Ragmala (Garland of the Raags), part 1 — the family of Bhairao
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.
The Garland of Raags.
Each raag has five wives, its companion melodies,
and eight sons, smaller tunes that sing along, each with its own notes.
In the first place is Raag Bhairao.
Five companion melodies sing with it:
first Bhairavee and Bilaavalee,
then the songs of Punni-aakee and Bangalee,
and then comes the turn of Asalaykhee.
These are the five wives of Bhairao.
The sounds of Pancham, Harakh and Disaakh ring out,
and the songs of Bangaalam, Madh and Maadhav are sung.
The garland of raags begins, and the first family of melodies is Bhairao's.
Raag maalaa means the garland of raags. A raag is a musical mode, a set of notes with its own mood and time of day. This part begins a list of the raags of North Indian classical music.
The old system pictured the raags as families. Each main raag has five raagnee, companion melodies, called its wives, and eight smaller tunes that grow from it, called its sons.
Think of a family photo at a wedding. The grandparents sit in the middle, and everyone gathers round. The first family here is Bhairao, a raag of early morning. Its five companions are named, and then its smaller tunes.
People in the Sikh tradition have talked about how the Raag Maalaa belongs in the book. It is kept here with respect, as the closing pages.
If a song could have a family — companions and children — what would the family of your favorite song sound like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI