Bhairavi is a raag of the morning, and of endings. By long custom a concert closes with it, whatever the hour, so it is often the last thing an audience hears: tender, devotional, full of feeling. It is the raag of its thaat, with Re, Ga, Dha and Ni all komal, the darkest of the ten. In its lighter forms, in thumri, bhajan and dhun, every one of the twelve swaras is welcome, and a singer may touch them all.
Hear it
How it moves
Ma is Bhairavi's vadi, Sa its samvadi, and komal Re, a semitone above Sa, is its most telling swara: it falls onto Sa like a sigh.
Its hour
Bhairavi belongs to the first prahar of the day, from 6 to 9 in the morning, but is sung at the end of concerts at any hour: the one raag the clock lets go.
On the bansuri
- S
- R
- G
- M
- P
- D
- N
- S
- Tune komal Re and komal Ga close together above Sa, each against the tanpura: the whole raag rests on them.
- In light Bhairavi, other swaras come in as colours: shuddh Re, shuddh Ga, tivra Ma. Learn the raag plain first, so the colours stand out when they come.
- Bhairavi's dhuns are among the bansuri's best-loved pieces: slow, singing, and simple.
Look-alikes
Malkauns takes five of Bhairavi's swaras, leaving out Re and Pa, and becomes a different world: grave, still, of midnight.
Todi is another matter: Karnatic music's Todi has Bhairavi's swaras, but Hindustani Todi raises Ma and Ni.
Practise it
- Long notes on Ma and Sa, then komal Re, close above Sa.
- The aaroh and avaroh, slowly.
- Paltas in its swaras, in threes.
- The pakad and the phrases.
All ten alankars in Bhairavi, to hear in your Sa →
Meend starts it with Aaroh–Avaroh, Pakad, Paltas in Bhairavi, 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.
Questions
Why does a concert end with Bhairavi?
It is a custom long kept: Bhairavi, tender and devotional, closes the evening's music, whatever the hour.
Which swaras are komal in Bhairavi?
All four that can be: Re, Ga, Dha and Ni.
Is Bhairavi the same as Bhairav?
No. Bhairav has komal Re and Dha with shuddh Ga and Ni; Bhairavi has all four komal.