Part 1(a).3 - Contents of Kohalamatam

Kohalamatam contains information on gīta, tāla, vādya and nṛtya. Though the material has not been arranged subject-wise into chapters, the demarcations for most part are intelligible. 

Descriptions of the following aspects are seen.

1. Nāda;
2. Svara;
3. Rāga;
4. Gīta;
5. Tāla;
6. Vādya;
7. Nṛtya;

Though we do not find internal demarcations of chapters in the work, for convenience of understanding, the subject matter has been examined under these heads.

1 Nāda 

The work Kohalamatam begins with a nāndī śloka which is an obeisance to Nādabrahman.

यस्मादेते विस्फुटं प्रस्फुरन्तो वर्णास्संभूयानुयातार्थजातः ।
विश्वात्मत्वेन स्थितास्तत्प्रपद्ये ज्योतिर्गात्रं वैभवं नादरूपम् ॥

yasmādete visphuṭaṃ prasphuranto varṇāssaṃbhūyānuyātārthajātaḥ |
viśvātmatvena sthitāstatprapadye jyotirgātraṃ vaibhavaṃ nādarūpam ||^[1]

It is noteworthy that all manuscripts of Kohalamatam do not have an invocatory verse. Some of the manuscripts just start with the subject matter. Further, the same verse is appears as nāndī for the work Svaratālādilakṣaṇam, with which Kohalamatam shares a lot of common material.

2 Svara

Kohalamatam has dealt with the aspect of svara in great detail. There is a mine of information regarding various aspects of the seven svaras, from their origin in the sāma veda to the division of svaras in to the twelve zodiac signs. There is a lot of material that overlaps with other lakṣaṇagranthas, but this is perhaps one work that goes into such detail just about svaras. Some of the aspects regarding svara

i. Sthāna (physiological places of origin of the svaras) and Śruti values of the seven svaras

ii. Definition of svara—Kohalamatam offers us a different definition of—

स्वर स्वर्यमाणतया तत्तत्स्थानेषु मरुदाहतेः ।
स्वरसंज्ञां भवन्त्येते तत्तन्नामपुरस्कृताः ॥

svara svaryamāṇatayā tattatsthāneṣu marudāhateḥ |
svarasaṃjñāṃ bhavantyete tattannāmapuraskṛtāḥ ||^[2]

iii. The dhātus (secretions of the body), nāḍīs (nerves), dhamanis (arteries/ veins/ tubes carrying blood and other bodily fluids) are connected with the svaras and their respective śrutis. Thus the seven dhātus and twenty two dhamanis are equated with the seven svaras and twenty two śrutis

iv. Kohalamatam also refers to the Vedic origin of svaras. The list of seven notes has been mapped with corresponding vedic svaras—

Vaidika svara	Laukika svara
Atisvārya	Ṣaḍja
Udgītha	Ṛṣabha
Tṛtīya	Gāndhāra
Dvitīya	Madhyama
Prathama	Pañcama
Agnigīta	Dhaivata
Atisvara	Niṣāda

This list presents a few new names of vaidika svaras such as Udgītha, Agnigīta etc. The note Atisvārya is mentioned twice. 

The Nāradīyā Śikṣā presents a very different scheme of the above subject.

Vaidika svara	Laukika svara
Prathama	Madhyama
Dvitīya	Gāndhāra
Tṛtīya	Ṛṣabha
Caturtha	Ṣaḍja
Mandra	Dhaivata
Atisvārya	Niṣāda
Kruṣṭa	Pañcama

Moreover, the Nāradīyā Śikṣā presents the notes in the order of the sāman scale viz.—ma, ga, ri, sa, dha, ni, pa—whereas in Kohalamatam we find a straight delineation of the svaras. 

v. Various details for each svara like islands, rasas, sthānas (anatomical places of origin), animals cries, ṛṣis, chandas, adhidevatas, rāśis, mnemonics, heavenly beings who are pleased by the svaras, Names of the śrutis of each note, dhyānaślokas (benedictory verses) for each svara devatā and aṅga nyāsa pertaining to each svara. Many of the above details can be found in other texts like Nāradīyā Śikṣā, Bṛhaddeśī, Saṅgītamakaranda, Saṅgītasamayasāra, Saṅgītacūḍāmaṇi etc. There are some portions of this work which match exactly with these lakṣaṇagranthas. In the case of some works like Sangītaratnākara, many of the subjects (esp. those related to svara) spoken of are found to be the same, but the phrasing in Kohalamatam is different.

