Lec dem - Manodharma made easy - Part 1.

Attended Dr. Sriram Parasuram's lec dem - 'Manodharma made easy' at Vidya BharatiKalyana Mandapam conducted by Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. This is a post of the same from the notes I took at the Lec-dem; I have tried to give an organized presentation of the same though.

So, here we go......

Dharma of a raga:

It is an inclusive term which has in itself the characteristics of a raga, key swaras or prayogas (phrases) of a raga, the different moods it can evoke etc.... The Dharma is not created recently but has been transcending itself over generations. For example, Thyagaraja never told how to sing a raga, or at least none of us have any documents known, of that kind. What are available for us are his compositions.

An exception to this (sort of) would be the documentation of raga lakshanas in the Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini of Sri. Subbarama Dikshithar, wherein one can find some features of ragas according to the Dikshithar style. But by far, what is available to us as a treasure trove are the compositions. Compositions in carnatic music resemble the book of revelation in christianity. Since compositions reveal the raga lakshana. So, understanding the compositions is the first step towards manodharma. This is the reason for emphasis on 'Pathantara' in our system of music. Thus, a teacher must understand the composition himself and then only he can teach them to his students well.

Aspects of Dharma of a raga:

• Swara Sthanas: This involves identifying the raga based on swara sthanas. Whether the raga has Suddha Rishabha, Chatushruti Rishabha, Sadharana Gandhara, Antara Gandhara etc... would go into identification and understanding of the raga.

• Pradhana: Identifying whether the raga resides in the purvanga pradhana or uttaranga pradhana. Purvanga is the first half of the swaras in its arohana (S R G M) and uttaranga the latter half (P D N S). Here, we see as to where the aesthetics or jeeva swaras of a raga lie, in the lower half or the upper. Example for this would be the raga Nattakurinji with the main phrase M G S R G M... We see here that the raga resides in the purvanga or in the lower half. It may traverse to swaras higher than this but would return back to the lower phrase.

• Prayogas: Identifying a raga by its prayogas or characteristic phrases. Examples would be nattakuranji as discussed above and Dhanyasi with "P N^^ S D P" and M P G (^^ indicates shake or gamaka). This prayoga itself indicates that it is indeed Dhanyasi. We dont need the entire exposition of the raga to recognize it.

• Composers and their compositions: Composers through their compositions have brought the essence of the raga. For example, Saint Thyagaraja is one of the greatest masters of the raga since he brings the rasa (or the very essence) of a raga through his compositions. Within the first or first two phrases, he opens the doors of the raga for us. Compositions are also a good aspect depicting Dharma of a raga. Sangatis have given us expertise in raga development and exposition. Example for this would be Marugelara O Raghava, a thyagaraja composition in Jayanthasri. Here, we find three or four in the lyrical phrase "O Raghava". These sangatis depict a step by step development and exposition of the kriti and thus the raga.

• The Masters: Musicians especially of the olden era have elaborated a lot of ragas. Brinda amma's Kalyani or Sri. M D Ramanathan would have the stamp of containing all that is therein the raga. They had complete understanding of all the elements of a raga. This can be attributed to their complete understanding of the compositions of great composers.
  

A good understanding of compositions in any raga would surely help us in expansion of the raga and our Manodharma also. Else, rendition of tha raga would feature nothing more than permutations or combinations of the notes or the scale alone. So, we can say that raga lakshana or characteristics of a raga is contained in the compositions.

Manodharma has two aspects:

1. Lakshana: An artiste's own idea or understanding of the aesthetics of a raga.
2. Lakshya: Everything associated with teh grammar of a raga, the dos, the donts, the rules and the prescriptions.

Any one of the above two aspects would not be singularly ideal. Only lakshana or lakshya is total chaos or mayhem or irresponsibility. Only when these two come together, would there be beauty and orderliness in music. So, a sense of responsibility towards lakshana and reverence and recognition for lakshya and the combined effect of both of these would be something beautiful in the form of alapana or nirawal, kalpanaswaras etc.

How to start the process of trying to get manodharma from a composition...
To be continued......