Chakravakam (raga)

Carnatic Music
Concepts
Sruti • Swara • Raga • Tala • Melakarta • Asampurna Melakarta
Compositions
Varnam • Kriti • Geetham • Swarajati • Ragam Thanam Pallavi • Thillana
Instruments
melody: Vocals • Saraswati veena • Venu • Violin • Chitra veena • Nadaswaram • Mandolin rhythm: Mridangam • Ghatam • Morsing • Kanjira • Thavil drone: Tambura • Shruti box
Composers
List of Carnatic composers

Chakravakam, (pronounced chakravākam, Sanskrit: चक्रवाकम्, Telugu: చక్రవాకం, Tamil: சக்ரவாகம்) is a rāgam (musical scale), in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). It is the 16th Melakarta rāgam (parent rāgam) in the 72 melakarta rāgam system. According to the Muthuswami Dikshitar school, this rāgam is called Tōyavēgavāhini.^[1] Chakravakam is close to Raga Ahir bhairav in the Hindustani music.^[2]

Chakravakam is a raga that is known to incites feelings of devotion, sympathy and compassion in the listeners.

Structure and Lakshana

Chakravakam scale with Shadjam at C

It is the 4th melakarta in the 3rd chakra Agni. The mnemonic name is Agni-Bhu. The mnemonic phrase is sa ra gu ma pa dhi ni.^[1] Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa : S R1 G3 M1 P D2 N2 S
• avarohaṇa : S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S

The notes in this scale are shadjam, shuddha rishabham, anthara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham and kaisiki nishadham.

It is a sampoorna rāgam - rāgam having all 7 swarams. It is the suddha madhyamam equivalent of Ramapriya, which is the 52nd melakarta.

Asampurna Melakarta

Tōyavēgavāhini is the 16th Melakarta in the original list compiled by Venkatamakhin. The notes used in the scale are the same and the ascending scale and descending scale are same.^[3]

Janya rāgams

Chakravakam has quite a few janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with it, of which Bindumalini, Malayamarutam and Valaji are popular.

See List of Janya Ragas for a full list of its janyas.

Popular Compositions

Etula Brotuvo teliya and Sugunamule by Thyagaraja, Kānakkankoti vendum by Koteeswara Iyer are also sung in concerts.

Gajānanayutham is a popular composition in Tōyavēgavāhini, by the maestro Muthuswami Dikshitar, which is sung in a brisk tempo, unlike other compositions set to Chakravakam.

There are a number of popular compositions in Ahir bhairav (Hindustani raga similar to Chakravakam), one of the most well known ones being Pibare Rāmarasam in Sanskrit, by Sadasiva Brahmendra.

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Chakravakam's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields 2 other major melakarta rāgams, namely, Sarasangi and Dharmavati. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the Shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. For an illustration refer Graha bedham on Dharmavati.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications
2. ^ Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras
3. ^ Shree Muthuswami Dikshitar Keerthanaigal, by A Sundaram Iyer, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai

External links

• Carnatic musician Charulatha Mani describes Chakravakam (Tamil)
• Carnatic music prodigy Aishu Venkataraman performs Chakravakam