BrD does not give these seven names of 'islands' but hints at the connection between the seven 'islands' and seven svaras. Viewing the whole of this portion (Anu. 29) one finds that a relationship or correspondence of the seven svaras with the seven dhātus ( sustaining elements) in the human body i.e. the physiological level, with the seven minerals (?) at the physical level, seven cakras at the psycho-physical level and the seven 'islands' at the terrestrial level is visualised and thus the inherent unity of life is suggested. 65-68. The assignment of castes to svaras suggests that a subtle similarity between the social order and arrangement of svaras is visualised; it does not involve an imposition of hierarchy, but a realisation of the unity of life at various levels, as well as the review of a given order of things as an organic whole where all the limbs are 'parts' that make up a whole and are equally important. 69. The eight groups of sounds (letters) are known as a-ka-ca-ța-ta-pa-ya-śa. 70. 'Drawing out' ( uddhāra ) means here the treatment of solfa-syllables similar to bija-mantras that are composed of bija ( svara or vowels ) and yoni (consonants beginning with %a') (cf. Mālinī-vijayottara-tantra, third adhikaraṇa). Each solfa-syllable has been analysed here into its component consonant and vowel. 71. According to Ekākşarakośa, 'a' is Viṣṇu-bīja. 72. According to ibid. 'i' is Sakti-bija or Kāma-bija. 73. Madhyama, being the juncture between the lower and higher triad, has been spoken of as being indestructible in the sense that its omission was not permissible. (cf. NŚ XXVIII, 45) 74. Vyoman or ākāśa is the first in the order of creation and the fifth in the order of dissolution. 75,76. 'Pa' is a libial sound and hence lip has been said here to be its 'location' or place of origin. 77. The two 'bows' are the two semi-circular components of the letter 'dha' in the devanagari script. 78. The association of 'ni' the seventh and last svara with the brahmasthana (most probably brahmarandhra) supports the author's statement that the seven svaras are born out of the seven cakras or sthanas. (see note 63) 79. Agama, in its general meaning stands for any discipline or śāstra, but in its specific meaning it stands for Tantra. Here the latter is relevant. 80,81. Kula (community) has a wider range than vanisa (lineage) but here both have been used as interchangeables. 82. Assigning specific colours to the seven-svaras is an extension of the basic postulation that nada (sound) and jyoti are one. A basic unity between the aural and the visual is conceived or visualised here. 83,84. The assignment of a specific daivata or devatā or deva to each of the seven svaras is an extension of the Vedic tradition of assigning a devatā to each sūkta (hymn).

85. Assigning a seer to each svara is, again, an extension of the Vedic tradition. 86. The association of rasas with svaras is reproduced from NS XXVII, 103 cd- 105 ab. 87. The location of svaras in the human body as described here is quite different from the seven sthanas discussed above in note No. 63. 88. 'Desi' here stands for the manifest realm of sound. 1. Grāma is not just any group of svaras, it is a specific grouping which is the basis of the perception of śruti⁸ and is also a fundamental categorisation of melodies with the consonance of fifth between sa-pa and with the consonance of fourth between ri-pa.¹³ 2. The analogy of a village inherent in the word grāma is being made explicit. BrD is the only text that has explained this point. 3. NŚ does not mention gāndhāra-grāma; Dattilam (11) and Nā Ši (1.2.6,7) do mention it; Dattilam clearly states that it is not to be found here in this world.⁴ ( See glossary ) 4. The statement that svaras are born of Sāmaveda should be viewed alongwith the backdrop of the common belief and oft-repeated platitude that Indian music is born of Sāmaveda. When something is said to be the origin of another thing, the general impression is that the origin precedes in time the thing born of it. But in the case of music this impression could not hold good. It would be absurd to say that there was no music among the people before Sāmaveda became formalised or codified. The balanced view would be that Sāmavedic music was the first to be codified and the codification of the music of the people came later and that the 'vision' that inspired or guided the Vedic codification continued to guide the later codification. The statement of our author that svaras are born of Sāmaveda matches the statement in NŚ (I,17) that gita (music) was taken by Brahmä from Sāmaveda, just as pāthya (text) was taken from Rgueda, abhinaya (gesture) from Yajurveda and rasa from Atharvaveda. To go a step further it would be pertinent to say that the mention of the Vedic origin of a thing need not be taken to imply Vedic anteriority in time; it could be interpreted to mean that the Vedic world-view and 'vision' was the guiding spirit. 5. The number 'two' given here for grāma indicates that the author, in spite of mentioning gandhara-grama, does not subscribe to the theory of three gramas. 6. The objective of grāma, stated here as the systematisation of svara, śruti, mūrchanā, tāna, jāti and nāga is significant. Being a specific arrangement of intervals in terms of śruti, grāma systematises svara and śruti; the intervals established in grāma are strictly followed in murchana, the omission of svaras in tana is guided by the grama (e.g. pañcama being the distinctive svara in madhyama-grāma, cannot be omitted in the