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Kohala in the Sanskrit textual tradition (Study)

by Padma Sugavanam | 2011 | 95,782 words

This page relates ‘Kohala and Gita (2): The concept of Shruti� of the thesis dealing with Kohala’s contribution to the Sanskrit textual tradition of ancient Indian performing arts. The study focuses specifically on music (Gita), dance (Nritya), and drama (Natya). Although Kohala’s original works have not been found, numerous references to him across Lakshana-Granthas (treatises) and works by modern scholars indicate his significance.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Kohala and Gītā (2): The concept of Śܳپ

1 Number of śܳپ

तथ� चा� कोहल� द्वाविंशति� केचिदुदाहरन्ति श्रुती� श्रुतिज्ञानविचारदक्षाः �
षट्षष्टिभिन्ना� खल� केचिदासामानन्त्यमन्य� प्रतिपादयन्त� �

tathā cāha dz󲹱� 屹屹ṃśaپ� 𳦾ܻ󲹰Գپ śܳī� śܳپjñānavicāradakṣāḥ |
ṣaṭṣaṣṭibhinnā� khalu kecidāsāmānantyamanye pratipādayanti ||
 

(ṛhśī, Chapter I, Śܳپ 첹ṇa, Anuccheda 6, Vol. I, p. 12) 

This is the most oft-quoted verse of Kohala. It finds a place in many later ṣaṇaԳٳ󲹲 such as in ṅgīٲܻ첹, Simhabhūpala’s commentary on ṅgīٲٲ첹[1] in the -ٳԲ-śܳپ-svara-پ-kula-daivata-ṛṣ-󲹲Ի-rasa-첹ṇa and in the ṅgīٲṛt[2]. Kallinātha also mentions this śǰ첹 but he does not attribute it to Kohala. The significance of this citation lies in the fact that it represents one of the earliest available ones of Kohala. Furthermore, it seems to have had wide currency in later times too, which is proved by the many repeated references to it.

In this verse, Kohala brings out different theories on the number of śܳپ. He says that some believe in twenty two, śܳپ, some in sixty six and others believe in infinity. Bharata and many subsequent authors including Śṅg𱹲 etc. spoke of twenty two śܳپ

Dattila mentions twenty two śܳپ in each ٳԲ.

नृणामुरस� मन्द्रस्तु द्वाविंशतिविधो ध्वनिः �
� एव कण्ठ� मध्य� स्यात् तारः शिरस� गीयत� � � �

nṛṇāmurasi mandrastu 屹屹ṃśaپvidho 󱹲Ծ� |
sa eva kaṇṭhe madhya� syāt � śirasi gīyate ||
8 || 

(Twenty-two different sounds reside in the human chest. This constitutes the mandra. The same set of sounds in the region of the throat is the madhya. In the head it is known as .)[3]

Ѳٲṅg also follows Dattila’s line of thought while explaining how the twenty two śܳپ become sixty six in number.

मन्द्रमध्यतारेषु उरःकण्ठशिरस्सु त्रिषु स्थनेष� प्रत्येक� द्वाविंशति प्रकारतय� भिद्यमानेष� श्रुतय� हि षट्षष्टिभेदभिन्न� भवन्तीति केचिन्मन्यन्ते �

mandramadhyatāreṣu uraḥkaṇṭhaśirassu triṣu sthaneṣu ٲ첹� 屹屹ṃśaپ prakāratayā bhidyamāneṣu śrutayo hi ṣaṭṣaṣṭibhedabhinnā bhavantīti kecinmanyante |[4]

Regarding the infinite number of śܳپ, Ѳٲṅg makes a comparison to the infinite number of waves that blowing winds can make in water and says that in the same way, the number of śܳپ that are possible to be created in the Gaganodara (belly of space/ ether) are infinite[5]. However, it is interesting that Kohala does not mention the word �ٳԲ� in his verse. Could that mean that Kohala is speaking of sixty six śܳپ in the same octave as opposed to sixty six in three octaves (22x3=66)? Besides, the progression from twenty two to sixty six and then to infinity is noteworthy. If after speaking of twenty two śܳپ in one octave, Kohala moves to twenty two in each of the three octaves, then how many octaves are involved when the śܳپ are infinite in number? The authors of other works like ṅgīٲٲ첹 or ṅgīٲⲹ who also discuss the sixty six śܳپ- s do not speak of infinity. Therefore, it seems probable that they were speaking of the sixty six śܳپ- s spread over three octaves. In this case, the mention of infinite number of śܳپ makes it seem likely that Kohala could have spoken of all the sixty six śܳپ being in the same octave.

Through this verse from ṛhśī we come to know about the different schools of thought on the number of śܳپ prevalent in the times of Kohala, in his own words. Unfortunately, though he mentions three different opinions, his own views are still unknown. It is interesting to note that most later authors (even till date) have adopted the concept of 22 śܳپ.

