Namanarayani

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

Namanarayani (pronounced Nāmanārāyaṇi, Sanskrit: नामनारायणि, Tamil: நாமநாராயணி) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 50th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Nāmadēshi in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.^[1][2][3]

Structure and Lakshana

Namanarayani scale with shadjam at C

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 9th chakra Brahma. The mnemonic name is Brahma-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ra gu mi pa dha ni.^[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 R1 G3 M2 P D1 N2 S
• avarohaṇa: S N2 D1 P M2 G3 R1 S

(this scale uses the notes shuddha rishabham, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, kaisiki 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 prati madhyamam equivalent of Vakulabharanam, which is the 14th melakarta.

Janya rāgams

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

Compositions

A few compositions set to Namanarayani scale are:

• En maname by Koteeswara Iyer
• Narmada kaveri by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Mahadeva pahimam by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna

Related rāgams

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

Namanarayani's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields no other 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.

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