Music Theory: Shruti, Swarasthana and the 72 Melakartas
Foundations
- 22 shrutis are recognised, but only 12 swarasthanas are used as fixed positions in a sthayi.
- Sixteen swara names arise from the variants: shadja; rishabha (shuddha, chatusruti, shatsruti); gandhara (shuddha, sadharana, antara); madhyama (shuddha, prati); panchama; dhaivata (shuddha, chatusruti, shatsruti); nishada (shuddha, kaishiki, kakali).
- Three main sthayis are used: mandra, madhya and tara.
- The 72 melakartas are grouped in 12 chakras of six. Chakras 1 to 6 use M1, chakras 7 to 12 use M2.
- Within a chakra the six ragas differ in the ri-ga and da-ni pairs, giving the combinations R1G1, R1G2, R1G3, R2G2, R2G3, R3G3 and D1N1, D1N2, D1N3, D2N2, D2N3, D3N3.
- Katapayadi sankhya encodes the mela number in the name's first consonants, read in reverse.
Worked example
Find the swaras of melakarta 29. Reasoning: chakra is 25 to 30, the fifth chakra, so M1 and R2G3 apply. Position five inside the chakra gives D2N3. The raga is S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3, that is Shankarabharanam. Cross-check with katapayadi: Dheera Shankarabharanam gives dha = 9 and ra = 2, read as 92 and reversed to 29.
Traps that cost marks
- Putting the M1 and M2 boundary at 35 or 38 instead of between 36 and 37.
- Naming the chakras out of order; the first is Indu, not Agni.
- Reading katapayadi digits forwards instead of in reverse.
- Confusing 22 shrutis with 12 swarasthanas.