KafiTwo notes apart
- Kafi uses Shuddh Ma and Komal Ni, which Shivranjani avoids.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Kafi leans shringar.
Hindustani raga
Shivranjani
Pentatonic raga of pathos.
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- Thaat
- Kafi
- Jati
- Audava–Audava
- Notes
- 5 of 12
- Movement
- Krama (straight)
- Time
- Night
- Rasa
- Karuna
- Vadi (main note)
- Pa (P)
- Samvadi (second note)
- Sa (S)
Your guide to Shivranjani
New to classical music — moods, stories, film songs and simple listening.
Start listening
Press play to hear the notes of Shivranjani, rising then falling.
Its mood
Karuna. Traditionally heard at night.
Film songs you may know ↓New to classical music?
Shivranjani, explained simply
Think of a raga as more than a scale: a set of rules and a personality. Shivranjani 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
Shivranjani sounds soft and wistful, in a mood closer to a Western minor key. Its emotional colour is tenderness and sorrow, the feeling of a sad song that still comforts you. Traditionally it is traditionally performed in the night, because Indian musicians believe each raga matches the feeling of a certain hour or season.
How to recognise it
- Listen for the gaps. Shivranjani never uses Ma or Ni, so the melody seems to skip over certain steps. This "missing note" sound is one of the quickest giveaways.
- It uses only five notes, like many folk tunes around the world, so it sounds simple, singable and open.
- Notice which note the musician keeps returning to and resting on: in Shivranjani that's P, with S as its partner. These are the raga's "home base" notes after Sa.
Its beauty
Pentatonic raga of pathos. The beauty of Shivranjani 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
- Across the North–South divide, Mahanandhi (Carnatic) and Mishra shivaranjani (Carnatic) uses the same notes. Listening to both side by side shows how the two traditions shape the same material differently.
- In Hindustani music, a raga usually unfolds slowly. The performance often begins with a long, beat-less exploration (alaap) where the musician reveals the raga one note at a time.
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 Ma. Once you catch it, you've started to recognise Shivranjani.
History & evolution
Hindustani ragas mostly developed through oral tradition, passed guru to disciple. Medieval treatises such as Sangita Ratnakara (13th c.) and the later Raga-Ragini systems grouped them into 'families'.
In the early 20th century, V. N. Bhatkhande organised Hindustani ragas into ten thaats (parent scales). Shivranjani is classified under Kafi thaat. The thaat is a modern classification, not necessarily the raga's historical origin.
Each gharana (school) interprets ragas slightly differently, so a raga's phrasing has kept evolving through the 19th and 20th centuries, and further through recordings and radio.
Looking for more history…
Scale
Arohana (ascent) · 5 notes
S R g P D S'
- Devanagari
- सा रे ग̱ प ध सा•
- Bengali
- সা রে গা̱ পা ধা সা•
Avarohana (descent) · 5 notes
S' D P g R S
- Devanagari
- सा• ध प ग̱ रे सा
- Bengali
- সা• ধা পা গা̱ রে সা
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) |
|---|---|---|
| Sa | Unison | C |
| Shuddh Re | Major 2nd | D |
| Komal Ga | Minor 3rd | D# |
| Pa | Perfect 5th | G |
| Shuddh Dha | Major 6th | A |
Omitted (varjya) swaras: Ma, Ni.
Character
Jati (Audava–Audava). The ascent uses 5 distinct notes and the descent 5. Audava = 5, Shadava = 6, Sampurna = 7.
Krama (straight) movement. Notes are taken in order going up and coming down.
Parent scale. Kafi thaat: Komal Ga and Ni. Equivalent to the Dorian mode and Carnatic Kharaharapriya.
Time (Night). Sung during the night prahars (roughly 9 PM–3 AM). Night ragas often stress the upper tetrachord (uttaranga).
Vadi and samvadi. P is the king note, the most emphasised and returned to. S is the minister, the second most important note.
Karuna
Compassion, pathos and sorrow.
Listen
Each link opens a YouTube or Spotify search for this raga by the instrument or artist.
Vocal
Flute (Bansuri)
Sitar
Sarod
Same notes in Carnatic music
These ragas use exactly the same notes, though their phrasing and ornaments differ.
Why this time of day?
Shivranjani is traditionally sung: Night.
- Hindustani music follows the samay chakra, a 'clock of ragas'. Musicians noticed over centuries that certain combinations of notes match the feeling of certain hours, and teachers passed these timings on as a rule.
- Its timing (Night) comes mostly from tradition: generations of musicians have sung it at this hour, and listeners have come to feel its mood there.
- These are traditions, not physics. Today, recordings and concert schedules mean ragas are often heard at other times, but many musicians still honour the samay chakra.
Close ragas & how they differ
Ragas that sound most like Shivranjani, and how to tell them apart.
Abhogi KanadaTwo notes apart
- Shivranjani uses Pa, which Abhogi Kanada does not.
- Abhogi Kanada uses Shuddh Ma, which Shivranjani avoids.
- The most important note differs: Shivranjani centres on P, Abhogi Kanada on S.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Abhogi Kanada leans shringar.
SindhuraTwo notes apart
- Sindhura uses Shuddh Ma and Komal Ni, which Shivranjani avoids.
- Sindhura uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- The most important note differs: Shivranjani centres on P, Sindhura on S.
- They belong to different times: Shivranjani is sung in the night, Sindhura in the any time.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Sindhura leans shringar.
BarwaTwo notes apart
- Barwa uses Shuddh Ma and Komal Ni, which Shivranjani avoids.
- Barwa uses a different number of notes going up than coming down; the other is more symmetrical.
- They belong to different times: Shivranjani is sung in the night, Barwa in the afternoon.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Barwa leans shringar.
DurgaTwo notes apart
- Shivranjani uses Komal Ga, which Durga does not.
- Durga uses Shuddh Ma, which Shivranjani avoids.
- The most important note differs: Shivranjani centres on P, Durga on M.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Durga leans bhakti.
BhupaliTwo notes apart
- Shivranjani uses Komal Ga, which Bhupali does not.
- Bhupali uses Shuddh Ga, which Shivranjani avoids.
- The most important note differs: Shivranjani centres on P, Bhupali on G.
- They belong to different times: Shivranjani is sung in the night, Bhupali in the early night.
- Mood: Shivranjani leans karuna, Bhupali leans shanta, bhakti.
Other ragas from Kafi
Bageshree · HindustaniBhimpalasi · HindustaniKafi · HindustaniMegh Malhar · HindustaniMiyan ki Malhar · HindustaniMegh · HindustaniDhani · HindustaniMadhuranjani · HindustaniHamsa Kinkini · HindustaniSughrai · HindustaniLankadahan Sarang · HindustaniHussaini Kanada · HindustaniPatmanjari · HindustaniKafi Kanada · HindustaniShahana · HindustaniSuha · HindustaniBahar · HindustaniBageshree Kanada · HindustaniNat Malhar · HindustaniMira ki Malhar · HindustaniChhaya Malhar · HindustaniGunji Kanada · HindustaniAbhogi Kanada · HindustaniNayaki Kanada · Hindustani
Film songs in this raga
Bollywood (Hindi)
- YouTubeSpotify
Mere naina saawan bhadon
Mehbooba (1976)
- YouTubeSpotify
Awaaz de kahan hai
Anmol Ghadi (1946)
- YouTubeSpotify
Jaane kahan gaye woh din
Mera Naam Joker (1970)
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, …).