo of authority and antiquity to it.
It is difficult to determine the provenance of this work. It is, however, significant that, in the first chapter, the artists