Sunday, August 15, 2010


RAAG MALA/ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ


In A.D. 1583 (AH91), a Sufi-Muslim Kavi (poet) by the name of Alam (contemporary of Emperor Akbar) wrote “a Hindi love poem called ‘Maadhav Nal Kaam Kundla’ describing the love affair of Madhava Nal with his beloved Kaam Kandala. This work consisted of 353 stanzas of four to six lines each. Rag Mala in AGGS is a part of the above work from sixty third to seventy second stanzas.
There are six chief Ragas, "thirty wives" and forty-eight "sons" or sub-Ragas. There are 8 more Ragas that are utilized in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which have not been mentioned in the Ragmala. These are: Bihagrha, Vadhans, Majh, Jaitsari, Ramkali, Tukhari, Parbhati and Jaijawanti. Pancham, Harkh and Disakh are sung next, followed by Bangalam and Madhu Ragas. They are all repeated once more along with Bilawal as the eight shoots of Raag Bhairo. Other Ragas follow similarly. The Ragas mentioned here do not correspond to the Ragas in AGGS. 

Ragmala is the last composition in the Kartarpur volume as well as in AGGS. The last pages of the Kartarpur volume do not suggest that it has been written and added by Guru Arjan, who has ended the Pothi Sahib at Mundavani on page 973/1.  Pages 973/2 and 974/1 are blank, and on page 974/2 is the Ragmala. As such, it is thought and suggested  that there could never have been the possibility, nor could it ever have been contemplated that Raag Mala writings requiring a space of over four pages could have been accommodated on the two blank pages 973/2 and 974/1. It should be understood that:

             A. Raag Mala is NOT Gurbani.

             B. It is not clear how and when it was included in the sacred AGGS.

It further raises few questions:

  1. How many Sikhs know about the number of Ragas used in AGGS?
  2. How many Raagi's know about these Ragas and sing the Gurbani in the Ragas it is supposed to be sung as written?
  3. How does reading it affect one’s spirituality, how ever it educates one about the Ragas IMHO?
  4. If Mundavani is the seal placed by Guru Arjan to AGGS then why Guru Gobind Singh broke the seal by adding his father’s Sabds and his Sloke # 54 in response to his father’s Sloke # 53 on page 1429 of AGGS.
The above should not be viewed as contentious since the inclusion of Raag Mala has done no harm.  On the contrary one learns something about Ragas, through their inclusion and they broaden one’s perspective on music a bit.  Hopefully all the Gurbani of AGGS is sung in the modes of music as written.

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