sthāna core_concept

⁴⁴ BRHADDESI प्राप्नोति हृदयं शीघ्रमन्यस्मादृषभः स्मृतः। स्त्रीगवीषु यथा तिष्ठन् विभाति ऋषभो महान्।। स्वरग्रामे समुत्पन्नः स्वरोऽयमृषभस्तथा ॥५६॥ वाचं गानात्मिका धत्त इति गान्धारसंज?्ञकः। स्वराणा मध्यमत्वाच्च मध्यमः स्वर इष्यते।।५७॥ स्वरान्तराणा विस्तारं यो मिमीते स पञ्चमः। पाठक्रमेण गणने संख्यया पञ्चमोऽथवा।।५८।। धीरस्यास्तीति धीमांस्तत्सम्बन्धी धैवतः स्मृतः । यद्वा २१षष्ठस्थाने धृतो यस्मात्तेनासौ धैवतो मतः॥५९॥ पञ्चमेन ³⁰•त्ततोऽसी ललाटे धैवत इत्यर्थः। निषीदन्ति स्वरा सर्वे निषादस्तेन कथ्यते।।६०॥ [ स्वराणा सप्तसंख्यानियमः ] [ अनु. २९ ] 31 ननु कथं सप्त स्वरा इति नियमः ? उच्यते— यथा सप्तधात्वाश्रितत्वेन सप्तैव धातवो रसादयो ज?ेया । तथा चाह सुश्रुतः — 'त्वगसृङ्मांसमेदोऽस्थिमज्ज?ाशुक्राणि धातवः' । इति। तथा सप्तचक्राश्रितत्वेन सप्तद्वीपाश्रितत्वेन वा सप्तैव स्वरा इति। स्वरजातयः ] चतुःश्रुतिस्वरा विप्रास्त्रिश्रुती क्षत्रियौ मतौ। वैश्यौ द्विश्वतिकौ ज?्ञेयौ शूद्रौ चान्तरकौ स्वरौ ³²।।६१।। [ आगमस्थः स्वरोद्धारः ] वर्गाष्टकं तु सम्प्राप्य अकारादियशान्तकम्। वर्णमात्रा अन्समायुक्तमुद्धरेत् स्वरसप्तकम् ॥६२॥ স

⁴⁷ TRANSLATION The third (letter) of the eighth (group viz. 's') combined with the Hari-bija (a)^{71} is the initial svara that the knowledgeable one in svara should draw out with all effort. (63) The second (letter) of the seventh (group viz. 'r'), combined with kāmabīja (viz. 'a'),72 know (that) as the second svara arising out of the brahmasthāna (64) (brahmagranthi). The third (letter) of the second group (viz. 'g') combined with Viṣṇu - bīja, (viz. 'a'), one should always draw out (this) svara which is attractive among the (65) various svaras. The last (letter) of the sixth group, (viz. 'm') combined with the initial one (viz. 'a') know it as madhyama, the indestructible (and)⁷³ best among svaras. (66) The first one of the same (sixth group, viz. 'p') combined with the first one (viz. 'a'), know that as the beautiful svara, associated with the number (five) of (67) vyoma (space)⁷⁴ and born of the ostha (lip)⁷⁵ sthāna.⁷⁶ The fourth (letter) of the fifth group (viz. 'dh') combined with the initial one (viz. 'a'), one should draw out that excellent svara born of two bows.⁷⁷ (68) The last (letter) of the fifth group (viz. 'n') differentiated by the end that is other than akāra (viz. 'i') arising out of the brahma-sthāna78 (cerebral aperture) (69) is combined with 'high' sound. Thus, this much has been shown as the svaroddhāra (analysis of svara-names) (70 ab) contained in agama.79 [ Assignment of community, colour and the like to svaras ] Now I shall speak of the assignment of community, colour and the like (to (70 \text{ cd}) svaras). (i) Kula-Vamśa. Şadja, gāndhāra and madhyama are born in the Kula 80 (community) of gods, this svara pañcama is born in the lineage (vaṃśa)81 of manes (pitṛvaṃśa). (71) The two svaras ršabha and dhaivata are born in the lineage of rsis. The niṣāda (72) born in the community of demons, is called 'ni'. (ii) Colours. Ṣaḍja is of the colour of the lotus-petal, ṛṣabha is of the colour of parrot, gāndhāra is goldenhued, madhyama is (white) like kunda (jasminum multi- (73) florum).

