NagabharanamSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Nagabharanam leans varied.
Carnatic raga
Varunapriya
Melakarta number 24 in the Veda chakra, a complete seven-note parent scale using shuddha madhyamam. Many janya ragas are derived from it.
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- Melakarta
- 24 Varunapriya (melakarta)
- Jati
- Sampurna–Sampurna
- Notes
- 7 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Any time
- Rasa
- Varies
Your guide to Varunapriya
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Varunapriya, rising then falling.
Its mood
Varies. Traditionally heard at any time.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Varunapriya, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Varunapriya has its own notes, its own favourite phrases, its own time of day and its own mood, the way a person has a recognisable voice and way of talking.
How it feels
Varunapriya sounds soft and wistful, in a mood closer to a Western minor key. Its emotional colour is a character all its own. Traditionally it can be performed at any hour, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
How to recognise it
- Listen for the gaps. Varunapriya never uses Dha, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- Hum the scale along with the play button above a few times. Once the shape of those notes is in your ear, you'll start spotting it in songs and concerts.
Its beauty
Melakarta number 24 in the Veda chakra, a complete seven-note parent scale using shuddha madhyamam. Many janya ragas are derived from it. The beauty of Varunapriya comes from patience: a good performer doesn't rush through the scale but lingers, bending into notes and letting each phrase breathe, so the mood builds slowly until it fills the room.
What makes it different
- Brindavana Saranga, Veeravasantham, Nagabharanam use the very same notes. Ragas aren't just scales: the difference lies in which notes are stressed, which phrases are used and how the melody moves. That's why two ragas built from the same notes can feel completely different.
- Across the North–South divide, Lankadahan Sarang (Hindustani) and Suha (Hindustani) uses the same notes. Listening to both side by side shows how the two traditions shape the same material differently.
- In Carnatic music, notes are rarely held still. They wobble, slide and bend (called gamakas), and those shakes are as much a part of the raga's identity as the notes themselves.
Listening exercise: Try this: press "Full scale" above, then open one of the recordings below. In the first few minutes, see if you can hear the missing Dha. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Varunapriya.
History & evolution
The 72-melakarta system was devised by Venkatamakhin in his treatise Chaturdandi Prakasika (c. 1660). It is a mathematical grid that lists every possible seven-note scale built from Carnatic swara variants.
The melakarta names used today, encoded with the Katapayadi system so each name reveals its number, were standardised later by Govindacharya in the 18th century. Many melakartas existed only on paper until composers like Muthuswami Dikshitar and later Koteeswara Iyer wrote pieces in all 72.
The Carnatic Trinity of the 18th–19th centuries (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri) gave lasting shape to most popular ragas through their compositions. Their kritis remain the standard reference for how each raga should move.
Looking for more history…
Scale
Arohana (ascent) · 7 notes
S R2 G2 M1 P D3 N3 S'
- Devanagari
- स रि₂ ग₂ म₁ प ध₃ नि₃ स•
- Tamil
- ஸ ரி₂ க₂ ம₁ ப த₃ நி₃ ஸ•
- Telugu
- స రి₂ గ₂ మ₁ ప ద₃ ని₃ స•
- Kannada
- ಸ ರಿ₂ ಗ₂ ಮ₁ ಪ ದ₃ ನಿ₃ ಸ•
Avarohana (descent) · 7 notes
S' N3 D3 P M1 G2 R2 S
- Devanagari
- स• नि₃ ध₃ प म₁ ग₂ रि₂ स
- Tamil
- ஸ• நி₃ த₃ ப ம₁ க₂ ரி₂ ஸ
- Telugu
- స• ని₃ ద₃ ప మ₁ గ₂ రి₂ స
- Kannada
- ಸ• ನಿ₃ ದ₃ ಪ ಮ₁ ಗ₂ ರಿ₂ ಸ
Synthesised with Sa = A3. A real performance uses gamakas, meends and phrasing that a bare scale can't capture.
Notes on the octave
S
C
r
C#
R
D
g
D#
G
E
M
F
M#
F#
P
G
d
G#
D
A
n
A#
N
B
| Swara | Interval from Sa | Western (Sa = C) |
|---|---|---|
| Shadjam | Unison | C |
| Chatushruti Rishabham (R2) / Shuddha Gandharam (G1) | Major 2nd | D |
| Shatshruti Rishabham (R3) / Sadharana Gandharam (G2) | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) | Perfect 4th | F |
| Panchamam | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shatshruti Dhaivatam (D3) / Kaishiki Nishadam (N2) | Minor 7th | A# |
| Kakali Nishadam (N3) | Major 7th | B |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Dha.
Character
Jati (Sampurna–Sampurna). The ascent uses 7 distinct notes and the descent 7. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Krama (straight) movement. Notes are taken in order going up and coming down.
Parent scale. Melakarta 24 sits in chakra 4 of 12 and uses shuddha madhyamam (M1). Varunapriya is a parent (melakarta) scale with all seven notes in strict order.
Time (Any time). Not tied to a particular time; often placed by convention at a set point in a concert.
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Venu)
Veena
Violin
Nadaswaram
Same notes in Hindustani music
These ragas use exactly the same notes, though their phrasing and ornaments differ.
Ragas with the same notes
Same notes, but a different character because of emphasis, movement and phrasing.
Why this time of day?
Varunapriya is associated with: Any time.
- In Carnatic music, the time of day is a gentle custom rather than a strict rule. Most ragas can be sung at any concert, and the time linked to a raga usually comes from temple rituals and old practice.
- Varunapriya has no fixed time and is sung freely in concerts.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Varunapriya, and how to tell them apart.
VeeravasanthamSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Varunapriya climbs S R2 G2 M1 P D3 N3 S', while Veeravasantham climbs S R2 G2 M1 P S'.
- Veeravasantham uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Veeravasantham leans varied.
Brindavana SarangaSame notes
- Both use exactly the same notes, so the difference lies in how they move and which notes they dwell on.
- Going up: Varunapriya climbs S R2 G2 M1 P D3 N3 S', while Brindavana Saranga climbs S R2 M1 P N3 S'.
- Coming down: Varunapriya descends S' N3 D3 P M1 G2 R2 S, while Brindavana Saranga descends S' N2 P M1 R2 G2 R2 S.
- Brindavana Saranga uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Brindavana Saranga leans shringara.
PushpalathikaOne note apart
- Varunapriya uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Pushpalathika does not.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Pushpalathika leans varied.
PoornashajamOne note apart
- Varunapriya uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Poornashajam does not.
- Poornashajam uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Poornashajam leans varied.
AgnikopaOne note apart
- Varunapriya uses Kakali Nishadam (N3), which Agnikopa does not.
- Agnikopa uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- Mood: Varunapriya leans varies, Agnikopa leans varied.
Other ragas from 24 Varunapriya
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
No well-known Hindi film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Other Indian films (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi)
No regional film song is confidently attributed to this raga yet.
Top Bollywood songTop Tamil songTop Telugu songTop Malayalam songTop Kannada songTop Bengali songTop Marathi song
Film songs often take liberties with a raga, so treat these as "based on" rather than strict renditions.
Discussion
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Notation: Hindustani komal notes are lowercase (r g d n), M# = tivra Ma, ' = upper octave. Carnatic numbers mark swara variants (R1, G3, …).