3 Rāga 

The section on rāga begins with an excerpt from Mataṅga’s Bṛhaddesi regarding the definition of rāga. Subsequently, there is a list of 101 deśī rāgas. The section ends with ‘iti ekkottara śatam’ but the work lists only 100 rāgas. This is followed by a conversation between Kohala and Mataṅga. Mataṅga asks Kohala for the details of the time for singing rāgas, strī-puṃ-napuṃsaka rāgas, ṣāḍava, saṃpūrṇa, auḍava rāgas and śudhha-sālaga-saṅkīrṇa rāgas. 

The work then gives a list of sūryāṃśa and candramāṃśa rāgas and also another list of rāgas to be sung at certain praharas.

Rāgas sung before First prahara	Rāgas sung after First prahara	Rāgas sung after Madhyāhna	Rāgas sung after the third yāma
Deśākṣī	Malhārī	Gauḍa	Śuddhasālaṅganāṭikā
Bhairavā	Śābarī
Śuddhā	Andhālaka
Sālagā	Rāmakṛtī
Varāṭikā	Chāyānaṭṭa
Drāviḍī	Kuriñjikā

This entire portion is found almost in exact form in Saṅgītamakaranda of Nārada. The fruit of singing rāgas in the appropriate time and the demerits accrued by ignoring these are mentioned. Also some occasions are cited when this time theory is exempted.

Next we find the classification of rāgas into ṣāḍava, auḍava and saṃpūrṇa. Following the definitions of ṣāḍava, auḍava and saṃpūrṇa rāgas, there is a list of thirty one pūrṇa rāgas, eleven ṣāḍava and eleven auḍava rāgas. 

The different varieties of kampa such as muktāṅga kampita, ardhaprakampita, kampa-vihīna, akampa, kampayukta, kampa, kampavarjita are stated. This could be varieties of gamakas. 

The classification of rāgas into strī, puṃ and napuṃsaka is explained next. A list of twenty puṃ rāgas, nineteen strī rāgas and ten napuṃsaka rāgas is given. The text mentions that there are twenty two puṃ rāgas but only twenty are available.

There is a mention of rāgaṅga, bhāṣāṅga, kriyāṅga and upāṅga rāgas. Following this, the classification of rāgas into śuddha, sālaga and saṅkīrṇa is dealt with.

The appropriate variety of rāga to be chosen in order to represent particular sentiments has been listed.

Type of Rāga	Rasa
Puṃ rāga	Raudra, Adbhuta, Vīra
Strī rāga	Śṛṅgāra, Hāsya, Karuṇā
Napuṃsaka rāga	Bhayānaka, Bhībhatsa, Śānta

This section of the work beginning from the Kohala Mataṅga saṃvāda upto this point is found in Kohalarahasyam (with negligible variances). This fact is acknowledged even in the text of Kohalamatam through the colophon—‘iti pūrvakohalarahasyaḥ’ and ‘iti kohalamataṅgasamvāde caturthodhyāya’. It is interesting that the very same material is found in the manuscript of Kohalarahasyam and is designated as the thirteenth chapter (rāgādhyāya) and in the manuscript of Kohalamatam appears to be a part of the fourth chapter.

4 Gīta 

This section begins with the definitions of the two gītas viz.

1. nibaddha;
2. anibaddha.

Nibaddha gīta is sung with dhātus and aṅgas while anibaddha is sung with ālapti, svara and mātrā. Then there is a description of prabandhas. The ṣaḍaṅgas namely, svara, biruda, pada, tenaka, pāṭa and tāla and the dhātus that are used while playing instrumental music viz. vistāra, karaṇa, āviddha and vyañjana are explained followed by the dhātus of gīta viz. udgrāha, melāpaka, dhruva, ābhoga.

5 Tāla 

A major portion of the material on tāla is about the 101 Deśī tālas. Apart from this there are definitions, and at times, meagre descriptions of some concepts like laya, aṅga, prastāra, kalā etc. which are sprinkled here and there in no planned order. 

This section begins with a definition of laya. It is then followed by a couple of verses on nāda. According to Girija Easwaran, tāla is also said to have originated from the same place as nāda, which is the cosmic dance of Śiva and Śakti. Subsequently the five-fold classification of tāla into tryaśra, caturaśra, khaṇḍa, miśra and saṅkara is mentioned. 

Next, the list of 101 deśī tālas is given. Though there is a reading—“sandhāpaṇa iti jñeyaḥ tālasyaikaśatam budhaiḥ”—There are 108 names mentioned. This is followed by a small portion on kāla, aṅga and prastāra. The list of tālas is repeated again, but this time instead of presentation in verse form, the lakṣaṇa of each tāla is described in details, with a half-verse spelling out the aṅgas therein, symbols of the aṅgas and relevant pāṭākṣaras. 

