Nasikabhushani

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

Nasikabhushani (pronounced nāsikābhūshaṇi, Sanskrit: नासिकाभूशनि, Tamil: நாஸிகாபூஷணி) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 70th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Nāsāmaṇi in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.^[1][2][3]

Structure and Lakshana

Nasikabhushani scale with shadjam at C

Nasikabhushani is the 4th rāgam in the 12th chakra Aditya. The mnemonic name is Aditya-Bhu. The mnemonic phrase is sa ru gu mi pa dhi ni.^[2] Nasikabhushani's ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows:

• ārohaṇa: S R3 G3 M2 P D2 N2 S
• avarohaṇa: S N2 D2 P M2 G3 R3 S

The notes used in this scale are shatsruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham, kaisiki nishadham. See swaras in Carnatic music for details on above notation and terms.

Nasikabhushani is a melakarta rāgam and hence by definition it is a sampoorna rāgam (that is, it has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Vagadheeswari, which is the 34th melakarta rāgam.

Janya rāgams

Nasikabhushani has a couple of minor janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with it. See List of Janya rāgams for full list of rāgams associated with it and other melakarta.

Compositions

A few compositions set to Nasikabhushani rāgam are:

• Maravairi ramani by Thyagaraja
• Thandarul ayya by Koteeswara Iyer
• Srirama Saraswathi by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Adigalige Vandipe by Vijaya Dasa

Related rāgams

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

Nasikabhushani's notes when shifted using Graha bedham from the dhaivatham (D2), yields another minor melakarta rāgam Shadvidamargini. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāgam.

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