Puriya Dhanashri is a raag of sunset, devotional and longing. It belongs to Purvi thaat: komal Re and Dha, tivra Ma, shuddh Ga and Ni. Where Marwa, of the same hour, leaves out Pa and never rests, Puriya Dhanashri stands firmly on Pa: it is the raag's anchor among the shadowed swaras.
Hear it
How it moves
Pa is its vadi and komal Re its samvadi. Its pakad is a chain of short turns:
Its hour
Puriya Dhanashri belongs to the fourth prahar of the day, sunset: a sandhi prakash raag, with the komal Re and shuddh Ga of twilight.
On the bansuri
- S
- R
- G
- M
- P
- D
- N
- S
- Rest on Pa: it is the raag's home among its altered swaras.
- Tune komal Re close above Sa and komal Dha close above Pa; keep Ga and Ni bright.
Look-alikes
Multani, of the late afternoon, has komal Ga where Puriya Dhanashri's is shuddh:
Practise it
- Long notes on Pa and komal Re.
- The aaroh and avaroh, slowly.
- Paltas in its swaras, in threes.
- The pakad and the phrases.
All ten alankars in Puriya Dhanashri, to hear in your Sa →
Meend starts it with Aaroh–Avaroh, Pakad, Paltas in Puriya Dhanashri, 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
Which thaat is Puriya Dhanashri in?
Purvi: komal Re and Dha, tivra Ma.
How is Puriya Dhanashri different from Marwa?
Puriya Dhanashri has Pa and a komal Dha, and rests on Pa; Marwa has neither Pa nor komal Dha, and seldom rests at all.