Bhairav – The Aaadi- Anant Raag .. ( भैरव आदि-अनंत राग )
“Maha-Shiv Raatri” (महाशिवरात्री) is a festival celebrating the
union of Lord Shiv and Parvati. It is supposed to be the darkest night of the year. It is believed that the Earth came into existence on this day with a big bang !
This also is the point of change of season
from spring to early summer. The day is celebrated with fasting, savoring some special kind of foods .. typically with delicacies like "Sabudana Khichadi" , Cucumber, sweet yogurt, sugar cane juice and Wood apple, known as Kavath ( कवठ) in Marathi language. Along with the sweet delicacies (that help in reducing the stress of the change in season ) its a tradition to savor some Bhaang (भांग) aka Cannabis , in a special preparation called Thandaai (थंडाई ) !! This is a special night for people who have dedicated their lives on spiritual paths.
The festival has a special meaning for Shaivaites – the devotees of
lord Shiva.
All night, people celebrate with music , worshiping lord Shiv and Parvati. That brings us to the main title and motivation behind writing this blog post. Raag Bhairav is believed to be the Primordial Sound .. divine and infinite. It represents Lord Shiva in musical form. As per Ut Vilayat Khan , all the “male” raags are essentially
types of Bhairavs , namely.. Hindol, Megh, Malkauns, Shree and Shankara. Bhairav is thus a Primordial sound , root of all the male raags in Hindustani Classical music .. divine and infinite !
भैरव आदी-अनंत राग
Two must read posts regarding Raag Bhairav and Raag Shankara that I like and are kind of primer to understanding and appreciating the "Bhairav raagaang" , the subtle variations that give rise to different raags and the basic structure of Raag Shankara are by Rajan Parrikar. The go to guy for understanding the nuances and aesthetics of Indian Classical Music !
