Kalyana Vasantha

“Attain eternal bliss through the path of Music, O mind” – says Saint Thyagaraja in his Kalyana Vasantha composition “Nadaloludai brahmanandamondave”.  As a by-product of the Nava rasas, our composers have evolved Bhakthi rasa and Nada rasa to add to the existing 9 flavors. Compositions like “raga sudharasa(andolika)”, “swara raga sudha (shankarabharanam)”, “nada sudha rasambilanu(aarabhi)” and the above mentioned “nadaloludai” portray music as the central theme, as a definitive rasa, an emotion.

Etymology:
 “Kalyana” means “to prosper”. “Vasantha” is “the season of spring”. It is not quite sure what the combined word is indented to mean.

Kalyana Vasantha is the janya ragam of  21st melakartha ragam keervani with the following ascending and descending swara usages:
Aa: S G2 M1 D1 N3 S
Av: S N3 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

Shadja, Sadharana gandharam, Shuddha madymam, Shuddha daivatham and Kakali nishadam mark the ascending pattern of the raga. Chatushruthi rishabha and Panchama show up, only in the descending curve.

• While Gandharam is same as the gandharam of mayamalavagowla, a gamaka from madhyama makes it exceptional and diverse.

• Madhyama is often held as a straight swara.

• Dhaivatham and nishadham again have irakka jaru gamakas or the descending slides(from immediate higher swaras).

• Rishabha in the avarohanam is again seized straight.
  

Other details of the raga:
Kalyana vasantha is an Audava sampoorna raga(5 swaras in arohana and sampoorna(7 swaras ) in avarohana). While Panchama’s varjya(absence) marks a presence in the aarohana, its absence in the avarohana would leave the raga incomplete. It is a suitable concert raga providing vast scope for elaboration and emotional outpour.

Associated raga/s:
Hindustani raga Chandrakauns sounds similar to Kalyana vasantha with Panchama deficient. This shares similar mood and same swaras as Kalyana vasantha ragam.


Emotion of the raga:
As said in the opening of the article, the raga presents the emotion of music as revealed in “Nadaloludai”. A heart rousing raga which binds one from the wanderings of the mind.
The raga is employed to convey sympathetic strain in some viraha geetha(songs of separation) in light music and background scoring.

Usages:
N3 N3 S, S - S N3 N3 S N3 N3 S, - N3 G2 R2 G2 S R2 N3, (taggu sthayi)
N3 S G2 R2 – N3 S G2 R2 - S N3 D1 P (taggu sthayi)
S G2 M1 – G2 M1 G2 R2 S N3.. ( Madhya sthayi)
G2 M1 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S (Madhya sthayi)
G2 M1 D1 N3 S N3 , - D1 N3 S N3, - D1 S N3, - D1 P M1, (Madhya and tara sthayi)
D1, N3 S G2G2 - S G2 S N3 D1 P M1 (Madhya and tara sthayi)
D1 N3 S G2 M1, -S M1 G2 R2 S N3 D1, -D1 N3 G2 R2 N3 D1 P- (tara sthayi)

Compositions in this raga:
Nadaloludai – Thyagaraja
Sri venkatesham bhajami – Mutthuswamy Dikshitar
Innudaya barade daasana mele – Purandara Dasa

"Kalyana vasantha – a raga that can take us to heights of ecstasy - which words fail to express"

By

Revathi S.
revathi.sridharan@gmail.com
The Author is a practicing vocalist in Carnatic music, currently receiving training and guidance from Sri.D.V.Nagarajan. Music has been more than just passion to her. She has consistently been giving vocal performances over the years. She is also a Graduate in Music Therapy from the prestigious “Nada Academy for Music”, Chennai.
On the professional front, she is currently a Lead Engineer in an MNC in Bangalore.