2 Names of śܳپ

तदेव स्फुटमाह कोहलीये�
सिद्धिदीप्तिमती शिखा � चपला सर्वंसहा ह्लादिनी कान्ता विश्रुतिका प्रभाभरमती शान्ता प्रसन्ना क्षम� �
लोलोग्रे � विभूतिका � हृदयोन्मीलिन्यत� भद्रिक� वीरा रत्नमयी � मालिकवधूर्विस्तारिणी कल्पिनी � �.१०� �
सिद्धि� प्रभावती कान्ता सुभद्र� � मनोहरा� साधयन्ति स्वर� षड्ग� प्रजापतिमुखोद्गताः � �.१०� �
एत� मनोहरा� श्रुतय इत� संबन्ध� �
शिखा दीप्तिमती चै� तूग्रा चाग्निसमुद्भवा� �
श्रुतय� साधयन्त्ये� ऋषभं नामत� स्वरम् � �.१०� �
ह्लदिनी विश्रुतश्चेत� श्रुती अमृतसंभव� �
गान्धारं साधयेत� द्वे यथार्थगुणसंयुत� � �.१०� �
वीरा सर्वंसहा क्षान्तिर्विभूतिस्तदनन्तरम� �
मध्यमं साधयन्त्येता� श्रुतय� पृथिवीभवाः � �.१०� �
मालिनी चपला लोला सर्वरत्न� प्रभावती �
श्रुतय� सामपुत्र्यस्तु साधयिष्यन्ति पञ्चमम� � �.१०� �
शान्ता विकल्पिनी चै� हृदयोन्मीलिनी तथ� �
धैवत� साधयन्त्येता यक्षराजविनिर्मिताः � �.१०� �
विस्तारिणी प्रसन्ना � निषादस्वरमुत्तमम� �
साधयेत� श्रुती वीरयमराजमुखोद्गत� � �.१०� �

tadeva sphuṭamāha kohalīye
󾱻īپī ś ca ṃs 徱ī Գ viśܳپkā prabhābharamatī śԳ Բ ṣa |
lologre ca vibhūtikā ca hṛdayonmīlinyato 󲹻 ī ٲԲī ca mālikavadhūrṇ� kalpinī ||
1.100 ||
siddhi� 屹ī Գ ܲ󲹻 ca Դdz󲹰� sādhayanti svara� ṣaḍga� prajāpatimukhodgatā� ||
1.101 ||
Դdz󲹰� śrutaya iti ṃbԻ� |
ś īپī caiva tūgrā cāgnisamudbhavā� |
śrutaya� sādhayantyeva ṛṣabha� nāmata� svaram ||
1.102 ||
hladinī viśrutaśceti śܳī amṛtasaṃbhave |
gāndhāra� sādhayete dve yathārthaguṇasaṃyute ||
1.103 ||
ī ṃs kṣāntirvibhūtistadanantaram |
madhyama� sādhayanty� śrutaya� pṛthivībhavā� ||
1.104 ||
īDZ ٲ 屹ī |
śrutaya� sāmaputryastu sādhayiṣyanti pañcamam ||
1.105 ||
śԳ 첹辱ī caiva ṛdDzԳīī tathā |
dhaivata� sādhayanty yakṣarājavinirmitā� ||
1.106 ||
ṇ� Բ ca niṣādasvaramuttamam |
sādhayete śܳī vīrayamarājamukhodgate ||
1.107 ||

(ṅgīṇaԻ, p.16)

The verses 1.101-1.107 are found verbatim in the work ṅgīٲⲹṇa (Vol. I, V. 1.49-1.55, pp.24-26).This excerpt from ṅgīṇaԻ mentions the names of the 22 śܳپ. This is followed by another list where the svaras, their corresponding śܳپ and the celestial being from whom these originated has been given.

S. No Svara Names of Śܳپs Originator
i. Ṣaḍj Siddhi, ʰ屹پ, Kāntā, ܲ󲹻 ʰ貹پ
ii. Ṛṣ Śikhā, Dīptimatī, Agni
iii. Ի 徱ī, վśܳپ ṛt
iv. Madhyama ī, , Kśānti, վūپ ṛt󾱱ī
v. ʲñ Mālinī, Capalā, Lolā, Sarvaratnā, ʰ屹ī 峾ٰܳī
vi. Dhaivata Śāntā, Vikalpinī, Hṛdayonmīlinī ۲ṣaᲹ
vii. ṣād վṇ�, ʰś Yama


There are a few small differences in the names of the śܳپ as seen in both the lists. For instance, 󲹻 in the first list is seen later as ܲ󲹻, ٲԲī as ٲ, kalpinī as 첹辱ī etc. 