Vimarśa (ANNOTATIONS) Chapter I Section I ( Desi ) 1. Upto verse 13 a dialogue between Matanga and Nārada is explicit; accordingly, Matanga has been identified here as the first speaker, to whom Nārada responds. The name of Matanga appears only once again in the beginning of the Prabandha chapter (verse 361 cd) where Matanga is said to address anonymous munis. 2. Since the quality of pleasantness in sound is mentioned here, it could be conjectured that musical sound is being referred to, although later (verse 13) desi has been identified with syllabic sound. Tonal sound ( nāda ) has not been separately mentioned in this section, except in verse 7 where the svaras ( şadja etc.) of music have been said to be different from svaras (vowels) in language. 3. 'Jantu' means living being, including the human beings, but since 'people' and 'kings' are separately mentioned here, jantu could be taken to stand for sub-human creatures. 4. The manifest form or level of sound is referred to here and its spatial or regional aspect is being emphasised in the context of desi (pertaining to desa, i.e. space or region or location). 5. Dhvani at the metaphysical level is beyond space and time, it is all- pervasive ( vyāpaka ) and eternal ( nitya ). How could it be said to be related to desa (space or region or location)? This is the question. 6. Sound at the manifest level is perceived according to its direction (up, down, right, left etc.) in relation to the listener. 7. Sthāna stands for location of sound in the human body. Five such locations are identified; viz. the navel, chest, throat, palate or cerebrum and mouth, the first and the last being omitted in music. The vital air is propelled from the seat of energy in the body known as brahmagranthi and as it travels upward it touches the various locations, producing low and high sounds. This is the purport of sound being the 'follower' of sthana. 8, 9, 10. In Tantra the concentrated form of energy is identified with bindu (lit. point or drop) and the flowing form of energy is called nāda. At the aural level bindu manifests as the anusvāra ( nasal sound marked with a dot on the line) and nāda as tones and vowels (combined with consonants) without specification and at the visual level bindu is the point and nāda could bear the analogy of rekhā (line) without specific form. Mātṛkās (lit. mothers) are the subtle and unmanifest forms of letters of the alphabet; thus they are the matrices of all sound-forms, they could be said to stand for the subtle level of individualised specific letters. These three and the manifest form of mátykas viz.

