Bhairav is the raag of dawn, sung and played in the first light, and named for Shiva in his form as Bhairav. It gives its name to its thaat: Sa, komal Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, komal Dha, Ni. It is grave and devotional, and one of the oldest and most revered raags there is: many musicians begin their day's riyaz with it.
Hear it
Set your Sa, turn on the tanpura, and listen to Bhairav's aaroh, avaroh and pakad:
How it moves
The heart of Bhairav is its komal Re and komal Dha. Neither is held still: each is swung slowly towards the swara below it, an andolan, a gentle sway rather than a shake, before it settles. Komal Dha is Bhairav's vadi, komal Re its samvadi, and between them, Ga and Ni stand shuddh, bright against the shadowed swaras.
Hear the shape of these two phrases: the same climb from Ga through Ma, once to komal Dha, once back to komal Re. Bhairav's two halves mirror each other, and its phrases move between them.
The written swaras can't show the andolan: listen for it in the tanpura's company, and make it slow.
Its hour
Bhairav belongs to the first prahar of the day, from 6 to 9 in the morning. It is a sandhi prakash raag, a raag of twilight, of the meeting of night and day, and like most of them it has a komal Re and a shuddh Ga. Its vadi, komal Dha, lies in the upper half of the saptak, which by Bhatkhande's observation places a raag between midnight and noon.
On the bansuri
- S
- R
- G
- M
- P
- D
- N
- S
- The andolan is made with the finger, not the breath: ease it slowly to and fro across the hole's edge, so that komal Re and komal Dha sway and settle. Too fast, and it turns into a shake, which Bhairav never has.
- Tune komal Re close above Sa and komal Dha close above Pa, each against the tanpura. Then tune shuddh Ga and Ni bright: the contrast is the raag.
- Bhairav's gravity suits a lower flute well, but it sounds on any.
Look-alikes
Kalingada has exactly Bhairav's swaras, but holds them still: no andolan on komal Re or Dha, Pa and Ga to the fore, and a lighter, more lilting mood, at the end of the night.
Ahir Bhairav is Bhairav below and Kafi above: komal Re, but a shuddh Dha and a komal Ni.
Practise it
- Long notes on komal Dha and komal Re, with a slow andolan, settling each.
- The aaroh and avaroh, slowly.
- Paltas in Bhairav's swaras, in threes.
- The pakad and the phrases, each with its andolan.
- A short aalap, slowly, in the morning if you can.
All ten alankars in Bhairav, to hear in your Sa →
Meend starts it with Aaroh–Avaroh, Pakad, Paltas in Bhairav, Aalap and Bandish, 27 minutes a day, and listens as you play: each swara of the notation lit as it is played, the time kept, a lotus grown petal by petal.
Listen
Bhairav opens morning concerts, and dhrupad singers in particular treasure it: listen for it in the slow, unhurried aalap of the dhrupad tradition, where its andolans are given all the time they need.
Questions
Is Bhairav a morning raag?
Yes: the first prahar of the day, from 6 to 9 am. It is a raag of dawn.
Which swaras are komal in Bhairav?
Re and Dha. Ga and Ni are shuddh, as is Ma.
What is the andolan in Bhairav?
A slow swing of komal Re and komal Dha towards the swara below each, before it settles: never a fast shake.
What is the difference between Bhairav and Kalingada?
The same swaras. Bhairav swings its komal Re and Dha in andolan and is grave, at dawn; Kalingada holds them still, leans on Pa and Ga, and is lighter, at the end of the night.