For example the lakṣaṇa for cācapuṭa tāla is as follows—

गुरुर्लघूगुरुश्चैव भवेत् चाचपुटाभिधे ॥—स् इइ स्
तकि तित्ता तक तिक त्तोक त्तकि तित्ता—धाधिक धोंक त्तोंक तिकि तिद्धि-चाचपुटम् ॥ २ ॥

gururlaghūguruścaiva bhavet cācapuṭābhidhe ||—S II S
taki tittā taka tika ttoka ttaki tittā—dhādhika dhoṃka ttoṃka tiki tiddhi-cācapuṭam || 2 ||^[3]

Saṅgītopaniṣadsāroddhāra of Sudhākalaśa, which was written somewhere immediately after Saṅgītaratnākara is probably the first lakṣaṇagrantha to give pāṭākṣaras along with the definition of each tāla. Saṅgītapārijāta of Ahobala also includes this type of information.

The list of 101 tālas along with their definitions and the relevant pāṭākṣaras is followed by the same list of tālas, but this time the relevant alaṅkāras for each tāla, followed by the name and the symbols for the aṅgas

For example, cācapuṭa tāla is described thus:

सरि गरि गम गम पम पध पधनि धनिसा—चाचपुटं—सिइस्

sari gari gama gama pama padha padhani dhanisā—cācapuṭaṃ—SIIS^[4]

Interestingly, the list of the deśī tālas with the pāṭākṣaras mentions 108 tālas and the following list describes only tālas. 

Following this there is a list of the varieties of gatis, nandinis, carīs, śalīs, svaras. This entire list is found in M. R. Kavi’s Bharatakośa under the heading ‘Alabdha lakṣaṇa padārthāḥ’ and is (according to M. R. Kavi) taken from a work called Saṅgītacūḍāmaṇisāra. The text which follows this portion changes metre to Śārdūla. The text matter in this section mentions kalā, mārga, yati and concludes with a statement “iti tālaṅga sangrahaḥ”. Interestingly, this is followed by a segment which deals again with the aspect of laya and gives the lakṣaṇa with aṅgas for three tālas viz. megharañjana, maṭṭatāla and kumbhatāla.

6 Vādya

The classification of instruments into tata, vitata, ghana and suṣira is given with definitions. Names of instruments under each of these heads, is mentioned. There is a section which is called ‘ḍhakkālakṣaṇam’. It gives details on the materials and dimensions of the instrument ḍhakkā. This is followed by a description of three kinds of pāṇi. It is noteworthy that there is a commentary here in Malayālam. Until this point there has been no commentary at all. This is the first passage of commentary, and what is more, it is in Malayālam. Perhaps this is an indication that this section belongs to another work. Next, there is a description of maddala lakṣaṇam, the qualities of a good instrumentalist, the qualities an instrumentalist should avoid and vīṇā-vādaka-lakṣaṇam. There is mention of the instrument huḍukkā and its lakṣaṇam. Interestingly, these portions do not have a commentary.

7 Nāṭya

This section begins with a verse describing the celestial lineage of nāṭya. This is followed by a table of contents listing out all the aspects which will be described subsequently.

S. No	Subject	Number mentioned
i.	Head movements	9
ii.	Chest movements	4
iii.	Hand gestures	64
iv.	Instruments	4
v.	Waist movements	5
vi.	Foot movements	5

This is followed by an explanation of these headings. It is noteworthy, that though some topics like the 36 dṛṣṭis, dṛṣṭis related to the sthāyībhāvas and vyabhicāribhāvas, lakṣaṇas of uttama, madhyama and adhama nartakas, different roles played by male and female actors, etc. are explained in the work, they do not find a place in the table of contents. From this point onwards there are periodic explanatory passages found in Malayālam language. 

Next there is a description of a contest with some details on sabhāpati, sabhā, vādi, prativādi lakṣaṇam. This is followed by the description of the śrutis that occur in the rāgas malahārikā, madhyamādi, varāṭikā etc. The manuscript ends abruptly at this point, though it does seem that there were more rāgas which were explained.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

Kohalamatam: ORI Tvm: Acc no. C1724: Fol.1

[2]:

Kohalamatam: ORI Tvm: Acc no. C1724: Fol.2

[3]:

Kohalamatam: ORI Tvm: Acc no. C1724: Fol. 26

[4]:

Kohalamatam: ORI Tvm: Acc no. C1724: Fol. 44