VIMARŚA 157 upavāda and daņļa and due to utkarşa (augmentation) or apakarşa (diminution ) of tone in the string (vide Abhi Bhā). Under indriya Abhinavagupta includes vāgindriya ( the human organ of speech ) in the primary sense, but says that secondarily the fingers as well as frets ( on the viņā) could also be said to be the seat of vaigunya or discrepancy. It is notable that while NS speaks of the 'excess' or 'loss' occurring in svaras, our text speaks of the threefold division of sruti (object of hearing) on account of indriya-vaigunya, which itself is threefold viz. inborn, born of some imbalance in the three humours and born of accident. This seems to apply to the human voice alone. Kallinātha (SRI, p. 71) says that indriya in this passage of BrD means manas (mind), the sahaja mind being composed of sattvaguna, the dosaja being full of rajas and tamas and the abhighātaja being attacked by the rasas (tastes) known as amla (sour) etc. He seems to imply that the state of mind affects the voice and thus sruti (the object of hearing) could be threefold according to the three states of mind. Thus while NS speaks of the vaigunya (discrepancy) both in the stringed instrument and voice and Kallinatha places the discrepancy in the mind leading by implication, to discrepancy in the voice, our text does not throw any light on the meaning of indriya. It appears, however, that Matanga is referring to the vāgindriya (organ of speech). 9. Here again the author is referring to the fourfold śruti (object of hearing) on the basis of the fourfold division of voice according to the predominance of vata (lit. air), pitta (lit. bile) and kapha (lit. phlegm), the three humours of the human body according to Ayurveda and sannipāta ( admixture of the three ). This division of voice has been expanded in great detail in SR (III, 39-67) under the heading sabdabheda. It is interesting to note that our text has mentioned this classification of voices under the types of śruti. 10, 11, 12. Vāta, pitta and kapha are known in Ayurveda as the three dhātus (humours) that 'hold' the body, the three 'doşas' that represent an imbalance or disorder in the three and the three males or dirt arising out of them. The gross manifestation of these three is wind or gas, bile and phlegm, but they are also subtle like the bhūtas. Vāta represents all movement or dynamism, pitta represents all heat and energy and phlegm represents the static aspect; the three could also be equated with sattva, rajas and tamas guņas respectively. The classification of human voice according to these three is based on the predominance of each of these. The voice being a part of the human body, is affected by the constitution of the body dependant on the predominance of one or the other of the three dhātus in different bodies. (cf. Car Sam Sūtrasthāna and Cikitsāsthāna) 13. Snigdha is very difficult to translate; it is the antonym of rūkṣa which in English could be translated only as 'dry', but dryness could be related to water when it is called śuṣkatā and it could also be related to oil or butter or any other similar substance, the common name for which is 'sneha' i.e. the absence of 'sneha' is also a form of dryness called rūksatā. Incidentally, sneha also means

183 VIMARŠA 6. Pada as textual unit ( with or without meaning ) is the basis for the discernment of varna. In a melody, the units of varna are conceived like the cups in which a liquid is poured; melody being fluid and flowing, its units have to be perceived in association with something concrete. Indian traditional thought on melody has tried to see varna as the primary melodic unit in association with pada, the more concrete textual unit. Each pada of a musical piece is either rendered with a steady ( sthāyin ) or ascending ( ārohin ) or descending ( avarohin ) or circulatory ( sancārin ) pattern of melodic movement and these patterns are to be identified in accordance with the accompanying textual units. (vide NŚ XXIX, 18) the melodic varņa 'extends' or 'stretches' the textual unit and thereby it (melodic varņa) is accomplished. 7. Movement of svaras in 'mutual directions' is another way of speaking about the to and fro movement. 8. The condition of proceeding in each unit of phrasing alongwith the last component ( svara ) of the previous unit has been imposed by BrD alone, no anterior or posterior text is known to have done this. Most probably the author had in mind certain spacific ragas and their melodic structures which he was trying to codify. 9. sañcārin lit. means moving around. SR (I,6.3ab) defines it as that which combines the other three. 10. 'Paraspara' or mutual for gapless movement of svaras is an expression peculiar to BrD. 11. Alankaras are usually structured with repetitive motifs and one or more of the varnas accord the pattern of melodic movement. 12. The human body being accepted as the primary instrument for rendering melody, it is being exclusively referred to here. Stringed and wind instruments would, by implication, follow suit. 13. Guṇa of the text has been translated as repetition in accordance with the spirit of Abhi Bhā on this verse. 14. 'Syllable' stands here for the component of textual unit and the textual unit itself. The melodic varna streches or extends the textual varna. 15. The varnas take effect according to the melody taken here as a totality. 16. It is not possible to say definitely that the second 'sa' in this triad is intended to be in the high register. 17. This whole line is reproduced from the notation of dhaivati in BrD. 18. These three lines have been reproduced from the notation of nandayanti in BrD and SR, wherever BrD is inadequate. 19. Reproduced from ibid. 20, 21. NŚ (XXVIII, 12,14,15) speaks of the wooden ( dāravī) and bodily ٠ ( śārīrī ) viņā as the substrata of svaras. 22. 'Sānīn' means pertaining to the body (bodily viņā). 23. Being the primary units of melodic movement, varņas are responsible for the construction or structuring of melody.