Anandabhairavi

Anandabhairavi is a very old raga that is found even in folklore music. It is a very melodiious raga as its name itself signifies. It is a janya ragam (i.e. it inherits some of the properties from one of the 72 melakartha ragams). Its melakartha ragam is karaharapriya although some old history states that it is janya of Natabhairavi. It is vakra ragam since its arohana is not in proper sequence. For example its arohana is "sa ga(1) ri(2) ga(1) ma(1) pa da(2) pa sa" ( we can see that before "ri" "ga" comes and after "da", "pa" comes. These two technicalities makes this raga vakram but only in arohana. In avarohana it is normal namely, it is "sa ni(1) da(2) pa ma(1) ga(1) ri(2) sa". In arohana and avarohana I use (1)/(2) to tell if it is first variant of that swara or the second variant. It is also a bhasanga raga, since it uses morethan one anyaswaram (alien swara in english). Anyaswara of a raga is the swara which does not belong to the arohana avarohana of its mela (thai) raga but it is sung in prayogams (raga alopana, kalpanaswara)/ it may be found in arohana/avarohana itself (like Bhairavi).

Anandabhairavai is one of the favourite raga of Shyamashashtri. More or less Anadabhairavi's synonym is "Mariverae" by Shyamashashthri. The three annyaswaras of Anadabhairavi are "ga(2)", "da(1)" and "ni(2)". But all these annyaswaras occur only in prayogas not in arohana avarohana. "ga(2)" occurs in "ma pa ma ga ga ma", "da(1)" occurs in "ga ma pa da". Generally "ni(2)" is not sung these days. Surprising thing is Thyagarajar and Muthuswami Dhikshatir does not use any of the annyaswara in their compositions. But in "Mariverae" and in "O jagadhamba" Shyamashashtri uses the annyaswara "ga(2)". It allows a medium level of manodharmam meaning not very elaborate raga alapanas and kalpanaswaram can be sung in this raga. Few allied ragas (similar) to this are Ritigowla and Huseni.

sakthi