Topic: Raginis

[Nichi]

[Nichi]

[Michael]

Removing a thorn from her foot.

Seems to be a recurring theme:

[Nichi]

Seems to be a recurring theme:

Funny that - I've seen other paintings too with the thorn being removed. It's got to be a reference to one of the stories ... but I haven't encountered it as of yet.

[Nichi]

Sangita Makarandha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sangit Makarand is an ancient work on classical music written by Narada. This work is a rare collection of definitions, descriptions and comments on al the essentials music by other ancient reputed authors from Bharata to Sharangdeva. Its main feature is the treatiment of Ragas; categorizing them as male, female and neuter.[1]

History

The treatise circa 1100 CE is the earliest text where rules similar to the current Hindustani classical music can be found. Narada actually names and classifies the system in its earlier form before the advent of changes as a result of Persian influences.

The three distinct stages

It also hints on the uniqueness of the raga-nomenclaturing. On close study of it, one learns of three distinct stages on the nomenclaturing of the Indian ragas.

    Stage one refers Bharata's Natyashastra (prior 2nd century BC). It is the stage of raga-nomenclature when the ragas were named after the saliant swara of the ragas. For example, after Shadaj swara, originated the name of the Raga called shadaji; after Arishabh swara originated the name of Aasharbhi Raga; and after Gandhari swara was named the Gaandhari Raga, the last one being still in currency.

    In the second stage, the Ragas were named after different jana (tribes or the clans) dwelling in different geographical locations. For example, after Shaka tribe was named Shakatilak Raga or Shakamishrat variants of Shaka Raga; after Pulinda tribe was named the Pulinda Raga; after Abhira clan was named Abhiri Raga; after Savara tribe was named Saviri or Saverka. Similarly after Malava, Andhra, Gurjar, Kambhoja (Kamboja) tribes were named Ragas Malvika, Andhrri, Gurjari and Kambhoji (Kamboji) respectively, with all their variants [2].

    In the third stage, the ragas were named after the janapada or desha or country of their origin. For example, after Bengal was named Bangal-Raga; after Sindhudesha was named Saindhvi Raga; after Sauvira Janapada was named Sauviri or Sauvirak Raga; after Saurashtra was named the Saurashtri (or Sorathi or Surat or Surat-malar); and after Karnata janapada was named Karnati Raga etc. Similarly, the Kambhoji Raga or Ragini which is now very popular in southern India was named after the Kambhoja janapada. Scholars believe that the Kambhoji raga or ragini had probably originated in the jana rather than the janapada stage.[3]. This implies that the basic tune of raga Kamboji or Kambhoji must have evolved during epic or even pre-epic times.

References

    ^ http://aalaap.net/sangitamakaranda.html
    ^ cf: Ragas and Raginis, pp 72-77, O. P. Ganguli; cf: Music in Education, 1955, p 80, Dmitrij Kabalevskij; Ancient Kamboja People and the Country, 1981, p 233, Dr J. L. Kamboj.
    ^ Ancient Kamboja People and the Country, 1981, p 233, Dr J. L. Kamboj, cf: Ragas and Raginis, pp 72-77, O. P. Ganguli, The Kambojas Through the Ages, 2005, p 94, S Kirpal Singh

[Nichi]

Malava

[Nichi]

Malava

[Nichi]

Unknown

[Nichi]

Unk

[Nichi]

[Nichi]

Vairari

[Nichi]

Dipak

[Nichi]

"Karnati"

Except for a mention of her as belonging to Sri Raga, I cannot find any description of her via google. But there is something noteworthy... this is a recurring theme in the old Indian art: the woman standing, hanging onto a willow branch.

She also shows up, in contrast, as a musician sitting across from another woman, playing the vina. There's no clarification there, however, as to her essence!

A mystery solved, as I was researching something else:

From Wiki:
The yakshi is usually shown with her hand touching a tree branch, and a sinuous pose, Sanskrit tribhanga, thus some authors hold that the young girl at the foot of the tree is based on an ancient tree deity.[2]

The ashoka tree is closely associated with the yakshini mythological beings. One of the recurring elements in Indian art, often found at gates of Buddhist and Hindu temples, is a Yakshi with her foot on the trunk and her hands holding the branch of a stylized flowering ashoka or, less frequently, other tree with flowers or fruits. As an artistic element, often the tree and the Yakshi are subject to heavy stylization.

Some authors hold that the young girl at the foot of the tree is based on an ancient fertility symbol of the Indian Subcontinent.[2] Yakshis were important in early Buddhist monuments as a decorative element and are found in many ancient Buddhist archaeological sites. They became Salabhanjikas (sal tree maidens) with the passing of the centuries, a standard decorative element of both Indian sculpture and Indian temple architecture.[3]

The sal tree (Shorea robusta) is often confused with the ashoka tree (Saraca indica) in the ancient literature of the Indian Subcontinent.[4] The position of the Salabhanjika is also related to the position of Queen Māyā of Sakya when she gave birth to Gautama Buddha under an asoka tree in a garden in Lumbini, while grasping its branch

[runningstream]

i met a girl named Ragini a while ago

she is indian

she told me she used to have people come from the surrounding villages

just to lay their eyes on her

then she quickly changed the subject as i did not understand and also she did not

feel comfortable speaking about that

her mother was an vedic astrologer also i believe

i did not know what her name meant untill now

come to think of the note she was holding now

it was soft and she was certainly looking for a 'prince' in the romantic sense that

was quite obvious

which i also 'traditionally' found quite different



nice thread

[runningstream]

i just remembered the connection

between the vedic astrology and the embodiment

it was written in the stars apparently

i also did not understand that part