Keeravani — Melakarta 21
Melakarta 21: S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N3 Ṡ ascending; Ṡ N3 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S descending.
Keeravani is number 21 in the 72-Melakarta system. It has seven svaras in both ascent and descent, in their regular order.
Scale
Arohana: S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N3 Ṡ
Avarohana: Ṡ N3 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S
The ascent ends on upper Sa; the descent returns to the starting Sa. Choose a comfortable Sa; the relationships between the notes remain the same.
Svara names
| Symbol | Svara |
|---|---|
| S | Shadja |
| R2 | Chatusruti Rishabha |
| G2 | Sadharana Gandhara |
| M1 | Shuddha Madhyama |
| P | Panchama |
| D1 | Shuddha Dhaivata |
| N3 | Kakali Nishada |
Place in the Melakarta system
Chakra: 4 — Veda; position 3 of six.
This scale uses M1 — Shuddha Madhyama. Its paired Melakarta, Simhendramadhyamam — Melakarta 57, keeps the other six svaras and changes only Madhyama.
Within each chakra, the six scales share Rishabha, Gandhara and Madhyama; their Dhaivata–Nishada combinations change. The complete Melakarta chart makes these relationships easy to compare.
From scale to raga
The scale gives the note framework. A raga’s musical identity also comes from its characteristic phrases, ornamentation and treatment of those notes. Read Raga and Svara for these distinctions.