ī첹ṇṭ, the author of ṅgīṇaԻ첹 explains the reason for these differences in the following paragraph.

अत्र पूर्वोक्� श्रुतीनमेव देशविशेष� भिन्ननामत्वम� � एतेन तास्ता� श्रुतय एव तत्तत्स्वरूपेण जायन्त इत� तज्ज्ञाः � इद� तु शास्त्रानुसारेणोक्तम� � वस्तुतस्तु स्वरूप� ज्ञातुमशक्यम� � यत� स्वर� श्रुतीना� स्थितिर्दुर्लक्षैव �

atra ūǰٲ śܳīnameva deśaviśeṣe bhinnanāmatvam | etena tāstā� śrutaya eva tattatsvarūpeṇa ⲹԳٲ iti tajjñā� | ida� tu śāstrānusāreṇoktam | vastutastu ū貹� jñātumaśakyam | ⲹٲ� svare śܳīnā� sthitirdurlakṣaiva | 

He says that these small variations in the names are the result of regional differences. The ū貹 of śܳپ remains the same. Only the names differ. This, he says is according to the śٰ. Practically speaking, the actual ū貹 of śܳپ cannot be understood.

Earlier authors like Śṅg𱹲 have given a different list of śܳپ corresponding to each svara.

S.No Svara Names of Śܳپs
i. Ṣaḍj վ, ܻܳ屹ī, ѲԻ, 󲹲ԻDZī
ii. Ṛṣ ٲ屹ī, 鲹ñᲹī, 鲹پ
iii. Ի 鲹ܻī, ǻ
iv. Madhyama ղ, ʰṇ�, ʰīپ, Ჹī
v. ʲñ ṣiپ, , Իī辱ī, Ā辱ī
vi. Dhaivata Ѳ岹Գī, dzṇ�,
vii. ṣād , ṣoṇ�


It is interesting to note that Śṅg𱹲 in the 13th century C.E. has given the above list of names for the 22 śܳپ. ṅgīٲⲹṇa (17th century C.E.) as seen earlier, has used the name of Kohala to present a completely different list of 22 names. If it is assumed that the Kohala mentioned in this work was the contemporary of Bharata, it poses some problems. Bharata and Dattila who were contemporaries of Kohala and even Ѳٲṅg, who came few centuries later, do not list out the names of 22 śܳپ. Hence it seems rather improbable that such a concept was prevalent in the school of Kohala, about which he had written, which both his contemporaries and some later authors have ignored. Therefore, it seems more likely that the work dz󲹱īⲹ mentioned in ṅgīٲⲹṇa was written by another author, but attributed to Kohala or was written by a person named Kohala, who lived in much later times (maybe around 15th Century C.E.). 

The above mentioned commentary is followed by�

श्रुतिस्थन� स्वरान� वक्तुं नालं ब्रह्माप� तत्त्वतः �
जलेष� चरता� मार्गे मीनाना� नोपलक्ष्यत� � �.१०� �
तुल्यश्रुतिस्वराणा� वै भेदा एतेष� ये स्थिता� �
अप्रयोज्यतया नोक्ता� श्रुतीना� जाति भेदत� � �.१०� �
चूर्णकम्�
यत्त� कोहलीयग्रन्थे आसां श्रुतीना� नामान्यन्यथोक्तानि तत� कल्पभेदे� समाधेयम् �

śܳپthane svarān vaktu� ٲٳٱٲ� |
jaleṣu caratā� mārge mīnānā� nopalakṣyate ||
1.108 ||
tulyaśܳپvarāṇāṃ vai bhedā eteṣu ye ٳ󾱳� |
aprayojyatayā noktā� śܳīnā� پ bhedata� ||
1.109 ||
ūṇa첹

yattu kohalīyagranthe āsā� śܳīnā� nāmānyanyathoktāni tat kalpabhedena samādheyam | 

(ṅgīṇaԻ첹, p.16) 

The verse 1.108 is found in ṅgīٲⲹṇa (Vol. I, V. 56, p. 28) and in ṅgīٲṇi (p.47). There is no particular mention of Kohala being the author of this verse in either ṅgīٲⲹṇa or ṅgīṇaԻ. But, in the work Բīٲṇi, this verse has been mentioned as one taken from the 岹󾱳. Therefore it would not be appropriate to attribute this verse to Kohala. Following this verse, ī첹ṇṭ says that in the work titled dz󲹱īⲹ other names for these śܳپ have also been given.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

ṅgٲٲ첹 of Śṅg𱹲: 1943: Vol. I: V.1.3.8-9: p.68

[2]:

ṅgīٲ峾ṛt of Tulaja: 1942: p. 6

[3]:

Dattilam: 1988: p.2

[4]:

ṛhś of Śris Ѳٲṅgmuni: 1992: p.16

[5]:

ibid.

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