Essay name: Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature
Author:
S. Karthick Raj KMoundinya
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
The essay studies the Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature and its relationship with the South Indian musical tradition. The study emphasizes the universal appeal of music and documents how it pervades various aspects of life, art, literature, painting, and sculpture.
Chapter 4 - A comparative study of the references to Musical Instruments
8 (of 39)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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In Tamil culture, the country was divided into four main regions -
碍耻谤颈帽箩颈 (hills), Marutam (arable lands), Mullai (pastoral regions) and
Neytal (coastal belts). Later 笔腻濒补颈 (wastelands) was also added. Each
region had its own food, occupation, Gods, music and so on. Each region
also had a mode or Pan, melodic instrument or Yal and percussion
instrument or Parai.
The List of the five regions and their specific Pans, 驰腻濒s and Parais:
Region
Drum
Mullai
Open forest
Erukotparai
驰腻濒
Tune
Mullai 驰腻濒
Catari
碍耻谤颈帽箩颈
Murukiyam To峁囜弓akam
碍耻谤颈帽箩颈 驰腻濒
碍耻谤颈帽箩颈
Mountain side
Marutam
Manapparai
Marutam Yal Marutam
Arable lands
Pulparai
笔腻濒补颈
Cirukotparai
笔腻濒补颈 驰腻濒
笔腻濒补颈
Steppe lands
Niraikotparai
Neytal
Coastal regions
Minkotparai
Neytal 驰腻濒
Cevvali
The system of naming the musical modes after the land seems to
have a parallel in the Greek music system too, where the 5 ancient
modes were called Dorian, Lydian, Phrygian, Aeolian and Ionian, after
the lands in which they originated.
