Mararanjani

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

Mararanjani (pronounced Māraranjani, Sanskrit: माररन्जनि, Tamil: மாரரஞ்சனி) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 25th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Sharāvati in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.^[1][2][3]

Structure and Lakshana

Mararanjani scale with shadjam at C

It is the 1st rāgam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Pa. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dha na.^[2] 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 R2 G3 M1 P D1 N1 S
• avarohaṇa: S N1 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

(the notes in this scale are chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, shuddha nishadham)

As it is a melakarta rāgam, by definition it is a sampoorna rāgam (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Kantamani, which is the 61st melakarta.

Janya rāgams

Mararanjani has a few minor janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with it, of which Janasammodini is one of the better known rāgams. See List of janya rāgams for all rāgams associated with this scale.

Compositions

A few compositions set to Mararanjani are:

• Manasa srirama by Thyagaraja
• Sharavati by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Ramapathina by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna

Related rāgams

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

Mararanjani's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields Vanaspati, a minor melakarta rāgam. 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 further details and an illustration refer Graha bedham on Vanaspati.

References

1. ^ Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai
2. ^ ^{a b} Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications
3. ^ Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras