effects, viz. lower pitch of that string on that viņā and relatively higher pitch on the corresponding string of the other viņā without any change of tension in that string. Abhinavagupta says that on account of this relativity the respective order of the constituents of the two pairs is not maintained in order to bring out this fact that either of the two actions could result in both the changes of pitch. All the same, these constituents are used as inter-changeables in both BrD and NS (XXVIII, p. 26) while explaining the transformation of one grāma into another through the change of murchana accompanied by utkarşa of gandhara and mārdava of dhaivata. Similarly, āyatatva is replaced by viprakarşa in BrD in Anu. 50. In NS mārdava and āyatatva have been used in the context of śruti-jātis where no process of lowering or augmenting is involved. There it is only the ٠. sequence of svaras that is the basis of the assignment of these two qualities to the śruti on which a particular svara is manifested. Ayatatva is assigned to the śruti of a svara when it (svara) is followed by a lower one and mārdava operates in the opposite situation when a svara is followed by a higher one. Thus the measure of śruti has been explained on the basis of the audible difference between the pañcama of the two grāmas which could be viewed as utkarşa or āyatatva on one viņā and apakarşa or mārdava on the other. 24. The word nidarsana (demonstration) has also been used in NS in the same context (vide NŚ XXVIII, p. 20). Abhinavagupta commenting on the same (ibid., p. 22) says that nidarsana is that method or means by which śrutis could be definitely perceived. Just as when two persons who do or do not belong to the same community are in love on first sight, the degree of their (relative) excellence is perceived (on the first sight), but on the basis of the desire to see each other again and again, the 'particular' or 'specific' in them is perceived through special effort and concentration, similarly in the two strings bearing utkarșa (augmentation) and apakarșa (diminution) the 'particular' or 'specific' in their sound is ascertained or determined by listening to one after the other repeatedly. This is 'nidarsana'. 25. The length, breadth, thickness, depth etc. are implied. 26. The number, length, thickness, density etc. of strings are implied. 27. Upavādana has been read as upavāda in Abhi Bhā ( NŚ XXVIII, p. 18 ) and has been explained as tantri-bandhana-sthāna (the place for tying strings). But NS reads upavadana (on p. 15 and 20 in the context of 'excess' or 'less' of svaras and śruti-nidarśana respectively in Chap. XXVIII). 28. Danda lit. means rod or stick. Here also it stands for the stick in 'zither' or 'lute' or by extended meaning, perhaps, even the board or frame of the dulcimer or psaltery or harp. The danda of the two vinas has to be similar not only in measure, but in quality of wood or bamboo in order to ensure equality of sound. 29. Mūrchanā will be explained as a scale derived from grāma later in the text. Here it means tuning. Abhinavagupta has used this word in this sense while

commenting on NS XXVIII, 1. He says there that even if an untrained person 'hits' a mūrchita (tuned) vīṇā, the sound produced will be musical (in tune)⁸ i.e. svara will be attained. Since the tuning has to take effect only in one of the mūrchanās, the name mūrchanā for tuning is justified. Kālidāsa (Megha. 84) has used the word murchana in the same sense when he says for the Yakşi² that again and again she forgets the mūrchanā made by herself. 30. This prescription of establishing the two viņās in sadjagrāma immediately after the mention of murchana appears to be rather queer, but the apparent repetition could be justified if the mention of 'mūrchanā' is taken to refer to equality in tuning, pure and simple and the later mention of sadjagrāma is accepted as the specification of tuning. The construction of the sentence implying that equal tuning is to be done first and then the viņās have to be established in sadjagrāma which itself is a tuning¹³, will have to be ignored as the initial reference to tuning is a part of the general prescription about perfect equality between the two viņās and the second reference relates to special tuning. 31,32. The qualification of śruti as şadjagrāmiki and madhyamagrāmiki could be interpreted in two ways, viz.- (a) 'Sruti' could be taken here as standing for sound in general; accordingly, the total tuning of each grāma could be referred to as śruti in singular number. (b) The interval of sruti perceived through apakarşa (lowering) of pañcama is madhyamagrāmikī śruti and the same interval being perceived through the utkarșa (augmentation) of pañcama is called șadjagrāmiki.⁹ It is to be noted that the utkarşa of pañcama is not actual but only 'resultant' because it comes into . being when all the other svaras are lowered in accordance with the lowering of pañcama so that the samvada of şadja-pañcama that was disturbed on account of the lowering of pañcama is restored.¹² 33. In the mention of the restoration of sadjagrāma, the process i.e. the 'utkarşa' (augmentation) of pancama is implicit. In NS (XXVIII, p. 20) it is made explicit by the expression pañcamasyotkarşa-vasat i.e. by reason of the augmentation of pañcama. 34. The idea is that all the svaras on the mobile (cala) viņā are lowered by one śruti, but this process does not prove the interval of any svaras in terms of śruti since there is no svara in this system, that manifests on consecutive śrutis; the gap or interval of one śruti is indispensable. 35. The word 'tadvat' has raised a big controversy among modern scholars. It has been generally interpreted to mean "in the same manner" literally, giving the sense that the second step of this process of demonstration of śrutis has to begin again with the lowering of pañcama. Three opinions are notable in this context. (i) V.N. Bhatkhande (cf. Hindustani Sangita Paddhati, Hindi translation, Vol. IV, p. 37). He has inferred that since all the four steps start with the lowering of pañcama, the value (in pitch) of all the four lowerings is identical and hence all śrutis are identical according to Bharata. (ii) Omkarnath Thakur (cf. Praņava-Bhāratī, p. 61-86) has accepted that all