Prescribed Ragas: Aroha, Avaroha, Pakad, Vadi, Samvadi, Time
What the domain covers
Expect a table-type question: given a raga, write aroha, avaroha, pakad, vadi, samvadi and time of performance, or identify a raga from its aroha. Accurate swara sets matter more than long descriptions.
Core data for prescribed ragas
- Yaman (thaat Kalyan): S R G M̑ P D N Ṡ / Ṡ N D P M̑ G R S. Vadi Ga, samvadi Ni. First prahar of night. Pakad: N̲i Re Ga Re Sa, Pa M̑ Ga Re Sa.
- Bhairav (thaat Bhairav): S r G M P d N Ṡ / Ṡ N d P M G r S. Vadi dha, samvadi re. First prahar of morning. Pakad: G M P dha P, G M re re Sa.
- Bhupali (thaat Kalyan): S R G P D Ṡ / Ṡ D P G R S - five notes only, no Ma, no Ni. Vadi Ga, samvadi Dha. First prahar of night. Pakad: S R G R S D̲ S, R G P G R S.
- Kafi (thaat Kafi): S R g M P D n Ṡ / Ṡ n D P M g R S. Vadi Pa, samvadi Re. Second prahar of night. Pakad: S R g M P, M g R g S R n S.
- Khamaj (thaat Khamaj): S G M P D N Ṡ / Ṡ n D P M G R S. Vadi Ga, samvadi Ni. Third prahar of night. Pakad: G M P D M G, R S n̲ S.
Worked example
An aroha reading S R G M̑ P D N Ṡ contains tivra Ma and both shuddha Ni; vadi is given as Ga. Tivra Ma rules out Bilawal and Khamaj; the vadi Ga plus night time identifies Yaman, and the avaroha must then be Ṡ N D P M̑ G R S - descending vakra with Ni–Dha–Pa.
Traps that cost marks
Adding Ma or Ni to Bhupali; giving only komal Re in Bhairav and forgetting komal Dha; confusing Kafi (komal Ga, komal Ni) with Khamaj (shuddha Ga, komal Ni in descent); writing sunrise for Bhairav instead of first prahar of morning.