Bhīmpalāsī

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Ṭhāṭa : Kāfī

Jāti : auḍuva /sampurna

Āroha / avaroha : ṇi Sa ga ma Pa ni Ṡa / Ṡa ni Dha Pa ma ga Re Sa

Vādī / Samvādī : ma / Sa

Prahara : afternoon (before sunset).

Pakaḍa :  ṇi Sa ga ma, Pa ga ma, ga re Sa (Abhinava Gītanjali)

 

Calana:

ṇi Sa ga Re Sa, Re ṇi Sa ma, ma ga ma ga Re Sa, ṇi Sa ma, ma Pa, ga ma Pa ni Dha Pa, ga ma Pa ni Ṡa | Pa ni Ṡa ġa Ṙe Ṡa, Ṡa ni Dha Pa, Dha ma Pa ma ga, ga ma ga Re Sa

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Bhīmpalāsī is one of the pillars of hindustani music. Classified in Kāfī ṭhāṭa, this raga has the same structure as the ancient raga Dhanaśrī that was in circulation until the 19th century. In the Saṅgīta-Darpaṇa, text composed by Dāmodara at the beginning of the 17th century, we find this dhyāna presenting Dhanaśrī as a lonely woman waiting for her lover to return:

 

Dhanāśri, whose bosom is washed by streams of tears, with a tear still on her white cheeks, pained by separation, with a complexion dark like a blade of dūrvā grass, charming, is busy painting the portrait of her lover. (Saṅgīta-Darpaṇa 2, 104, as translated by Martínez, 2001)

 

Bhīmpalāsī is characterized by a strong ma; center of gravity of this raga. According to Moutal (2012), musicians who interpret Bhīmpalāsī with too much of Pa are actually playing raga Dhanaśrī without knowing it. The symmetry between the two portions of the musical territory of Bhīmpalāsī calls for question and answer patterns in the development of the melody, for example: ṇi Sa ga (Sa) Re-Sa vs ma Pa ni (Pa) Dha-Pa. The melancholic character of Bhīmpalāsī is revealed especially through slow glissandos and long pauses on ma.

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